10. Chevy Impala: 14M units sold

The numbers are always changing and a new list of the Top 10 best-selling vehicles in history, compiled by 24/7 Wall St. has a new model on top.

There are some surprises on the list, but for the most part it all makes sense. Whether they’ve been in production for a long time or they’re reasonably priced worldwide, the top 10 best-selling cars of all time might not be the most exciting, but are clearly the most popular throughout history.

The Chevrolet Impala is the only GM vehicle on the list and has quite the history since hitting the market 54 years ago. Starting its life as a large two-door performance coupe, the Impala evolved into a versatile sedan. Or as we like to call it, a rental car. Ironically, it isn’t actually offered as a coupe anymore, which seems like a distant memory after 10 generations of upgrades.

A pair of Chevrolet Impala taxi cabs were seized and their drivers are facing “stunt driving” charges out in Toronto, Ontario Canada when they were caught street racing on Canada’s longest street, Younge Street. Those charged with stunt driving will have their license seized for seven days and face a fine between $2,000 to $10,000.

The motives behind why both drivers decided to race it out is unknown, but sections of Younge Street have been known to be street racing spots in the past. Maybe both of them were just reliving the past or settling a grudge, either way we don’t think either of them owe the other a 10 second car.

Check out the news clip after the break.

[Source: CTV News]

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Even though GM admits that the 2007-2008 Chevrolet Impalas has a faulty rear suspension, they’re hoping to avoid a class-action lawsuit by turning to their bankruptcy – as in, the “New GM” can’t be responsible for the “Old GM’s” mistakes.

Seriously? The defect is in a tie-rod design that causes premature wearing of the vehicle’s rear tires. In fact, they’ve proven that it causes the rear tires to wear out after just 6,000-miles. A technical service bulletin was issued in 2008, but GM made it only apply to police-spec Impala models, stating that they’re different than the retail versions. Right.

To us, GM’s response is borderline absurd especially considering there’s concrete evidence of a defect that is affecting owner’s pockets.

New GM did not assume liability for old GM’s design choices, conduct or alleged breaches of liability under the warranty, and its terms expressly preclude money damages,” GM said in response to the suit. The suit “is trying to saddle new GM with the alleged liability and conduct of old GM.”

Shouldn’t GM relate to its consumers when it comes to not wanting to spend excessive money?

[Source: Left Lane News]

A class-action lawsuit, brought on behalf of a Pennsylvania women, claims that GM knew about a defective rear spindle rod problem on it’s full-size 2007-08 Chevy Impala which caused excessive tire wear. While GM addressed the issue on police spec vehicles,it apparently chose to ignore the matter on some 400,000 examples owned by civilian motorists.

Donna Trusky, of Blakely, PA, claims she purchased a new Chevy Impala in 2008 and the tires wore out after just 6,000 miles of driving. Her local GM dealer replaced the tires and gave the car an alignment, but according to Ms Trusky didn’t disclose the spindle rod issue. Last year, her car had to go in for a safety inspection but in order to pass, Ms Trusky had to replace the tires again, and by this juncture the Impala still had less than 25,000 miles on the clock.

The suit, if successful, could end up costing GM millions of dollars in replacement tires and suspension parts. “Despite having knowledge of this premature wear problem, (GM) has not recalled the subject cars, which has required class members to pay the cost of fixing the defective spindle rods as well as for replacement tires and realignment,” alleges the lawsuit, filed last week.

So far, GM has declined to comment on the suit, because, as spokesman Alan Adler said, the automaker has yet to review it.  The company also said that the police spec Impala features a number of different components compared with the civilian version, including heavy-duty cooling and electrical system and special suspension.

Nevertheless more and more complaints are surfacing from angry motorists bringing forth claims of excessive tire use and having to pay out of pocket to fix the rear suspension problem that causes it. One owner of a 2008 Impala LTZ claims his car nearly crashed after suffering a blowout after driving fewer than 11,000 miles, and yet another said he had to replace his tires after just 6,000 miles of driving, resulting in using three sets of tires after covering just 41,000 miles.

David Fink, a lawyer representing affected Impala owners says that police spec Impalas are not significantly different enough from those sold to the general public and that “we don’t think there’s a meaningful difference in terms of defect.”

[Source: Detroit News]

It might come as a surprise to some that it’s possible to purchase a six-passenger sedan, but in previous decades, large sedans with front bench seats and space for an extra passenger in the middle were mainstays of the American automotive landscape.

While cars like the Ford Taurus and Mercury Grand Marquis were once available with six seats, the sole remaining sedan available with a front bench seat is the Chevrolet Impala. But with a new model coming in 2013, GM has to decide whether to keep producing a six seater vehicle, which accounts for roughly 25 percent of Impala sales.

With the new Impala salted to be built on a narrower platform, and GM offering a full lineup of crossovers that can carry more than 5 passengers, it makes little sense for the company to continue producing a six seater Impala. If the General continues down this path, we’ll be seeing the end of an era for American motoring – not that we’re too torn up about it.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Make way for the new winners! Let’s give the Saab 9-5 and the Volkswagen CC three cheers for earning their places as IIHS Top Safety Pick award winners.

Earning good ratings for performance in the Institute’s roof strength test for rollover protection, these luxury vehicles also brought in good ratings for front, side, and rear crash protection, and both come standard with electronic stability control. It’s interesting to note that Top Safety Pick only applies to the front-wheel drive Volkswagen CC – that’s because the heavier all-wheel drive version only rated acceptable in the roof strength test.

Taking the test this time around were eight midsize to large family and luxury cars, but only the 9-5 and CC came out on top. The 2011 Lexus ES 350 earned a good rating for rollover protection, but didn’t get an award because it didn’t make the grade when it came to rear crash protection. Other contenders that earned acceptable ratings for rollover protection were the BMW 3 series, Chevrolet Impala (models built after July 2010), Infiniti G, Lexus IS 250/350, and Saab 9-3.

[Source: IIHS]

General Motors will be adding two shifts and 2,500 hourly and salaried jobs to the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant to build the new Chevrolet Malibu and the next-generation Impala alongside the Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera electric cars.

Additional shifts and a $69 million investment in equipment have been made to support the next-generation Impala. In April 2010, GM announced that to support the Malibu production, a $121 million investment would be made.

“Filling this plant with new work is very satisfying because GM is dedicated to helping rebuild this city,” GM North America President Mark Reuss said at the plant Wednesday. “We are confident in the flexibility of the plant, the excellence of our workers and the great cars assembled here.”

Chevrolet’s new Malibu will be built in Detroit and Fairfax, Kan., as well as in China and Korea and will be sold in over 100 countries and six continents.

Detroit-Hamtramck currently has 1,121 hourly and salaried employees.

According to GM, the automaker has added or saved 9,000 jobs and invested $3.4 billion since mid-2009.

Chevy, my Chevy, why hast thou forsaken me? The Biblical Impala, dating back to the Burning Bush, still shuffles off the assembly lines in slippers and a tennis-balled walker. But as the rest of GM’s lineup leaps forward into the 21st century, the Impala’s age is starting to become a burden around Chevrolet’s neck.

How old is the Impala? Justin Timberlake was making a comeback from N’Sync when the Impala last received a redesign. The GM W platform it rides on dates back to 1988, which makes it old enough to run for state office or write for Autoguide. GM isn’t planning for a full redesign until 2014, by which time children of Impala owners will be shocked to learn that it was once rear-wheel-drive. If only the beleaguered Impala enjoyed the same voracious support as Ford’s Crown Victoria and Town Car, the darlings of the police and taxi fleets.

“There’s no doubt that the Impala is longer in the tooth than we would traditionally run a vehicle,” said Rick Scheidt, Chevy’s vice president of marketing. The Impala cost GM a higher score in Consumer Reports’ annual corporate ratings, bringing it down to 12 out of 13 automakers as one of the “lackluster cars” GM builds.

Not that GM’s doing this on purpose. A rear-drive variant had been rumored for 2011, but GM’s bankruptcy woes three years earlier nixed that plan. The America-only Impala took less priority than the globally-sold Cruze and Malibu—even now, GM is pushing the Sonic as fast as possible for consumers to take advantage of $4-gallon gas prices. And advertising the Impala as “roomier than a $66,000 Lexus LS460″ isn’t going to do any favors.

With the newly-redesigned Malibu, GM is struggling to find a place for the Impala—compounded by the fact that with deep discounts (including one from the AARP), an Impala costs the same despite the differences in MSRP.  ”You have to reconcile that within a four-sedan showroom and be clear on whose position is what,” said Bryan Nesbitt executive director for Chevrolet design. ”We’ve seen this transition happening, where it’s harder and harder to justify the scale of a vehicle without paying for it. This idea of a giant box that you can get for a very low price becomes harder to solve.” The next Impala will most likely move to the Epsilon platform, instead of the Australian, rear-drive Zeta from the Pontiac G6 that enthusiasts clamor for. It will share a chassis with the Buick Lacrosse and the next Cadillac XTS, as well as styling, too—dealers who were given a preview of the Impala claim that it resembles the Lacrosse.

For now, however, the Impala soldiers on. A six-speed transmission replaces its four cogs, and the choice of engine options gets cut in half to just a 3.6-liter V6. Lastly, a new grille and dual exhausts should keep the look current in a way Joan Rivers is used to. The fleet buyers that make up 75% of current Impala sales are happy, and so are the 25% of those who don’t just say “they don’t build ‘em like they used to—” they live it.

Keep on keepin’ on, Chevy Impala—America’s #1 rolling nostalgia trip.

[Source: Automotive News]

With the Chevrolet Impala forced to endure an unbearably long production cycle (8 years by the time its replacement arrives in 2015), Chevrolet’s full-size sedan will need something to ensure it stays relevant in the marketplace, and General Motors is confident that an updated engine will do the trick.

The new 3.6L LFX V6 will be the sole engine option, replacing the “high feature” 3.5L and 3.9L V6s of previous years. A 6-speed automatic may also join the lineup, as its compatible with the LFX but not the older V6s. A new Impala is due in 2014 and will share a platform with Cadillac’s upcoming XTS flagship.

[Source: GM Inside News]

General Motors is hoping that their next Chevrolet Impala, due in 2014, will be looked at as more than just fodder for the rental car lot. With a new platform shared with the Buick Lacrosse, the next Impala, due in 2014, should represent a significant jump in both style and performance – although based on the current car, that’s not saying too much.

The report in Automotive News also points to a possible rear-drive performance sedan for Chevrolet, which would almost certainly be based on the rear-drive Holden Commodore platform. The car would also be slated for a 2014 release, and one Chevrolet insider told Automotive News that “we are going back to the essence of what Chevrolet was and stood for — well-designed, beautiful, sculptured pieces, with lots of customer value.”  Chevrolet is selling a Holden model to police fleets as the Chevrolet Caprice, but sales to the public are not planned at this time.

[Source: Automotive News]