The fact that GM as an organization has done something before isn’t really relevant today, since the company is quite different today compared to what it was in 1996, with different strategic, financial, and operational goals and objectives. The management thinks differently and has a different direction and priorities… so I wouldn’t rely on past actions as an indicator of current or future decisions.
As an organization, GM is much better today in planning and executing, especially in the short and medium term(s). Specifically, they would do something along the lines of what @member12 stated… rather than not have an option for Impala buyers whatsoever.
I would not rely much on dealers for future product information, especially service advisors, sales people, or any other position in a dealership outside of the general manager or dealer principal… and even these are very likely to not be informed completely about the product and strategic direction of the company. Dealers are often the last to hear about something, and when they do, they’re told things in bits and pieces… this is coming from someone (me) whose first job at GM was calling on dealers.
Allow me to expand on that further. There are three reasons you would be hearing something like this:
1. Chevrolet communicated this to dealers during a recent dealer meeting. This is highly unlikely, since we would have heard about it from our sources and reported on it.
2. Dealer principal or general manager read something online about the potential discontinuation of the Impala… told his employees during a Friday sales meeting… and the rumor spread like wildfire, if it were fact from there… with no one questioning it since it came from dealership management.
3. GM might be paying a bigger bonus to a dealer for Malibu sales this month or this quarter… and the dealer sales management made up the rumor for sales people to sell more Malibus. This is unlikely, but I wouldn’t eliminate its possibility entirely, as dealers across the industry are well-known for playing smoke and mirror-style games with their employees, customers, and other stake holders.
Either way, don’t give too much credit to something a dealer tells you surrounding future product. And NHTSA’s VIN cards show an Impala for the 2019 model year… so it will be around, at least for next year.
