Reports of the sedan’s death have been greatly exaggerated.
That’s right. While SUVs and light trucks still make up around 80 percent of the market, recent data from 2023 shows that sedans and other types of cars increased by nearly two percent from where they were at the end of 2021. Sure, it’s not a massive increase, but considering that number has been plummeting for the last twenty years, that’s an indication that a shift might be in the air.
With many people looking for something economical to buy as well as own, it’s no surprise that compact sedan sales have seen tremendous increases when compared to last year. Also, some Gen Z consumers appear to be rejecting the SUVs that their parents chose over the wood-paneled wagons or minivans of their own youth; a sedan appears to be a good alternative for them.
Recently, a reader named TheSixSpeed reached out to The Autopian, requesting that The Bishop come up with a reboot of a sedan that once crushed the sales charts years back but now lives on only in our memories: the Chevy Impala. As always, I’ll add a twist that our reader might not expect (or want, for that matter), but I promise it will be fun.
Pull Up Four Deep
I’m very glad that the powers that be at Stellantis didn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that some of the slowest-selling types of cars today are rather large sedans and retro-style “pony” car coupes. Dodge recently relaunched a car model that included not one but both of those seemingly unpopular body styles: the new Charger. Admittedly, they’re essentially the same thing, and you just chose your door count, but we’re still looking at solid four- or five-passenger performance cars:
Pretty much anything with two doors is going to struggle in the market today, so the fact that Dodge gave us a four-door muscle car like the Australians are famous for had me stoked for a Big Three Throwdown of retro high-performance ultra-practical family cars. Instead of the stretched gasoline-powered Mustang sedan Ford has been threatening us with, I envisioned that chassis covered in something that recalled the “Mad Max” XB Falcon that us Americans never received in period:
General Motors would counter Ford and Dodge with my idea of a Chevelle SS revival, though my concept was an EV on the ever-present Ultium platform:
Unlike the Mustang and the now-dead modern Camaro and Challenger competitors, these would be decent-sized hatchbacks that could hold a family of five and their luggage as a Real Car. Of course, what if your corn-fed family needs a little more space? That’s where GM could come through with our reader’s suggestion: a new Impala.
Ridin’ N’ Da Chevy
It’s been five years since we last saw an Impala of any kind, and honestly, the last thirty years have not been kind to the name. The final rear-drive model was the legendary final 1996 edition with the whale-like body and the chassis based on the even-more-legendary “downsized” 1977 GM B-Bodies.
Since then, the Impala name has been most associated with what you once saw lined up in the rental car garage row for “full-sized car.” Not necessarily bad cars, but “legendary” they were not.
According to TheSixSpeed, there was a glimmer of hope that disappeared quickly:
Autoweek had reported in 2006 that the 2009 Impala would run on the Zeta platform along with the Camaro, similar to how the Charger existed alongside the Challenger. Unfortunately, due to a combination of the 2008 bankruptcy and CAFE changes, this wasn’t meant to be, and we received the Epsilon 2 based Impala that we all know and don’t love.
TheSixSpeed wondered aloud what it would have been like had a new Impala appeared on the chassis that essentially succeeded the Zeta: the Alpha 2, as underpinning the Cadillac CT5:
TheSixSpeed also stated that the larger Omega platform (which underpinned the full-sized CT6) might be better suited for a new-school Impala:
Hey, you know that I’m down for another “sumo” class big muscle machine, but which one should we use as an inspiration? Retro isn’t always the way to go, and we could always just make a start-from-scratch design and call it an Impala. Still, with Chevy having done just that with forgettable versions since the late nineties I think it’s better to pay homage to some fierce examples of Impalas from yesteryear. Time to look at a bit of history.
Rollin’ In My ‘64
To many the most iconic Impalas are the third-generation Kennedy-era models that culminated in the vaunted “six-four”. These 1964 models (primarily coupes and convertibles) were most often seen in early nineties hip hop videos with the owner protagonists expressing their attractiveness to members of the opposite sex, their skills with firearms, and extensive usage of cannabis:
Still, it’s the clean-looking 1965 and later models of that decade that commanded the US market, and I mean dominated. Want proof? If I told you the list of the best-selling automobile platforms in history, names like the VW Beetle and the Ford Model T wouldn’t surprise you at the top of the list. Number three is a bit more obscure, but understandable: the Fiat 124/Lada was one of the few Soviet car choices for decades. Number four? It’s the 1965-1970 General Motors “B” platform, which underpinned the Chevy Impala. Seriously.
Want a bigger shock? What’s the best one-year sales of any car model in history? I’ll give you a clue: the year was 1965. Oh, you say, it was the first Mustang, right? That didn’t even come close. In 1965, Chevy sold over one million copies of Impalas. That’s a million examples of one car model, a record that has yet to be beaten sixty years later.
I asked TheSixSpeed what he thought the best Impala to use for a revival was:
Although I’m partial to the 1969 Impala, I believe that the 67 is one to go with since it’s the most iconic example.
These fourth-generation Impalas were everywhere as beat-up old cars when I was a kid, but I needed an image search to see what a ’67 looked like exactly:
Yeah, that’s nice, and it says “Impala” all right. It’s a subtle refinement of that gangbusters-selling 1965 version. Anyway, let’s take a gander at that 1969 model TheSixSpeed mentioned as well:
Oh, crap! Look at that thing! I’d forgotten about the available covered lights and the “fuselage” style body modifications, sort of similar to the Chrysler products of the era. That thing is not ‘nice’ at all; it’s impossibly sinister and tough.
Even bone stock, I can’t unsee that shape and minimalist detailing: I’m sorry TheSixSpeed, I know what you’re saying, but that 1969 version you (and I) are partial to is the way to go.
That taillights-in-the-bumper thing GM was doing in the years just before park bench 5 MPH ram bars was something I was always fond of.
No question about it: that’s our visual muse, so now to choose a chassis.
Crips Tryna Get Me, Red Impala Bumpin’ Like Acne
Sure, as TheSixSpeed had requested, we could use the GM Alpha or the larger Omega chassis for our Impala, but I had second thoughts. Considering that the Omega platform went to join the Corvair and Fiero in the afterlife two years ago I’m reluctantly thinking that I need to look towards the future with dreaded EV underpinnings. Plus, even the larger Omega platform isn’t big enough for the enormous “real” Impala revival that I want to do.
Naturally, that means General Motor’s ever present Ultium platform that’s used in over a dozen vehicles from a Honda Prologue (hey, that’s not GM?) to the BrightDrop van and even the top-of-the-line full-sized Cadillac Celestique.
Cadillac’s new flagship is hand-built in a special facility once dedicated to concepts and show cars; reportedly, no more than 500 will be made each year. Many features are customizable, and customers are encouraged to participate in the design at a special center on the grounds of the General Motors Technical Center. Due to the low production quantities, the Celestique uses many 3D printed parts since there isn’t a volume for tooling; something you can do with today’s technology if you don’t mind parts that are gawdawful expensive. With a price tag of around $340,000, this is the first Cadillac in decades that competes in the rarified air of Bentleys and Rolls-Royces.
At the price, most of us will never be able to come up with the cash to buy it. However, back in the day full-sized Cadillacs shared their chassis with lesser GM cars; today, that Ultium platform in the Celestique is obviously used on a lot of affordable vehicles. If we did a highly decontented, mass-produced version of that Celestiq, you’d have something that I’d find more appealing anyway. Come on, you don’t need that hand-stitched interior and such that will only make the thing less usable as a Real Car for Real People. Honestly, that Caddy’s nose and tail feature a few too many streaks, sweeps, gewgaws, and weird lights than I want, especially when the body shape between is so clean and appealing.
Starting with the Celestique, I’ll remove the front end and add the sinister chrome-framed nose of the ’69 Impala, and strip all of the ornamentation from the flanks. The upsweep on the lower rear quarters of the back doors changes to a form that captures more of the “Coke bottle” shape of the old Chevy.
Yes, we’ll have projector headlamps and not the super-expensive LED units of the Celestique. To keep that clean front, retracting doors over the lights as on the ’69 will be needed, as shown in this animation:
In back, the new Impala is still a hatchback, but the fastback of the Celestique gives way to a more notched tail, with LED rear lighting that mimics the 1969 car; a move that really cleans up what was a very busy-looking tail with a few too many lights. It’s amazing how similar that angled upkick in the rear quarters is to the back of the old Chevy; even the angled rear side marker lights are dead ringers for the ones on the 1970 Impala. Here’s a close-up view:
It’s a big car; amazingly enough, despite our impression of old cars being “boats” the Celestique is actually a few inches longer than the 1969 Impala. With that kind of length, you feel like you could get another row of seats in that thing. Wait, what?
Posse In Effect Three Rows Deep
The Celestique’s large size allows for limousine-like space in the back seat, and as a hatchback, there’s even plenty of room behind that could probably let that second row slide back even further. Our Impala SS is a notchback, but that rear roof still extends pretty far back; enough that I think if were to allow the rear seat to be able to slide forward somewhat we’d have space for two tiny jump seats to create an occasional use third row.
Stellantis was suggesting something similar on their RAM Revolution concept pickup a few years back. You might not know this, but early Tesla Model S cars offered the option of a rear-facing seat in the cargo area. This was not a popular option since it was rather confining, even for children, and killed any cargo space (other than the frunk).
Our Impala’s third row would also be suitable only for children or small people; legroom would be very tight, and headroom compromised by the rear backlight. Let’s face it: if you have seven or eight full-sized adults to carry, you’ll need to get a Suburban. Still, how often does anyone do that? Most third rows are aimed at kids up to pre-teen age, and having a pair of legal seats is better than having to take two cars, regardless of how minuscule they are. Indeed, we’d likely have one of the coolest and fastest seven-seat vehicles on the planet.
In The Black SS With The Navigation
Before we start, let me do that same damn rant that always do. Yes, we know that LCD screens are flat and thin as a pancake: car makers don’t need to keep propping them Dell-desktop-monitor style on my dashboard to show that off. Next, the idea of a full-width screen across the dash or a center screen the size of the one in your living room also does nothing for usefulness or ergonomics. “But I can watch movies really big in my car while I wait for the parking lot to empty after a concert” you say. Great, but what about 99.99 percent of the rest of the time you own the car? We want our information segmented and parsed out so it’s easy to decipher while driving, not something that looks like a Yahoo homepage with everything all the time, all at once. Rant concluded.
As always with these revivals, I’ll use the dashboard of the original car as an inspiration for the design.
My design follows the same shape as the original, and it’s packed with screens: a wide one for main gauges, one for climate and entertainment and another one on the optional console for drive modes and other information. The difference between this and a lot of current cars is that we don’t just make one giant screen: dividing the space up with physical buttons helps tremendously when you’re trying to pilot a seven-passenger, three-ton behemoth that goes to sixty in less than 3 seconds. Also, making them flush with the dash looks much cleaner. Besides, like on Impalas from a few years back, the fact that the screens are flat means that we can put secret storage bins behind them if we choose.
The buttons across the top of the dash are for drive modes that control suspension settings, steering ratio, how the car accelerates and other pre-programed combinations. If you get the three-wide front bench seat (for up to eight seats!) then the console goes away and those buttons become PRND shift selectors.
Baller, Shot Caller, Twenty Inch Blades On The…
Can an EV Impala really capture the essence of this big Chevy from days past? Well, our neighbors had a ’70 Kingswood Estate version with a 350 that I rode around in the back seat of when I was a kid; I don’t have memories that include dumb stereotypical muscle car sounds. I recall that it was less like a car and more akin to sitting in a 747 heading down a runway with a constant “whoosh”, the bumps below barely noticeable (and the front end lifting maybe only a little less than the Boeing aircraft). Naturally, a near-silent drivetrain would help to maintain that feel in this massive car. For the vast majority of us, that rumble and burble is cool for about three blocks, and then we just want it to shut the hell up and hear the sound system until our spouse says to turn that down, too.
Look, TheSixSpeed, with a name like that I know that you’d want an ICE Impala with a clutch as much as I do. I’d prefer to have a V8 in place of the frunk on this thing, and there’s no reason this design couldn’t have such a powerplant. Still, if we lean into making this big bad boat emissions-free then maybe we’d have a better chance at making it a reality.
Thanks for the well thought-out suggestion; all of you other Autopians, please keep those ideas coming!
Always in for the interiors.
Came away happy as usual
When we visited Dubrovnik, we hired a taxi that was a Skoda that had a hatchback that also functioned as a trunk. You could lift just the metal trunk lid (which covered a trunk that was quite spacious) or lift the glass and metal hatch and fold down the rear seats for a huge cargo area.
For the jump seats, why not have limousine like rear legroom and fold down jump seats like was prevalent from the 30s to the 50s?
I was thinking have the rear seats be more like a Checker cab. The main use second row can go all the way back and a third row actually folds out of the middle, maybe stowed in the floor like Chrysler stow-and-go seats.
With a hatchback, you’re basically just trading cargo space for seat space and how you divvy it up
Yup. My GTI is the 4th small hatch I have owned. I believe they are the most practical car short of a minivan.
I rented a few mid-’20s Impalas and they were a pretty decent car to cover a lot of miles in. Quiet, comfortable, quick (enough) and I routinely got 30 mpg on long freeway trip segments. The 1969 Impala seemed weirdly resembling the front of Chrysler Imperials. To my eye, at least. I wasn’t a fan then or now. But I do like the SS you came up with.
Build it!
This is absolutely fantastic. Especially love the hideaway headlights, glad that we both agree on the 1969 model looking absolutely *choice* for inspiration.
Also love the decision to use the Celestique as a basis for this; it absolutely works as a car that could happen rather than never. Plus, an EV platform allows the use of a true bench seat, which I’m a big fan of.
A+ work here, be proud.
Thank you! Was afraid that you’d be disappointed but glad that you can understand my compromise. Would totally prefer a V8 6-speed myself!
I like the hideaway headlights, but even with projectors, halogen lights are feeble and inadequate. Replaceable LEDs or high intensity lights are a must.
The Celestique uses just those lights on the side as LED headlamps, but I believe that where the technology is now that would be too expensive. I’d want to use lights from a higher production Chevy and just hide them behind the doors. I kept lights on the front “fins” but they’d be just parking lights or maybe cornering lights to work with the signals.
Let’s face it: if you have seven or eight full-sized adults to carry, you’ll need to get a Suburban.
Speaking as a card-carrying member of the “you’ll pry my Suburban from my cold, dead fingers” club I must respectfully disagree. If your primary need is to carry seven or eight passengers, get a minivan. It’ll be be cheaper to buy and run, easy to drive and comfortable for your people. If you need to carry seven or eight passengers plus
gear plus go offroading/badroading plus a need to tow sometimes (which is my personal use model), THEN the Suburban is a great choice.
Given that for EVs drag and frontal area is such a big deal (and that reminds me, I haven’t seen much of Toecutter for a while), I think that a return to the sedan configuration would make a lot of sense for many people, especially if combined with a sensible liftback/trunk area. As always, I love your work and the thought-provoking nature of your designs.
Yes, 200 Cruiser (actually LX570) person here, and that third row is, well, underwhelming. I’ve ridden in the back of Suburban Ubers and they were fine, but I bet they’re barely any more efficient than my Toyota.
one time we had a big GM whatever show up as an Uber XL and my wife, the gem she is, climbed straight over the 2nd row to the 3rd row to the dismay of the driver who was trying to tell her how to move the seat.
all I wanted to say was “that wouldn’t be an issue in a van”
I like Tahoes, Yukons, and Suburbans, but they are being misused like crazy. Had to go to LAX (an hour away if I’m lucky), called the car service for three people and luggage, they sent an Escalade. At Logan was picked up by a Yukon. During the stay ubering and lyfting all around the most crowded part of Boston with three or four people, only got one ride that wasn’t a large body on frame SUV. For the ride back to Logan this morning, Yukon. In every case a minivan would’ve been more comfortable to get in and out of, but what surprises me is it would’ve been more economical for the driver.
if Im ordering an uber XL for 4 or more adults, I will keep canceling until I get an actual sliding door van.
the amount of times SUVs show up with he 3rd row folded was enough for me to not trust them ever again
I like the Impala!
But I think your Chevelle SS is the one I would spend money on.
Thanks! I forgot to put in the link for that:
Exploring Your Suggestions For Cars That Different Brands Should Have Built – The Autopian
As my screen name suggests, I am definitely a lover of enormous sedans. A question about the jump seats, though: given their suitability only for children, would it possible to build these not as full-fledged seats but just as attachment points for child car seats? Effectively, it would be a “bring your own seat” solution.
I’ve thought about that as well, especially in things like an Evora where I would NOT want the seat padding so I could gain every inch possible with the long infant seats.
Little jump seats work fine for car pooling or going out with the grandparents in one car. That was,the appeal of our Mazda5, really comfortable with 4 and able to haul 6 for short trips .
I have no need or desire for a big sedan but this electro Impala is a good option for those who do.
Now which car company has the stones to build a PHEV minivan for a,reasonable price?
That Interceptor…wow. Thank you Bishop for your well-crafted flights of fancy!
I’d throw a bag of money at Ford to get that Interceptor made. Also, Mad Max is one of my favorite movies, so there’s that.
Thanks! That Ford would be my choice to, plus it’s ICE powered.
Also, forgot to put in the link for that one as well that I wrote up a month or two ago:
How Ford Could Make A Mad Max Falcon Instead Of A Four-Door Mustang – The Autopian
Dude, you got me with the hideaway headlights. Love it!
That was a non-negotiable there
I like it, (though not as much as that Falcon Interceptor which is fantastic), especially the third row, but I do wonder if a new Impala would keep the massive wheels of the Caddy?
As always, great work Bishop!
The rendering has the same diameter rims as the Caddy, but that could change.
Glad you like it!
I’d love to see some modern-style wheels rendered with beauty rings, like a modern twist on classic 60s Impala wheels.
Looks great, better than that Lame Impala from the early aughts.
Anybody else seeing the new JaGUar in the 3/4 view? Different nose, of course, but the rest of it gives me Type 00 vibes.
Looks great! And the great basis for a, um, wagon version (there were some Impala wagons but I don’t know specific year ranges–at least into the 70s, right?).
I wonder that GM would build anything remotely close to the Celestiq for “human” prices. That said, an Impala on Ultium with similar config would be pretty pricey in its own right.
I believe that Impala wagons were offered all the up until the 1985 model year.
And after that, the Buick Roadmaster wagon was a reasonable alternative. (Up through 1996).
This would be a great use of the Celestiq chassis engineering. Most of the $350k price of that car is in its bespoke, *accountants-have-no-power-over-engineers-this-time* parts and hand-built nature, so a mass-market Impala could easily be in reasonable-price territory with the same motors and battery layout.
Deserves reemphasis: your Falcon Interceptor concept looks great!! That’d be a huge W for Ford if they’d build it.
They might not even be making a profit at the $350,000 price; it’s a halo car to try to push the brand upmarket in image.
I’m sorry, but any new Impala needs to come with a tape deck, and the infotainment screen MUST be angled towards the driver, because the driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole.
That’s the best part about those old GM dashboards with the little wall next to the glove box.
The Celestique proportions would work better as a Boat Tail Riviera
Say what you will about the ’96, but somehow they managed to make the Caprice Classic look badass.
I still remember one of the print ads for it vividly from a Popular Mechanics magazine: “Lord Vader, your car is ready”.
Made me want one of those blacked-out SSes for a loooong time afterward.
Had one, the wanting was a bit better than the having. The chassis was old enough to vote when the last generation was launched and the back seat room wasn’t what it could have been. What was mystifying, was the rear wheel opening didn’t match the wheelbase of the chassis. It’s not like they didn’t know the dimensions when they penned the body.
But really only in black – in white, they looked ponderous and bloated like the 90s-mobile they were.
The maroon you could get on the Impala SS was pretty badass.
Thank you! I couldn’t remember if that maroon was on the Impala or the later Ford version of the idea, the Mercury Marauder (which I think was also available with it?)
The dark colors looked great. It wasn’t perfect, but I’m just glad that it existed at all.
Extend the windshield 6 inches forward, extend the back with a liftgate and call it a caprice wagon.
Realizing now that I should done a wagon version, and of course a woodgrain-clad Caprice Kingswood Estate
Eh, cynical me thinks you just pushed it off so that you could get another post out of it – and I applaud your guile! (waits for updated Kingswood Estate with popcorn nearby)
Yep, you have plenty of room for a 3rd row when you wagonize that car.
Missed opportunity to add an air of authenticity to it: like the silverado and blazer EVs but taken one step further, you could turn the “ev” in the middle of “chevelle” blue.
Also means that the AutoPepZone PartsBoys-looking chrome “EV” emblem on the rear bumper is made superfluous. But gm excels at excessive and silly badging, so maybe both?
Also also: Call it the Impala Roadmaster. Justifies the extra size and weight, and hearkens back to the BOF B-body twins.
I like that idea! Also, you notice I put “350” under the “SS” badge to signify full-charge range. Next up would be the SS400, or maybe 454.
Gotta be ICE or it’s not for me! And the rear design needs tweaking with light shape/placement. Kinda like everything behind the door on an early ’70s Roadrunner. Front gorgeous, back like an uglier 1968 GTO
Great design! I really like the interior sketches!
thank you! yes, I make the screens fit the design, not the other way around.
Long time listener, but had to join today to say: I would buy the hell out of that Ford Interceptor!
This article has it all, but it is missing Skee-Lo 🙂
“I wish” was the first tune played when my Merkur got a decent deck in it last summer. Total classic.
Old Skool like me! Yes, if I had added another paragraph that might have made it in.
Needs to be a wagon. Wagons make everything better, and everyone better just by being in their majestic presence.
With the clamback!