Don't forget the Impala. Chevy will need a car larger than the Malibu, I should think.

The Camaro is as relevant as any of the other RWD sporty coupes out there. If you mean the next one will get better mileage, then you should say that every car available today will be more "relevant" in the future.

 

I didn't forget about the Impala, I'm just not sure how critical it's role might be in the future. I could see a slightly larger next gen Malibu filling that role for most folks - especially with draconian CAFE and CO2 standards.

As far as relevance and Camaro, I'm sure you'll agree that Mustang has far more relevance to Ford than Camaro does to GM. They've certainly shown a far higher level of commitment to it than GM has to the Camaro over the past 20 years or so.

And yes, I am partly talking about improved economy as well. The 29 hwy mpg the V6 Camaro gets is pretty darned impressive, more will be required later though. I'm also talking about a car with a secure future, on a busy assembly line which builds various products on the Camaro's architecture. Relevance also means selling at a certain volume.

 

Hmm. I think a smaller Malibu would be better -- something closer to 3100 pounds with a 1.8l I4. Then a stretch version with a little more interior room and a bigger trunk with a 2.4l I4 around 3500 pounds. Add a turbo for performance. A V6 would be fun, but.... I'm thinking more 2015, I guess.

I don't think the Camaro will ever live down having been a response to the Mustang. Both are built on their own modified version of a corporate platform. At various times, both would have been sharing platforms with sedans. I do fear that Chevy took the Camaro a little too far, once again. This time with tiny windows and a highly stylized interior, instead of low to the ground with long overhangs and as much window rake as they could manage. But I will withhold judgment until I can sit in one and drive it.

That makes sense. In that respect, the Camaro could be much more relevant than the Mustang -- if it's one of several cars off of the same architecture. That should bring the cost down as well.

And yes, much more economy will be required. If the ARB in my home state gets its way, it'll need more like 40mpg highway in the most efficient model to be sold in high volumes. You also won't be able to get any in black, but that's another story.

 

I think that would step on the Cruze's toes.

 

So the Cruze will be around 3000 pounds then, and around 180", like the Cobalt (I haven't paid that much attention to it)?

 

There will be a smaller version of the Mailbu to replace the Chevy Epica/Daewoo Tosca. The rumor is that this will be the exact same car as the Malibu except on a shorter wheelbase. Only question is if they sell the short version in the US.

 

The Cruze will eventually replace the Cobalt sedan and be priced slightly upscale from it, while the Cobalt coupe sells along side it for at least a couple more years. At least that's what GM was saying last fall.

I agree with Charlie 100%, the Cruze will be a significant car for Chevrolet and they'll need to hit a homerun, just as they did on Malibu. I'm almost ready to say that based upon the entire downsizing of American made sedans and crossovers (e.g. Cadillac SRX) that the Impala is no longer relevant for GM's future. Perhaps we'll see a bigger Malibu down the road that can be called "Impala" however when you consider that dimensionally when you look at interior space the only relative difference between the Impala and Malibu is that the Impala is slightly wider. (Check the numbers if you don't believe me.) Add to the fact that its styling is a bit dated, and the cost to design a replacement and you can pretty much call the Impala dead for the most part.

 

I disagree about Impala not being relevent to Chevy's future.

I think GM is is attempting to do something that they have failed at each and every time they've tried it over the past 10 years: Move people from one model to another.

GM attempted to move Oldsmobile buyers to other GM brands. Instead, they lost sales and market volume.

Attempted to move Bonneville buyers to Grand Prix. Result: Pontiac lost sales.

Remember the infamous press quote from a Chevy marketing guy that promoted the Monte Carlo as a alternative to the Camaro? Never materialized.

Sunfire was killed off without a boost to Cavalier sales.

GM de-emphasizing the Impala in favor of the Malibu isn't going to result in a wash. What's going to happen is that a few Impala sales will turn into Malibu sales, but just like the headscratching that occured when Pontiac sales crumbled when vehicles were discontinued without replacement, Chevy is going to take a sales hit related to letting the Impala rot on the vine (and maybe in the end, kill it off completely).

 

Well put guionM. That's what I was getting at with my other post

 

Maybe the Impala could be a Malibu with a couple of inches stretch in the wheelbase and a bigger trunk.

I never liked the fullsize cars, so I really don't know what those folks want, or whether they'd go to Buick for a bigger car. I do know that the current Mazda 6 and Honda Accord are actually pretty huge cars, as is the Toyota Avalon, and I think Chevy should probably have something in that size. Whether there should be something between that and the Cruze ... I can't say.

 

Or a Buick LaCrosse (which is what the 2011 was going to be)

 

GM is letting the W-car Impala rot. It's sales are plummeting, (although it still has higher volume than Malibu), but I think the Malibu still beats it in retail sales.

Anyway, it was my impression that the Malibu's replacement will be abit larger than the current car. Where would an Impala replacement fit there? Especially considering the regulative environment we'll be in around '12 or so.

So - just a thought here - but if the new Malibu is larger than the current one, why not call that car Impala? If the Cruze is larger than the Cobalt, why not call that car Malibu. Or not, I don't know.

The issue here however, is not so much covering every single concievable segment, totally and completely - it's more about covering most segments with first rate cars people want to buy.
If GM can do that with a Gamma and a Delta and an Epsilon and an even larger Epsilon. (plus Volt/Traverse/Equinox/Camaro/Trucks/Corvette) -- that's great. But I think moving forward, if GM wants to deliver excellence, it'll need to pick it's battles.

 

I also think that a lot of retail customers that need a bigger vehicle than a Malibu might go for an Equinox. Very different vehicle from a FWD Impala, but it offers lots of cargo and people space and gets similar fuel economy.

 

Yes, you're probably right.

Hopefully things will look brighter in 2011.

 

Remember, GM is building a bigger car than the Malibu -- the Buick LaCrosse.

The whole Impala question is whether they need two bigger cars than the Mailbu. IMO, no. If GM ever gets their dealerships rationalized, they can just sell one premium large car.