Without the Impala SS, b-body production would have ended sooner, not later.

I never saw an Impala SS sitting on a dealers lot at anytime during the production run.

IMHO, GM should build EVERY car with the enthusiast in mind. I don't mean "purpose built tailored to enthusiasts" but built with them in mind... because most average people may not ask for precision steering, good braking, tight handling, etc. but they will notice. Even if they don't know why and just think "it drives better". Added bonus - the enthusiasts are still happy.

 

but first they need to take their heads out of their a$$

 

To clear up a few misconceptions, the B-body was slated to die in 1997, and the success of the Tahoe was the major factor that ended production a year early. (In contrast, the F-body had to die before 2003, and we're luck it survived past 1999.) GM had planned to sell B-body tooling to an outside party, and the intention was that production would continue at a new factory in Mexico. It was going to a be for police fleet/taxi sales primarily, kinda like he old Checker Marathon. Its a great pity that the deal fell through. The Caprice was fully compliant with safety standards for 1997 and beyond, so unlike the Camaro, the show could have gone on...

The writing was on the wall for the B-body long before the Impala SS came along. The radical design failed to lure Taurus buyers to the big Chevy, and the launch occured at exactly the wrong time. High gas prices and a recession aren't good for selling big American sedans either. Worse yet, Chevrolet squandered the good press the 1991 LTZ received. If they followed up with the LT-1 in the second year rather than 1994... Anyway, here's to opportunities missed and plans gone wrong.

 

Allow me to correct ya here.

GM did all the engineering work and "certification" on LS1 B-Bodies which were supposed to enter production for the 1998 model year.

The simplified version (and those more familiar with the details here feel free to chime in) is this, when the plan came up to ease Suburban backorders by using the Texas plant the B cars were made, the B-body tooling was to be moved to a plant in Mexico, where it was to be set up and production was to continue starting with the 1998 model year.

You will remember the announcement regarding the end of B-body production came about almost suddenly in the begining of 1997 (about 6-8 months before the 1998 B-body production began). The plan to halt "B" production had alot to do with trade & labor issues and little to do with actual sales of the car. In the end, GM decided it either wasn't worth it to try & deal with whatever the issues were, or these issues wouldn't have been settled in time for 1998 production to begin on time.

Werm is correct. The hot selling Impala SS was keeping the rest of the line going, and would have been instramental in the decision of continuing production, had things turned out that way.

B-Bodies didn't die because of poor sales, or low profits. These were actually pretty profitable cars, and they still made money. It's just Suburbans made alot more!

 

Woah, I didn't even know they had plans to do that!!

 

Although it was told to me by a Chevrolet division manager awhile back, Johnny Hunkin's magazine also did a piece on that mentioned that a few years ago in GM High Tech Performance. Redplanet also touched on a part of this when he was out here, so being it came from those sources, I think it's pretty credible.

Heartbreaking, but credible.

 

As someone who actually ordered a '96 Impala SS new, I can tell you I waited for '96, because GM made a public announcement that it would be the last year of production and did so while '95 models could still be ordered. If GM had any trouble moving these cars in the '95 model year (which certainly wasn't the case in my area), it was their own fault for telling everyone too far in advance that '96 would be the last year.

Are these cars still in great demand, even after the introduction of the Marauder? I just sold mine for $26,000

 

They really are a modern day classic.

It's amazing how much they are worth. I guess that's what happens with a short production run, and virtually nothing like it being offered since.

I do like the 94-96 Impala SS, but it is somewhat striking how popular they are, since everyone laughed at the "beached whale" styling of the Caprice... I know they lowered it, and got rid of the nasty integrated quarter panel skirts, but it's still the same basic body...

 

Just a couple of thoughts....we had to put incentives on the '95 models to move them. Sales went up after it was announced that the '96 model would be the last year of production.

Yup.....holding their values very welll.....some are still bringing what they stickered for.........

With that said.....less than 70,000 sales in three years....and, to the best of my recollection, the SS option was not constrained in the '95 model year.....and at the beginning of the '96 model year. When word got out that the end was near, a lot of sold orders flowed in....just as they did with Camaro.

However....the FWD Impala will sell in the range of 200,000 units this year...as it has for the past couple of years. Now...I prefer RWD over FWD....but as I have said many times over, the average American has voted with their money that they prefer FWD......

now.....I also think that you will see people going back to RWD.....and the next question is: how big will that market be? That's a tough question...because if you don't get it right, esp. in the competitive market we're in (and will continue to be in) you can lose REAL BIG..........

This is not a shot at the Impala SS of '94 to '96....I loved them then and I still love them. (almost as much as Camaro.......)

 

The happy answer is a nice mix of both RWD and FWD cars, maybe even with a few AWD dirivitives thrown in for good measure. Cover all bases, and everyone is happy.

The hard part is finding a cost effective may to accomplish this!

 

Those B-bodies were HUGE, so I suspect size had just as much to do with the disparity between the old Caprice line (including Impala) vs the new Impala.

You missed the fact that there are no affordable RWD sedans out there currently outside of the Crown Vic, so of course people will vote what's affordable. That's FWD right now.

Chrysler's affordable RWD LX cars will start comming out in within a year, and alot of conflicting theroies will get tested.

Things should get very interesting once that happens.

 

Not as difficult as people may think when GM has a spaceframe in its inventory which has been built in the following applications:
rwd (fiero, soon solstice,sky,bengal), fwd (boring saturns), and awd (some saturn vue's). Could easily shift production to meet varying demand. Those fwd and awd are both currently built in the same Spring Hill TN plant.

 

Like posted above, I believe that the cars had no problem selling. Just look at there re-sale values. Also I believe that production was actually extended until Dec. 19, 1996 well into the 1997 model year, though the reason was to finish 9C1 orders. Police departments everywhere loaded up on '96 models since it was to be the last available of the best and fastest 4-door police car in America.

Hey, RedPlanet how is the Mid-East Carprice selling?

 

Like posted above, I believe that the cars had no problem selling. Just look at there re-sale values. Also I believe that production was actually extended until Dec. 19, 1996 well into the 1997 model year, though the reason was to finish 9C1 orders. Police departments everywhere loaded up on '96 models since it was to be the last available of the best and fastest 4-door police car in America.

Hey, RedPlanet how is the Mid-East Carprice selling?
Just wondering

 

Jon Moss