This article is part of the GM Authority Mailbag series, where the GM Authority Crew features and replies to your questions, comments, and observations.
The following comes to us from a reader in China; original text translated.
I recently visited the U.S. and had a 2014 Chevrolet Impala as my rental car. I didn’t even know that Chevrolet made a car like this.
The fact that the highly-respected General Motors doesn’t sell the Impala car in China is a problem. It is perfect for China — full of style, big and luxurious, fuel efficient and with more space behind the rear doors than a palace.
GM should to sell the Impala in China to sell more cars and change the public image of Chevrolet. I will be the first in line to buy it.
Hear, hear. The fact that GM doesn’t offer the Impala in China is somewhat of a mystery. In fact, the biggest Chevrolet sedan sold in China today is the midsize Malibu, which is surprising given how much the Chinese love big, luxurious cars.
The only nuance would be that, due to tariffs imposed on imported vehicles, Chevy would have to build the full-size Impala in China to make it attainable for local buyers. But since it already manufactures the Impala’s two platform mates — the Buick LaCrosse and Cadillac XTS — in China, that shouldn’t be a problem.
Here’s to hoping that Chevy realizes the opportunity, especially in light of the likely discontinuation of the XTS when the Cadillac CT6 comes to market.
Comments
I’m from Georgia (Tbilisi) and i cant buy a Cadillac CTS Vsport ( I can order only CTS 2.0 or 2.0 with optional awd) thats too bad.
I’m in America and I want a V6 Commodore VF Ute, but you don’t see me… oh never mind.
Hahaha! The difference is that one is a niche product (Commodore Ute) while the other has significantly greater sales volume potential. Especially in chauffeur-me-please China.
Talk to randy in Colorado, he will fix you up with a ute.
I live in Europe and Chevrolet isn’t here at all any more. Despite the fact that Cruze sold pretty well. 🙁
GM is out to put all their eggs in one basket, Guess you should buy a Buick instead. Bummer isn’t it?
Well then I can pretty much say that I live in Taiwan and I can’t buy any of the GM products there because they stop selling cars over there since they decide to stop selling it to my area after the bankruptcy.
People always want what they don’t or can’t have. Buy a Buick LaCrosse, it’s essentially the same car and the Buick name has more status in China. For the Chinese in general, status and the logo is all that matters, so that’s the best choice for you.
So much for developing brands individually of each other…
Am from Algeria and the biggest car is the Cruze and Captiva if you want a midsize here you have to buy an Insigna. DIAMAL the GM local dealer shifted the colorado for an Isuzu badged pickup without the double cab an ugly thing. In engine side one could only buy the 1.6 113 ch in the Cruze and Sonic, the 1.8 140ch for the Trax and 2.0 163 hp. To end up i hope that DIAMAL or GM will change the strategy here and stop selling bad cars like the old Aveo( still sold) and the sail.
Not much mystery here.
Ok we all know the new Lacrosse is coming and the XTS will go away in the future. This is all because the new platform is coming out.
Now this car may not make any money exported to China or the regulations prevent it from being imported. China is tough to import cars to.
Now with that said one the new car arrives it may very well be produced in China as well in the states. No sense putting a line in China to only have to change it in a couple years.
I expect the Impala and SS to merge something after 2017 into a single model The Impala may gain a turbo engine and AWD for a SS model and the Impala would get the new platform under it too.
Now these are just things I am speculating about but the why something is not done are often for reasons like this. It is not what you know but what you don’t know that is going on as to why a product is not offered.
My hope is that, as the XTS goes away, the Impala is given the LaCrosse’s features (as the LaCrosse moves upmarket). GM needs to stop treating the Impala as a second-rate full-size car by limiting its availability in markets where it would clearly succeed (China) and cutting it short of features (like AWD, a HUD, etc.).
Regarding exporting the Impala: who said exporting/importing? How about building it locally? You know, like 95% of the GM lineup is already, with the Escalade being the notable exception. But you are right — perhaps this is a generational thing.
The next-gen Impala, on the E2XX/P2XX platform, could see all kinds of fun stuff — like AWD, a performance model, more premium features, and wider global availability as appropriate. That said, I still think GM is missing a huge opportunity by not offering the Impala in China. After all, that’s one of the few markets where full-size sedans are still a popular market segment.
I live on earth. And I cannot buy one of the 3 GM lunar rover’s they are only on the moon. GM has 100% market share of the moon.
I’m a America that owns a 2015 Impala Love it a Great vehicle, but with GM and its Dealer it seems to be a forgotten vehicle. You don’t see it in GM ad’s or Dealer Ad’s. It bet Elon Musk could sell a lot more, then what GM is doing. The Impala has won many award that no one is using.
I received my Consumer Report Best Buys for products and cars this past weekend . I went through the entire book and lingered in the car section.
I felt so bad when I saw the number of foreign cars listed and rated as better scoring than our Chevrolet and other American cars. It seems we are not measuring up to the other name plates made here. I am disappointed that in most all of the categories, we either were not listed or were at the bottom of the categories.
Please tell me, you at GM why and what is being done to make us better? It is shameful.
When I drive here in Northern Virginia traffic, all I see are TOYOTAS, and other overseas name plates. While many are made here in America, where does the bulk of the money go?! It goes back overseas.
Our cars are not being bought because they have so many problems. Look at Chrysler just last week! Recalls on their famous vans. Why are we not talking about this? What are our name plates doing so poorly? We need to look deeper.
Paula, Honda just recalled almost a million mini vans. It seems some recalls don’t get the same media attention as other. Years ago when GM and Toyota had a joint venture 2 vehicle produced with the same parts one with the Toyota name and one with the GM. Consumer report rated the Toyota much higher, yep the same vehicles. The KIA Soul has been recalled 3 times for the same steering problem. Our 2015 Chev Impala V-6 has been trouble free, oh yes it gets better highway mileage then the little KIA Soul. Tesla get all the media attention. See if you can find another news wire about KBB report on the Impala
“The only nuance would be that, due to tariffs imposed on imported vehicles, Chevy would have to build the full-size Impala in China to make it attainable for local buyers. But since it already manufactures the Impala’s two platform mates — the Buick LaCrosse and Cadillac XTS — in China, that shouldn’t be a problem.”
Copied from the article. I do not like Trump nor care for his way of doing business, but this is one item he is right on. We import billions of dollars from China but for the USA to export even one vehicle for sale to China, the door is slammed shut.
Supply and demand regulates the auto manufacturing business.The Impala,Pontiac Bonneville and Olds are no longer made.It is to bad because some of my last 60 were good cars.There is still some new Impalas around .I know this because I have been looking for a 2020 LT but no deals.I bought a 2018 LS in March 2018 when they had the 20% off sale.If I can do this again I will buy one.What makes me different from many buyers is that I will buy a Ford,Chevy or Dodge if the price is right.Right now it is hard because of the Virus so MSRP is never a term I deal with.
Can anyone tell and show me the colors for the 2021 Cadillacs?
So, watching the market numbers show only 17% of the nation will have purchase EVs by 2050.
Are we also planning the Camaro after its drop dead date of 24 to be replaced by an EV version?
Would the Chevy Impala SS survive the market if it went out as a two door built on the Pontiac GTO platform, rear wheel drive.
I wish I would have kept mine, miss those days,