Chevrolet Impala Reportedly On The Chopping Block
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With news of the Chevrolet Sonic’s impending death, another Chevy passenger car could very well be on its way to the scrapheap: the Chevy Impala.
Within yesterday’s Wall Street Journal report detailing the Sonic’s cancellation, sources close to the matter also said the Impala is on General Motors’ chopping block. The Impala was last redesigned in 2014 for its tenth-generation and has seen minimal updates since then. Details on a potential eleventh-generation car have been slim.
It’s important to note the sources nearly confirmed the Sonic’s death, while GM brass is still mulling over the Impala’s future. The car still returns rather positive reviews, though passenger car sales continue to slip in favor of crossovers and SUVs. The Chevrolet Malibu has also grown in size to nearly eclipse the Impala’s full-size footprint.
The latest news on the Impala’s potential death follows a report from last July that alleged GM may discontinue numerous passenger cars amid low sales. The nameplates include the Chevrolet Impala, Chevrolet Volt, Buick LaCrosse and Cadillac CT6. Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen quickly jumped on the report last year and assured the CT6’s future was not under consideration, however, Chevy nor Buick jumped to their passenger cars’ defense.
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I was scanning my Inbox, deleting many of the annoying folk, and saw one of my favorites waiting for me…I opened it and saw the picture of our beautiful, sporty, road trip comfortable, and powerful enough to cruise the surrounding Sierra mountain range, without
any issue (that V-6 is awesome and economical), and I no longer miss those Mercedes Sedans: I drove for 30+ years ?
The Chevrolet Impala Premier is one of the finest, well built: and beautifully styled inside, and out automobiles the GM has offered, in many years…Sadly, like other GM offerings, you hardly ever see it advertised, unless it’s being Promoted at 20% Off!!
I have also been around long enough to watch the Stupidity of the GM bean counters, who put their Insane 7 figure Bonuses ahead of building great product…Remember the 1980’s??
We love our new siren red Impala Premier, that we searched the western States for, and paid a fair amount to have it shipped by a fantastic, professional Shipper, in his custom trailer…it arrived a week before a Christmas 2017, with considerable praise from our neighbors ☺️
This beautiful Impala, will be with us, and Pampered by Us for many years…and hopefully, when the time comes, it will be replaced by another deep red, 6 cylinder Impala Premier
( or Impala SS) … Lets all hope that the bean counters, will soon be Replaced by Car People…
By the way,our new Impala looks fantastic in our garage, next to our 2015 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ 6.2 V-8, in deep ocean blue…
We also have a stunning Mercedes-Benz SL 500 with very low miles, in midnight blue, which I will be advertising soon…we love the SL, it always puts a smile on our face, and it’s in excellent shape. We just want to have American built Cars, Trucks and SUV ( aka Tahoe ) in our garage ?? So once our little German roadster is gone, we hope to find a pristine, ultra low mileage Chevy Corvette, to park next to our new siren red Impala…
And just maybe one more 1955 Bel Air hardtop in gypsy red, over shoreline beige with a V-8,
and 3 On the Tree, to Replace the one that got away several years ago…
They don’t build Hardtop V-8’s anymore either, cause Nobody likes them anymore!!
Chevrolet sold 7.581 of the Impala in March 2018 while Cadillac managed just to sell 894 of their CTS, so it makes perfect sense why the Impala might be on the chopping block while Cadillac’s CTS will get to see another generation as it’s obvious that GM CEO Mary Barra is a Cadillac fan as this is the only explanation why Cadillac gets a free ride on everything including 2 new exclusive engines (the LTA twin-turbo 4.2L V8 and LSY 2.0L DOHC-4v 4-cyl turbo).
I feel like this a bad move to end the production of the Impala. This car is currently leading the full-sized car market and competitors like the Azera, 300, and Taurus will be discontinued. I think discontinuing the car will not only destroy the potential of higher profits but also cause lost revenue as Chevrolet abandons its market share in the full-sized car segment to the Japanese and Korean companies :(. Honestly, if Toyota had the guts to redesign there slow-selling Avalon, Chevy should at least realize the potential for some profit in this segment. Oh well, at least I have the CT6 V to salivate over.
i dont understand GM.. impala is best selling Gm sedan in UAE
My wife gets frequent compliments on her ’15 black LTZ and I enjoy taking it for a spin. Over the Holidays it shined as elegant transportation for 4. One reason I will never buy a cuv/suv, the sedan trunk is a separate compartment and my junk is down in the trunk, not sitting behind the rear seat, spilling out and there for the world to see when I step back for the giant tailgate to open. I’m talking some tools, emergency stuff, maybe a fishing rod, spare shopping bags, etc. A small underfloor storage cubby in an SUV is not a replacement for a real trunk. I’ve had Chrysler products, ’nuff said. Also, no 4 banger for us.
This generation of Impala is well prized, but GM don’t advertise it. Chevrolet has no RWD and performance sedan, it can be next Impala. put the next Impala on RWD platform and AWD as option, and you’ll have a dodge competitor and a replacement of the SS.
In addition, build it in sedan and wagon and cross wagon AWD with engine choice from 4 cylinders to V8 especially for an Impala SS, and a hybrid iteration.
furthermore, the Impala is one of the oldest Chevy name plant it’s part of Chevrolet and GM history and heritage, they can’t just kill it.
Some good comments by many. Lets face it folks, GM is doing a poor job of designing, producing, and marketing cars…PERIOD!! They are drilling in to consumers heads third row seats, entertainment and safety features, all of which belong in boring CUVs and SUVS. Chevrolet ads on TV have become embarrassingly, futile with red headed weeney boy, with his tablet, impersonating Captain Obvious, talking about features most educated consumers already know about.
Mary Barra and her team might have bailed out GM the first time around, but the ship is slowly sinking again.
GM appears to be more focused on Huge Bonuses for Upper Management, which comes from Huge Profit Makers…the huge profit models are CUV’s and SUV’s, so why would they wanna Spend any money promoting the Impala or Lacrosse, or anything that would Impact their ‘personal gain’…Hmmm
I personally drive a Silverado. BUT I really think the Impala is a super neat car and if I wanted a car that would be the one. I feel GM is putting too much into BIG Trucks and SUVs. My 2015 Silverado LTZ is a great truck.. Did I need a big truck like that? NO. I had a 2004 Silverado which was a much much better it. I am a 74 year old woman 5’4″. The problem is getting in and out and the Colorado is actually more difficult to get in and out of. I have a friend with one and we both have swapped back and forth and agree. Silverado is easier. It was too big when I bought it and too big now.. and I probably will buy a Ridgeline. I need a truck but I don’t need a huge truck. It barely fits in a standard garage. I hoped that one Colorado or Canyon would be configured more like a road truck than an off road muscle type truck but I waited 3 years.. NOTHING and the use of interior room in the Colorado and Canyon is horrid in the back. After being with GM all my life…starting with a ’55 BelAirConvertible I am going to have to walk from GM.. that is sad. Women buy a lot of vehicles.. If you haven’t noticed Baby Boomers are getting older.. We don’t have a need for a big tough truck even if we need or like driving trucks. As far as I am concerned GM missed the boat.
If you liked your 2004 so much why did you get rid of it? Do you need 4wd, that could save you a little height to get in and out. It’s a shame you would give up so easily being a GM person since your 55 Bel Air.
I felt 11 years was enough.. I wanted some of the safety features in newer trucks. I don’t have 4wd.. an LTZ is not a 4 wheel drive truck. Yeah it is a shame that GM could not remember that women buy a lot of cars and that the general population is aging and don’t necessarily need to tow as much or carry as much but still need a truck. One can like a vehicle and still feel it is time to get a newer one. I hoped the Colorado was going to be a real midsize but after riding in a friend’s a lot the only thing smaller is the Width. Big deal
The Impala is definitely gone. If they didn’t introduce a new one at the most recent auto show then it’s dead. I like my Impala, it’s a shame. I would move to a Malibu if they offered a V6 but they do not.
Just watched CBS this morning, Chevrolet commercial, probably the only one today, showed the Chevy lineup with a black Cruze, a CUV and a grey Malibu. No Impala mentioned. The whole point was 20% off Malibu. That’s what it must be worth 80% of a car. Next up, Toyota’s commercial with a pearl white and red leather Camry screaming through the curves with a beautiful blond and rock music. Now I want to go look at the Camry, it’s sexy. Chevrolets are rental car grade, even Hyundai is more exciting.
C’mon Brian, you Asian trolls need to work on your game. Two words that would never be used in the same sentence, sexy and Camry.
I respect Ford for making those decisions of eliminating those passenger cars.
GM needs to do the same and quickly. I always felt GM sold way too many models. I would not be surprised if there is a second bankruptcy. Corvette seems bloated and out of touch, impala needs to go along with the Volt.
I became an Impala fan the first time I drove one. I own a 2016 LTZ, and it’s by far the best car I’ve ever owned, and I’ve owned Toyotas, Fords, Mazdas and VW’s. As gas prices inevitably rise, the truck/SUV market will dwindle, and the modern sedan, of all sizes, with AWD and either hybrid or electric powertrains will become the mainstay of the long-term future. If GM discontinues the Impala, I will move to the Toyota Avalon. I suspect many sedan lovers will as well, now that Ford is discontinuing its sedans. GM has proven they can build outstanding cars – the Impala is currently Consumer Reports top-rated large sedan, beating the Avalon, and the Kia Cadenza, and has been #1 for three years! Where GM fails is in anticipating future trends, rather than reacting to current ones. They seem to consistently fail at improving on a good thing like the Impala in the long term, giving up too easily and conceding ground to the Japanese. It’s why they needed a bailout in 2008, and now that they’ve recovered with innovative design and quality built cars, they’re about to make the same mistake again.
John,
I will say i really like the look of the impala..you said you had the LTZ model, it must be a joy to own. I agree with you on anticipating trends instead of playing catch up. I think a LTZ malibu could fill the impala void. I sometimes wonder why there is a equinox and traverse…they seem pretty close to the same. I am sure it costs the company millions if a model fails, with that said, i will say sometimes less is more.
Ford has decided no money in cars in America. I still think the Volt has a market and the Bolt. Prices need to come down. They need to make a truck that is the size of the 2004 Silverado… that truck is not smaller than the colorado… The Colorado is higher off the ground… more difficult for short people to get into… more difficult for short people to get stuff in and out of the bed.. 2004 Silverado should be the size of the Colorado. Colorado and Canyon make horrid use of the interior behind the front seats.. I have a 2015 Silverado LTZ and I probably will be selling it and buying a Ridgeline which has the same dimensions as the 2004 Silverado
the problem with GM is that they have mirror cars (darn near) in the Chevy line up and the GM line up and that is a horrid duplication of effort. Sierra and Silverado. Canyon and Colorado and the Acadia and Traverse I think etc etc.. But really why?
Frances,
i didnt think about the GMC angle, sorta of like the Ford/Mercury thing..I wonder how Lincoln will do with the loss of passenger cars at Ford. Anyway you talk about 2004 size vehicles..are you saying that Chevy/GMC are getting bigger and bigger?..I have a 99 Toyota 4runner and that generation is quite smaller than where they have grown. I looked at the new Ridgeline and really liked the size.
GM has had a platform mate (mirror car) stategy for most of its history. Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac and Buick allow GM to target different demos, price points while requiring little extra capital.
Nox and Terrain look as different as their Toyota, Honda and Nissan rivals. The mechanical side may be identical but styling and branding make the CUVs different. VW does the same with Skoda and Audi.
FCA is frugal with capital. If Sergio ran GM he’d kill off a ton of vehicles but GM is thriving in its current form.
In the 1980s Buick, Olds and Pontiac were near identical but that’s over.
As long as the Trucks and SUVs are so big and are high off the ground older people.. particularly women around 5’5″ won’t buy them and if they can use a car would like an impala. I drive a Silverado and I am selling it. Honda has that Ridgeline dialed in really nice and it specs identical to the 2004 Silverado except it is shorter. I need a truck but I don’t need to break my neck getting in and out.. I am 75.. female and 5’4″.. Love my LTZ but getting in and out sucks.