AcuraFanatic

The Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo will get V8s when restyled versions come out for the 2006 model year, dealers were told at the make meeting.

The two mid-sized cars will offer optional supercharged engines for the 2004 model year, said Tommy Brasher, co-chair of the Chevrolet dealer council and owner of Brasher Motor Co. in Weimar, Texas.

In addition:


Chevrolet wants to get an additional 250,000 unit sales annually with the new Malibu mid-sized car, SSR pickup roadster, Colorado pickup and Equinox small SUV.


Chevy dealers at the divisional Mark of Excellence meeting in late spring will see the new Corvette and a Cavalier replacement on the Delta small-car platform, both due for the 2005 model year.


Chevrolet will push to get all major city dealer groups into local marketing groups. Dealer groups have the option of joining the marketing groups, which work with Chevrolet on advertising.


Chevrolet expects the redesigned Malibu and the new Malibu Maxx, a sport wagon variant, to draw younger customers to the brand. Also, one dealer said he was pleased that Chevrolet will offer a 4x2 crew cab version of the Colorado, which will replace the S10.


Chevrolet wants to increase the percentage of dealers in its certified-used program, which stands at 60 percent.

Brasher said the company also is enforcing standards and has removed some dealerships from the certfied-used program.

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We'll also be seeing the supercharged 3.8 liter V-6 (240HP) show up as well, which should have been there in the first place.

jaje

this will ruin the general's cafe ratings since it is just above the limit...now who'd want that old 3.8 v6 versus a v8 the domestics know who to build?

yianni64

Maybe a real deal Impala SS will make a comeback. Sweet.

LuckyDog

It'll most likely be the 4.4l V8 that's going into the Bonneville GXP (which in itself is based on the Aurora's 4.0l V8, which was a version of the Shortstar 3.5l V6 with two more cylinders, which was a version of the Northstar V8 (4.6l?) with two less cylinders. You'd think GM would have just made a smaller Northstar and called it that.)

redgoober4life

Why not just make the Aurora a Chevy and call it a day? I always liked oldmobiles styling.

Dorikin

Why cant they bring the RWD holden

fastball

A real V8 in a Monte Carlo SS..... that's the way it used to be, and that's the way it should be. I never understood why GM didn't use the n.a. 3800 in base and LS Monte Carlo, and then throw the supercharged 3800 in to the SS in the first place. But it's good to see a return of eight cylinder engines to GM. Even though their products aren't world class, GM always knew how to make a V8. The 305s and 350s are indestructable.

yianni64

Wait, these things might be FWD? FWD V8's rule!

91 EX-R

GM has recently announced that more Holden vehicles will be marketed over here as Chevrolets and Pontiacs in addition to the GTO. There is also still talk of an LS1 V-8 in a front drive application. Chevrolet has already built test Impala test mules and a show car with a Corvette spec LS1.

LuckyDog

GM North America is currently working with Holden to create a cheap RWD platform. The Sigma (CTS, STS, SRX, etc.) is too costly to build mainstream vehicles on. Holden obviously wants to stick with RWD, and with Chrylser coming up GM wants to get back into it. The idea is that the two will develop a cheaper-than-Sigma RWD platform to base mass-market vehicles on. Impala, Monte Carlo, Monaro, Ute, Calais, Commodore (and all the other Australian Commodore derivatives), and possibly even the next Grand Prix (since Bonneville is leavin' and Grand Am is moving up to Accord size) would be the vehicles on it. Then I think we could see Camaro, Firebird (or next gen GTO) type vehicles.