Chevelle coming back?

[The_Blur]

My first instinct is that any GM sport coupe that will carry a bowtie for now will be a Camaro. We had a 2010 concept first come out in 2006. We're behind schedule if they want to keep development at that slow pace. That being said, GM isn't building its next Camaro from scratch, so we might still be waiting for a bit.

If there's a Chevelle, it is possible to convert the G8 into something along those lines, but it would certainly be a project. The G8 is also based on a platform GM isn't going to use forever. Also, there's a lot to be said about advertising a Chevelle. It's basically going to be a Camaro with a backseat people can actually use. Would it make sense to advertise such a product? Dodge thinks it makes sense, so there's a Charger. Would adding an aggressively designed Chevelle to the Chevy lineup kill the Impala? The Impala is way past due for a new platform, and it might make sense to switch the Impala with such an aggressively designed vehicle.

This leads me to my next point. Imagine if GM decided to make an Impala SS comeback. Has that crossed anyone's mind? GM has proven that it can use the same platform for coupes, convertibles, and sedans. Look at the Cobalt. While not exactly a leader in its segment, it did have a pair of bodies that both looked "right" on the car. Perhaps GM plans to do the same with an aggressive Impala, offering a 4-door. This might sell to enthusiasts who still argue that a 4-door Charger is heresy and might consider a classic-styled Impala 2-door.

So, I've covered the possibility of a Camaro, a Chevelle, and an Impala. We haven't talked about the Caprice rumor that came up last year when Pontiac failed and the Commodore made its way to police departments. It was originally rumored that this Caprice might make its way into a premium full-size segment, slated above the Impala in the lineup. Perhaps we'll see a 2-door Caprice SS as a sport trim.

Let's also not forget that GM has a long history of making attractive concept cars. Recently, some of those cars have made production, but it might be too much to expect a major player to actually produce every concept it designs. After all, we have yet to see that off-road Sierra concept I saw at the last Chicago Auto Show. GMC seems to have no plans to make such a package. Whatever we see at the Detroit Auto Show is sure to be an attractive, winning vehicle. I hope GM actually makes whatever it is for the love of autos.

[Mr Twisty]

Originally Posted by f5journal

El Camino

[2010-1SS-IBM]

I understand why people would say "No" to another Chevy muscle car, but I think there's room. If the 6th gen Camaro does shrink a bit, there might be room for a bigger 2 or 4 door muscle car.

[The_Blur]

Originally Posted by 2010-1SS-IBM

I understand why people would say "No" to another Chevy muscle car, but I think there's room. If the 6th gen Camaro does shrink a bit, there might be room for a bigger 2 or 4 door muscle car.

Dodge has it in an appropriate part of the lineup. The Challenger fights Mustangs, Camaros, and other small, sporty cars. The Charger fights the Impala and other family sedans in a decidedly non-sporty segment and also has sport trims and aggressive styling that make it a legitimate competitor with larger sporty cars. For GM to do this, Chevrolet would have to kill the Impala, which doesn't really make sense. GM has used so many names for performance vehicles. It would be very unrealistic to expect GM to reproduce them all. If they did, we'd see Grand Nationals, Chevelles, El Caminos, Firebirds, Trans Ams, 442s, Toronodos, Monte Carlos, GTOs, LeMans, and many other performance-oriented GMs. There just isn't room in the market for all these cars unless GM is selling well over 25% of America's cars. If 1 in 4 cars on the street were late-model GMs, I can see room for a wider variety of products. In the meantime, I'm content with GM's offerings.