General Motors executives are trying to determine the drive system of the next Chevrolet Impala.
Specifically, should the next-generation Impala continue as a front-drive sedan? Or should it switch to rear drive to try to capture some of the sales success of the rwd Dodge Charger and Magnum and the Chrysler 300?
How important is that decision? The Impala is GM's best-selling sedan.
Chevy dealers sold 290,259 Impalas in 2004, up from 267,882 the previous year. The tally is remarkable because in the buyer's eye that car was essentially untouched for five model years. Sales slipped to 246,481 last year, but some of that drop was due to changeover for the restyled 2006 model.
GM can't afford to misjudge the public, make the wrong decision and lose, say, 100,000 potential Impala sales.
The Impala is one of several models GM is considering for its new global rwd vehicle architecture. The architecture is being developed by Holden's, GM's Australian subsidiary. The architecture previously was known as Zeta.
Within four or five months, GM will determine which U.S. brands will be tagged for rwd and which rwd model or models those brands will receive. The first car is expected to go on sale in late 2007 or early 2008.
GM says the Chevrolet Camaro concept is at the top of the rwd wish list based on the overwhelmingly favorable reaction at the Detroit and Los Angeles shows. Among the other models being considered is a flagship Buick sedan. Cadillac already markets rwd cars and is not part of the plan.
Rwd and fwd versions of the next-generation Chevrolet Impala have been finalized. All that's left is for GM to decide.
As for the Impala, GM's design studio is prepared for the decision -- both rwd and fwd versions of the next-generation Impala have been finalized. All that remains is the decision.
You might think that with the success of the Chrysler group's rwd cars, GM's decision for the Impala would be simple -- just select rwd, right? Here are four of the issues GM executives must look at:
1. Does size matter? The base 2006 Impala is a spacious sedan with a cavernous trunk and comfortable seating for six. It has a sizable presence on the road -- 200.4 inches from stem to stern.
A sedan based on GM's rwd architecture will offer a large passenger compartment, the result of a very long wheelbase. But short front and rear overhangs are expected to result in a car that is somewhat shorter overall than today's Impala.
2. Does this car have a Hemi? The Chrysler group's rwd 300, Magnum and Charger have done extremely well. A lot of that success is attributed to one word, "Hemi."
The Hemi V-8 accounted for more than 30 percent of Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger sales in 2005.
Does GM have a Hemi? No. Could it achieve similar success if it placed a slightly lower horsepower Corvette engine under the hood of the Impala? Maybe. It offered a Corvette engine in the rwd 1994-96 Impala SS. That car is an icon.
But if gasoline prices jump beyond $3 a gallon and stick, the likelihood of huge sales is greatly diminished.
3. Rwd vs. fwd, who cares? Do most buyers even know whether they are buying a front-drive or rear-drive car? I don't think so -- unless they live in the Snow Belt and unknowingly switched from fwd to rwd and discovered the consequences.
There have been some Cadillac owners who loved their CTS and STS cars until the first snow fell. They had to adjust their driving style because of the car's rear tires, which were slipping and sliding sideways under winter road conditions.
There was nothing wrong with the cars. It is just the nature of rwd and the cars' all-season or performance tires, issues that also can be found with a BMW or Mercedes-Benz.Solution: Buy a set of snow tires. Cost? About $450.
But is that a reasonable solution for an Impala owner who embraced the car's value but lacks the discretionary income to buy a second set of tires? Then, do you risk losing that buyer next time around to a fwd product?
4. The price is right -- or is it? GM's rwd global platform is being engineered with an awd option. That solves issues related to driving on snow-covered streets. Chrysler's rwd cars offer a very good awd system. But the sticker for that option is about $2,000 or more depending on model.
How many value-conscious Impala buyers would be willing or financially able to tack $2,000 on to the sticker?
Until GM's product planners sort out those issues, rwd for the Impala looks to be bleak now, what do you think?
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-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
How is RWD less reliable than FWD?
