For 2014 Chevrolet will be unveiling the all new Impala, which is long overdue for a redesign. The new Impala will be built at the Oshawa, ON assembly plant along side Cadillac’s new flagship XTS model. The two will share the same platform and, it seems, even some styling cues.

Spy photos show the new Impala, still camouflaged of course, but enough that it is obvious that Chevrolet is going after a much more upscale sleek look then the now bland old Impala. This redesign has a lot riding on it as the Impala is one of the most popular fleet cars in North America. If the new 2014 model can retain the family and fleet-friendly pricing of its predecessor and capture the elegance of a Caddy it is sure to be a hit.

GM announced Friday that it will be investing $68 million into the Oshawa plant to get the new line of Impala’s up and running and they should hit dealers sometime in early 2013.

GALLERY:Chevy Impala

[Source: Automotive News]

Despite continued rumors to the contrary, the next iteration of the Chevrolet Impala will not be rear-wheel drive. In an interview with InsideLine, GM’s product boss Bob Lutz, definitively stated that the car will put power to the front wheels. Lutz would only give vague details about the car, which is probably all he has, considering how far away the production version is.

Earlier reports have pegged the next Impala’s launch for 2013 as a 2014 model, by which time the current vehicle will be a fossil. Lutz said the car will be larger and get more equipment but will continue to have a strong focus on fuel economy. He also said it will be designed to more competitively meet with new models like the Ford Taurus, however, by 2014, Ford is likely to have an even newer Tarus on the market.

In addition, the new Impala, which will be based on the same architecture as the upcoming Cadillac XTS flagship sedan (and built alongside that car in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada), and will be compatible with GM’s new hybrid technology. So expect hybrid versions of both the Impala and XTS.

[Source: InsideLine]