Last time we checked the official sales reports, General Motors was still the largest carmaker in America – even if Toyota is bringing a tidal wave of novelties in its attempt to dethrone it. But what if it needs additional help to keep the crown?
Currently, GM has four mains at home in America – Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC – plus an additional two focused on catering to the needs of the world's biggest automotive market – China (Baojun and Wuling). Unfortunately, only two leading stalwarts are still dealing with passenger cars.
As far as Cadillac is concerned, only the corner-office GM head honchos know if the CT4 and CT5 sedan series will continue alongside the quirky all-electric Celestiq liftback flagship. Fans love them both, mainly because they also give them access to the feisty CT4-V and CT5-V, plus the high-performance Blackwing models.
Switching to Chevrolet, currently, the mainstream brand only has the 2024 Chevy Malibu as an affordable ($25,100 starting MSRP) mid-size sedan while the rest of the passenger car roster is composed of the soon-to-be-retired 2024 Camaro starting from around $31k along with the trio of 2024 Corvettes – Stingray from over $68k, first-ever E-Ray from almost $105k, and the mighty Z06 at nearly $113k.
However, the Camaro is biting the dust with no successor in sight, leaving a sizeable gap between the Malibu and Corvette series. No worries; the imaginative realm of digital car content creators has been working hard to fill the void. Some have thought that a compact Chevy Cruze revival might do the trick at the lower end of the spectrum.
But others – including the resident pixel masters of TheAutoReport, Car Release TV, and Next-Gen Car channels on YouTube, could only dream of a more premium roster composed of a revived Chevrolet Chevelle, the next-generation Malibu and a reinvented full-size Impala! Each has its vision, of course.
The CGI expert from TheAutoReport, for example, probably believes the sixth-generation Camaro could live on under a different name and with subtle design changes. That way, GM could cheaply revive the Chevelle nameplate as their go-to affordable sports car, adding some extra muscle car swagger along the way – especially at the rear and along the beefier, wider sides.
On the other hand, the Car Release TV and Next-Gen Car channels are all about the potential of traditional sedans. One just wants the Malibu series to continue with the tenth generation and an affordable pricing point, while the other only has eyes for the rumor mill's fabled Impala return. Well, one would better take all this with a pinch of salt – as nothing is official from Chevrolet just yet.
Besides, we are not so sure that GM will approve not one but two nameplate revivals that don't have to do with the hyped realm of crossovers, SUVs, and trucks – so we'd better not get our hopes too high about the Chevelle and Impala return, ok?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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