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Impala. Staying or Going?

6K views 42 replies 20 participants last post by  Fred9505 
#1 ·
#2 ·
Hopefully, GM will keep making sedans. I mean if every other manufacturer quits making them, you'd think that those people looking for sedans might buy a GM instead (since they would basically be the only manufacturer still making them! :)

This doesn't sound good for the Impala though (from the article):

"GM’s Impala is down 36.1 percent through the first quarter, and the Sonic is down 21.5 percent. The Malibu sedan and Spark small car are off 2.4 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively. Meantime, the Buick LaCrosse sedan is up 41.7 percent in the first quarter."

GM might want to reconsider going back to making cars that fleets want to buy - I mean they sold a TON of 8th gen Imaplas for fleet use. The current Impala doesn't seem to be selling very well at all. They priced themselves out of the market, in my opinion.

It's interesting that the Impala is down 36% but the Buick LaCrosse is up 41%... Very similar cars. Strange.

Personally, I have no interest in an SUV or truck - I like my big cars! :)

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#3 · (Edited)
Read an article that said on average Chevy dealers see 1 customer interested in an Impala every two months.

But when you show the Chevy lineup on tv ads and mailers, but don't show the Impala as part of that lineup.
It's tough to sell something that you never advertise.
When I bought my Impala, they were lined up in front of the dealership. Now sit the Malibu, and the Impalas
are in the back lot ...11 - 6 2017s. 5 2018s.

Cadillac big tv ad seen alot is the XT5. It's also Cadillac's #1 seller. Caddy is thinking about dropping ATS, CTS, XTS... Have seen an ad for any of those?

We were stopped at a light, my wife asked "what was the car ahead of us"? I said"the Ford Taurus". She said,
"Do they still make that"? When is the last time you have seen an ad for a Taurus?

Chrysler toying with dropping 200, Dart, Charger and possibly 300 series.

As for the Lacrosse, sales up probably due to its popularity in China.
 
#5 ·
Cant agree strongly enough with the "...how do you expect to sell it if you don't advertise it and/or people don't know about it?" statement.

Honestly, when was the last time you actually saw a Chevrolet commercial or magazine ad advertising an Impala or, even better, the now-discontinued SS sedan (Google it)?

It seems the truck and SUV lobby at GM has strong sway with the marketing folks. Probably has something to do with profit margins (fatter on trucks and SUVs, I hear) as well as looser CAFE and safety requirements on trucks.

I come from a GM family. When it came time to buy a minivan (they DO serve a function), I had to buy a Chrysler, since GM left the minivan market, unless I wanted to buy imported (I had no GM option). Yes, I do know about the global parts sourcing GM does, etc. and that there is no such thing as a 100% US-made car. I have just been very brand loyal to GM and have been comfortable with the devil I know. However, that devil is making it harder and harder to continue buying his products as they are increasingly not fitting my wants/needs/desires.

Kill the Impala and it would be, for me, another nail in the coffin for GM's future prospects of selling me a vehicle.
 
#6 ·
When Chevy was having their winter sales (Dec 2017). All models in the the commercial were red.
During the commercial, they show 2 young women sitting in a Camaro. Over the shoulder of the woman sitting in
the Camaro' s driver seat could seen the back portion of a red Impala roof with the silver emblem. That's only time
I've seen an Impala in a Chevy commercial other than back when it first came out. LOL
 
#9 ·
Most of GM’s print and TV advertising features 20 and 30-something’s, with virtually all of the men unshaven.

GM does not direct any advertising at middle age or older people, although they make most of the new vehicle purchases, or help younger family members with $$$ to make the purchases.

I feel as though GM takes for granted many of their established customers, and only care about the younger crowd.
 
#7 ·
Quote: “They priced themselves out of the market, in my opinion.”

You know, I was thinking about that the other day. I got my 2015 LTZ with everything (including active cruise ;-) with a sticker of about $41k for $36k. I couldn’t touch any SUV similarly equipped for less than $50k. It’s really a terrific value compared to SUVs.
 
#8 ·
Agreed - what I was saying is that compared to the 8th gens, the 9th gens were significantly more expensive. I realize that they are higher quality cars than the 8th gens, but I think they are more like Buick-level cars - not Chevy-level cars - and Chevy wasn't considering what made the 8th gens so popular - they were *inexpensive*, full-size cars that were relatively inexpensive to own and maintain. The 9th gens are expensive compared to the 8th gens and a lot of people that bought 8th gens previously because of the price probably can't afford a 9th gen - or just didn't want to spend that much.

I could be wrong, but I think the price of the 9th gens pushed a lot of people away. Most people that *were* willing to spend that much were probably shopping for a Buick or maybe even a Cadillac. They are expensive for a Chevy (IMO).

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#12 ·
GM gave up on this current Impala. Just a mild refresh that gives non LTZ models dual exhaust cutouts in the rear would make the rear end look more complete and also putting in the new 3.6 with a 8spd auto would make this current Impala more competitive for a few more years.
Make a RS package with stiffer suspension and more aggressive transmission gearing and you have a super full sized car. A hybrid Impala option would have gone head to head with the Avalon.

You shouldn't have to spend $35K for a nice looking v6 Impala. And one of the biggest things that killed this 2014+ Impala is the poor rear view, as it has turned many off since its hard to see out the rear of the car.

The Impala will go the fate of the Old Aurora and Pontiac G8, in which GM made a car with alot of room that people wanted when it came out and then just abandoned it and let it die off.
 
#13 ·
It took me a long time to trust the Park Assist feature on my 2014 Chevy Impala because on how they designed the trunk lid to fit all that big luggage and make the trunk more "spacious".

Cheers!

《♤》 Sawuwaya / Spirit Wolfe 《♤》

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#14 ·
Just go to the Chevrolet website. The Impala is conspicuously missing from the picture of the lineup of models. I bought mine during the Dec 2017 red tag sales campaign. That was the last time I saw the Impala in full model lineup pictures.

FWIW - I would never have paid anywhere near the sticker for any GM product. I would only come close to doing that with Honda or Toyota. But the 20% off red tag sale and then an additional 6% off from the dealer made the Impala deal too good to pass up especially after the test drive. I got mine fully loaded with every option for over 10K off sticker.

As for Buick, agree it’s the Chinese sales that’s keeping that afloat. I mean really, why would that brand even still be in existence outside of the Chinese factor? GM should kill off Buick and bring it’s luxury content down to Chev. Then just have the two brands - Chev and Cadillac - your everyday car and its upscale luxury brand like everyone else does.
 
#15 ·
I think the SUV/CUV craze in general is the major factor in the demise of large sedan sales. I am happy with my '15 Impala LTZ. Sure, it was more expensive than our '08 Impala LT, but it is a far better car in every way possible. The SUV/CUV's sales could tank again if gas prices skyrocket for some crazy reason. That happened to us when we bought our '08. We traded in a '05 Saturn VUE, and took a beating on it, due to the dealership's position that SUV's were all poison and CUV's, (which is what I think our 25mpg VUE was), were also. Funny, our VUE was sold within 2 weeks, and one they already had with less miles, and fancier trim, sat for at least another year. Served them right.

Some folks say we won't ever have sky high gas prices again, because we produce almost all of our own oil now. The price of that home produced oil follows the world wide price of oil. Let some wacky middle eastern country's oil fields get blown up, and the price will skyrocket over night.

Sales numbers of most cars in general are down. Once the darling of Japanese brand buyers, the 2018 Honda Accord, is in steep decline, and it's a 1st year model. Everyone seems to want to buy a Honda CRV instead, and it's one of the uglier CUV's on the road IMHO.
 
#17 ·
Just saw an article where GM (and other automakers) are encouraging the US to move to all 95 octane fuel (no more choices - it would just be 95 octane). They claim that it's the easiest way to increase fuel efficiency (assuming the car can take advantage of it). But they can't program the cars to take advantage of it until it's available everywhere... Chicken and egg... :)

Here's a link to the article:
https://jalopnik.com/automakers-want-95-octane-gas-to-completely-take-over-1825350040/amp


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#19 ·
I just read that crude oil prices were up today to the highest price since November, 2014, and supplies were being drawn down. OPEC is meeting in Saudi Arabia later this week to try and convince all their members to hold the line on production cuts. We'll see how long that lasts, but the price of gasoline will probably be over $3 by next week.
 
#20 ·
What pisses me off is the US Oil production is exporting. It's all about greed. High Oil prices is one of the things that contributed to the crash. I have Oil heat and back when Oil was crazy high it was like a rent to fill the tank for one month. Anyway, I think the Impala is dead. If they were going to introduce a new model it would have already happened. The shift is towards crossovers because Women like them and men can't say no to their wives. I dislike pickups, SUVs and cross overs. Sad to see cars dying. At least big cars. GM wants to push us to Buick or Caddy for our Big car. They don't understand that when you take away our options we look elsewhere. Buick and Caddy aren't an option for me because of price. GM doesn't like to step on the toes of it's other brands which is dumb. They refuse to advertise the Impala, they refuse to offer All Wheel Drive and they refuse to offer a sport edition. All because of Buick and Caddy.
 
#21 ·
The thing is that there isn't even a "big" Buick anymore either... I think the Impala is probably bigger than the LaCrosse, which is the biggest Buick there is now. Even Cadillac doesn't have any really big cars (although, they are probably about the same size as the Impala). I think they've made all of the cars so small, that people no longer want them. I miss the days when there were truly big cars! :) It just seems that the bigger the car, the nicer the ride is - and I like a nice, smooth ride...
 
#22 ·
a lot of that probably has to do with the increasingly higher fuel economy standards they have to meet. shedding weight by downsizing the car is the easiest way to do so. and since a lot of cars share the same platform, one platform downsizing effects multiple models. the days of the boats are over, now everyone wants a smaller, more nimble car that gets 40mpg....if you want space you get an suv...

however i'd rather have a "full sized car" and would probably never get a smaller one...except a wrx sti...that i might make an exception for as suburu did a great job with space in the cabin (for being a smaller car) in the one i test drove.
 
#23 ·
The Impala supposed to be a muscle car, so, being a muscle car priced at " 41k" or even "36k" you should be able to get more than 197-305 horse power in my opinion. The dodge challenger v6 gets 305 and the RT Challenger v8 gets 375 HP for a price starting at $33k and the Dodge Charger (a 4-door) v8 gets 370 HP for starting at $35k. I think the pricing and the problems GM has been having these last few years have caused a lot of people to look differently at GM. Personally I am currently dealing with the accelerator pedal position sensor issue that was a recall a while back for certain years. I was driving with my lady on the highway on an overpass bridge, and the car shut off! I couldn't steer or brake very well due to the shut off while driving 70 miles an hour and almost crashed and flew off the over pass! I may post and start a thread about the progress but IDK yet. I remember seeing the older model Impalas that looked and sounded like a muscle car should. GM dealer service at a dealership that I purchased another veh. in 2016 and referred someone that purchase yet another Chevy car doesn't respond to my emails, so I'm stuck at it alone. If they get rid of the Impalas to review the previous faulty soldering is okay in my opinion. Just bring back some reliable vehicles with power at a price point that matches the HP in that price point and you won't be down by 36%. What do y'all think?
 
#25 ·
Very true, but to me it is supposed to be a muscle car. LOL. I wanted to get a 95 or 96 big body and fix her up. I remember seeing the family sedan built as a muscle car when I was a boy. It was a 1960's model. If they still resembled that era, that would be awesome.
 
#30 ·
Love these quotes from that link hisstory32 posted...

While for the interior design, it will be convenient in touch and include a lot more innovative in feature and technician.
The people will amaze and feel fired up to drive this car.
:laughing1:
 
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#32 ·
The biggest issue is that most of GM is still tarnished. Meaning the brand is tarnished. People have lost respect for GM and Ford and Dodge and favor the Toyotas and Hondas and Hyundais which continue to get favorable reviews and high marks for reliability and resale. GM needs to fix this if they want to be successful. The younger generation is all about the European and Asian cars. It is not "cool" to own a chevy or ford car. Some exceptions might be the Dodge Charger, Challenger, Ford Mustang, and Chevy Camaro.

That being said- Ford has made it official.
https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/25/f...rth-america-but-the-mustang-and-focus-active/
The Ford Taurus and Chevy Impala might die, and you can thank SUVs | Fox News
 
#38 ·
The biggest issue is that most of GM is still tarnished. Meaning the brand is tarnished. People have lost respect for GM and Ford and Dodge and favor the Toyotas and Hondas and Hyundais which continue to get favorable reviews and high marks for reliability and resale. GM needs to fix this if they want to be successful. The younger generation is all about the European and Asian cars. It is not "cool" to own a chevy or ford car. Some exceptions might be the Dodge Charger, Challenger, Ford Mustang, and Chevy Camaro.

That being said- Ford has made it official.
https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/25/f...rth-america-but-the-mustang-and-focus-active/
The Ford Taurus and Chevy Impala might die, and you can thank SUVs | Fox News

Hyundai and Kia still have reliability problems from what I hear, the Theta 2 engine that went into everything has numerous reported engine failures to the point where Hyundai extended the warranty on he engine to 10yrs/120K miles for 2011-2014 modes. Their new DCT transmission dont really shift that well either from what im reading.

Maybe after 2015 they might have fixed the problems, but most GM and Ford issues were fixed by then too.
 
#33 ·
It's really going to suck if we have a total of like 4 actual cars to choose from (across all American car manufactures)!! Maybe GM will see that Ford (and others) are going to stop making cars and decide to keep making them. I mean let's face it, there are always going to be some people that want a car - and if GM is the only American car manufacturer that is still offering some sort of selection for cars, maybe there would be enough volume to remain profitable for them. Basically, GM could become the only real American "car" manufacturer. Obviously, they would continue making SUVs and Trucks, but if they are the only people making cars, you'd think the volume would still be there...

At least one can hope... :)
 
#34 ·
Buick .... 2 cars- Lacrosse and Regal....... 3 CUV/SUVs

Cadillac...will have 2 cars - CT6 and something smaller....... 3 CUV/SUVs

Ford will have 2 cars - Mustang and Focus..... CUV/SUVs

Chevy, if drops Impala will have 2 cars - Malibu and Cruze..... 3 CUV/SUVs

Yep, sad choices for the future of cars, if looking at American brands
 
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