Production of the Chevrolet Impala at General Motors‘ Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant will officially end on February 28th, 2020.
While we already knew production of the long-running Chevy nameplate was set to end sometime in February, it wasn’t previously clear what day the final Impala would roll off the production line. We now know the plant will stay open through to February 28th and will produce the Impala up until then. After that point, the plant’s 800 or so employees will be transferred to other GM plants around the country while it is heavily revamped and retooled to produce GM’s new line of electric vehicles.
The last Impala to leave Detroit-Hamtramck very well may be the last Impala ever built. Experts believe the shift in consumer preferences from sedans to crossovers is permanent, so GM may be ready to leave the Impala name, which has only ever been attached to a coupe or sedan, in the past. It also doesn’t seem as though it’d be appropriate on one of GM’s forthcoming new electric vehicles, either.
The Impala has been brought back from the dead before, though. It went on brief hiatus between 1985 and 1994 and also was not offered between 1996 and 2000. Consumers hadn’t turned their back on sedans in the 1980s and the 1990s the way they have now, though, so the Impala’s resurgence does seem highly unlikely.
Sales of the current, tenth-generation Chevrolet Impala were highest in 2014, reaching 140,280 units. Sales have declined every year since then and dropped to a total of 44,978 units in 2019.
New Impalas will no longer be built after February 28th, but customers will still be able to purchase the vehicle new from Chevrolet dealerships until supply runs out. It’s not clear how many days of Impala stock will be on dealers by the time production ends, but the sedan hasn’t been a hot seller for quite some time, so it shouldn’t be very hard for customers to locate one on a lot nearby.
GM also announced this week that its Detroit-Hamtramck plant will build the Cruise Origin fully autonomous shuttle in addition to its new battery-electric pickup truck. The plant is set to become GM’s first dedicated EV plant, though it won’t be the only GM EV plant, with Mark Reuss saying this week that the company’s wide-reaching EV plan is “unmatched in the industry.”
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Source: WardsAuto
Comments
Rated best full size car, GM finally got it right and the discontinue it. Morons!
They may have it right, but the majority of American consumers are not buying sedans; crossovers are the hot item now.
I still don’t believe this. I see plenty of brand spanking new sedans in peoples drive ways, on the road, etc… GM has been heavily discounting crossovers, especially with lease specials, and leaving their sedans to rot at uncompetitive pricing.
It’s no wonder consumer continue to favor *GM* crossovers, there aren’t any good deals on any of their cars.
Outside of that though, there are still a healthy amount of new cars out there from other brands.
My wife and I are in our late 20s, and having our first baby. We are looking at a station wagon or sedan to replace one of our current sedans! We are supposed to be “millennials” who want one of these ugly CUVs. No thanks, they don’t handle well, don’t have that much more room, cost more, and are the new soccer mom vehicle in image. When time for our next midsize car purchase, we may have to buy a non GM vehicle then.
What will happen to the cadillac? Mary barra is shooting gm in the foot…again.
not her, were not buying cars
not true just got 2019 on black friday great price
G.M. Had one of the best selling compacts in Canada the CRUZE sedan and hatchback both great Kia fighters where smaller vehicles abound .What does GM do ,they keep the hardly ever updated from prototype a chubby underpowered Trax that sold 1 to 10 against the Cruze with the sleeker styling ,peppier engines ,better gas mileage and discontinue the sale of Cruze .This must drive the dealer network bonkers and spewing rage at chevy sales who seem to know how to shoot themselves in the foot .Oshawa Assembly recently shut down could have built them for the Canadian and US millennial buyer markets if Lordstown is going to be a battery build plant ,no sweat !
I will miss the legendary impala, thanks for 62 amazing years.
Disgusting, this is the nicest looking GM car made today! And my wife drives an xt5 which I hate, but she loves it.
the suburban is just as legendary as the impala.
I grew up loving the impala and all chevy’s.
However I have a 2015 impala and will probably buy the 2020. But I don’t know what I’m going to after that. I wish they bring it back in the next 10yrs. Please!!!!!
Consumer report, which has always been a GM nemesis, stated the Impala is the best performing and highest scoring sedan in its 30 year history of testing cars. Only Tesla outscored it. I own a 2018 impala, black and chrome, phenomenal car, and looks great
GM got it right.
That black beauty Impala was probably made at the ultra modern Oshawa Assembly plant shut down at Christmas this year forever apparently by GM Detroit management as they transition to EV was the reason stated .It one of the most award winning plants ever to build the Chev..Impala in North America in the latter part of a 100 years of quality workmanship and economical build !
That is the most craziest thing that Gm can do is stop making the Chevy impala that have been around for decades in my opinion the best sedan around no electric cars Gm is making a big mistake
Of course sales have dropped precipitously. GM abandoned the Impala about 3 years ago and have not marketed or advertised it since. Pretty hard to sell something when people think the car had already been discontinued. The best looking, performing, driving and most reliable car in the Chevrolet lineup and they trash it. Every bit as good as a Lexus. My 2015 is weeping.
I have owned many Impalas most recently a 2013 I put 230,000 miles on with no issues and just bought a 2020 for Christmas. Always a very comfortable and reliable car. Big mistake GM! Suv and truck sales may be hot but there will always be a market for a reliable comfortable sedan and not everyone wants a Cadillac
For years – every dealership around me has had maybe one or two on the lot, usually a program car. I’ve never once seen an ad for one – and more times than not, they aren’t even included in line up pics. Mine has literally been the most complimented and trouble free car I’ve ever owned.
Just another day at GM. Build a great car that scores well with both consumers and so called auto authorities. Keep it in production for 7 long years with zero changes to body, interior or drive train, discontinue and limit color selection, kill off trim levels and offer a single interior color. Yeah that sounds like a recipe for really high sales. Idiots!
What will be done with the last Impala built?
Might buy a 2019 (2020 only comes in black!)
Sad to see it go! I have a 63 Impala SS convertible, a 75 Caprice Classic convertible, and a 1996 Impala SS.
Joe Yoman hit it right on the head! GM never advertised it and worse never played up the awards that the Impala received.
I get compliments almost every day I drive my Cajun Red 2019 LT. So glad I got it when I did because I could not duplicate
this car now for 2020 between the trim packages and options that were dropped. Also love that it is a V6 WITHOUT Auto Stop Start!
all I could say is they are all MORONS . all don’t want electric , suvs or mostly I want to drive my own car
then you have no choice sadly.
The impala should. Go on til 2025 with some change to front and rear and change to rear wheel drive. That Malibu is still on but to me it should go it’s ugly.its a impala want to be. It should go. I have a 2017 impala that is dark blue that changes color beautiful with 20 inch z28 aftermarket wheels on it. People love it at car shows and where ever I go. This car is a keeper with 17.780 miles on the clock. This impala is mine. There are many out there but they may look like mine but my looks better. So hell no the impala should not go. Impala owners sound off.
Your article states: “so GM may be ready to leave the Impala name, which has only ever been attached to a coupe or sedan, in the past. It also doesn’t seem as though it’d be appropriate on one of GM’s forthcoming new electric vehicles, either.”
Why?? These GM idiots and morons want to make a Corvette SUV or crossover – calling it a Corvette. WTF – Why limit the idiotic decisions to just one – keep it going and see how fast you can destroy what was once the largest automobile company in the world?!?!?!
Mary Barra and her moron friends need to be replaced – and sooner rather than later..
She needs to be fired
Ok unfortunately my very nice looking impala got rear-ended last Thursday while I was going to look at 2019 Impala. It was totally done.rear end was pushed into the back seat, my baby is gone. But😄 I ended up with a 2019 Chevy Impala v6 premire. Like night and day. This girl with v6 305 horse power fast and good looking.again the hell with gm and that ugly malabu, Impala live in us Impala for as look as we keep them up . Just like they kill the 96 SS. I get tired of smart a__ people saying nice malabu. It is the last Impala.
love mine but cars are not selling
I ‘get’ that people are sheep and buy what’s selling. There are 100 homes in my subdivision and almost all vehicles 5 years old or newer are pick-ups, SUVs of some sort, Jeeps and hybrids. But, there is still a market niche for sedans IF YOU ADVERTISE AND MARKET THEM! All the R&D on the Impala is paid for and the factory is able to produce a great car inexpensively. Impalas are not ancient technology like VCRs. A viable and GREAT America automobile euthanized long before its time so GM can use the American public as test animals while all the bugs are worked out on new vehicles at our expense.
I adore my crystal red 2014 Impala LTZ and still get lots of compliments on it. I plan to drive it for as many years as I can. I’ll always have a sedan. A classic since 1958… and little respect or promotion from GM.
February 28, 2020 will CERTAINLY be remembered as a sad day in GM and its Chevrolet Divisions 100 plus year history. Long live the ‘IMPALA’