FenwickHockey65's Great Thread of GM Knowledge

[Mr_Draco]

Originally Posted by Martinjlm

What we are not sure of:

• No confirmation on what the Alpha2 will be called. Could be Malibu. Could be Impala. Could be Camaro. Could be something completely different.
• What brand or nameplate the GM EV Sedan will be. It could be the long rumored Buick Wildcat (or Electra?). It could be a Cadillac, since Cadillac already has all the EV SUV spaces covered, they may have room for a sedan. Could be a Chevrolet. If the Alpha2 car is Impala, EV could be Malibu. Or vice versa. Or either configuration (Alpha2 or EV) could be Camaro.

Personally, I don't believe either sedan will be called Camaro. While I do think GM knows that a 4 door Camaro will tank worse than the 6th gen sales wise and aren't stupid enough to make that mistake, the big reason I believe it won't be a Camaro is because of recent NASCAR announcements.

NASCAR has announced that the 2026 Chevy body will not be called Camaro but instead will be a new nameplate. NASCAR requires the nameplate of the body to be a model that is currently in production or getting ready to enter production. If GM was going to revive the Camaro, it would make sense to keep that nameplate to build up the hype. I believe the nameplate that will be used will be whatever the Chevy sedan will be called.

My prediction is the Chevy sedan will be called the Impala or something completely new with the V8 option being called Impala SS or SS of the new name. The reason I think Impala instead of Malibu goes back to NASCAR with GM always using the nameplates of fast cars for their bodies and Impala SS is more known of a muscle car and going fast than a Malibu.

Edit: Another name to think about is the Caprice. GM set aside the Caprice name for police vehicles and since there was a demand for a civilian version of the high powered Caprice PPV, bringing back the Caprice and the Caprice SS would also be a possiblity.

[Martinjlm]

I think you are definitely on the right track here. The NASCAR filing probably being the most important aspect.

Originally Posted by Mr_Draco

Personally, I don't believe either sedan will be called Camaro. While I do think GM knows that a 4 door Camaro will tank worse than the 6th gen sales wise and aren't stupid enough to make that mistake, the big reason I believe it won't be a Camaro is because of recent NASCAR announcements.

That is definitely true amongst Camaro owners. But there is a large population of buyers who chose to NOT buy a Camaro because of the compromises in space, accessibility, and vision. A lot of those people who rejected Camaro bought Chargers. Four door performance with a big ass trunk. I expect that it is a frequent topic of discussion in the Product Development and Marketing conference rooms. If they want to position it as an M3 / Giulia competitor on the top end, four doors will not hurt it. And let's not forget, Dodge Charger will still have four doors with performance engines available.

Originally Posted by Mr_Draco

NASCAR has announced that the 2026 Chevy body will not be called Camaro but instead will be a new nameplate. NASCAR requires the nameplate of the body to be a model that is currently in production or getting ready to enter production. If GM was going to revive the Camaro, it would make sense to keep that nameplate to build up the hype. I believe the nameplate that will be used will be whatever the Chevy sedan will be called.

My prediction is the Chevy sedan will be called the Impala or something completely new with the V8 option being called Impala SS or SS of the new name. The reason I think Impala instead of Malibu goes back to NASCAR with GM always using the nameplates of fast cars for their bodies and Impala SS is more known of a muscle car and going fast than a Malibu.

Edit: Another name to think about is the Caprice. GM set aside the Caprice name for police vehicles and since there was a demand for a civilian version of the high powered Caprice PPV, bringing back the Caprice and the Caprice SS would also be a possiblity.

[Mr_Draco]

Originally Posted by Martinjlm

That is definitely true amongst Camaro owners. But there is a large population of buyers who chose to NOT buy a Camaro because of the compromises in space, accessibility, and vision. A lot of those people who rejected Camaro bought Chargers. Four door performance with a big ass trunk. I expect that it is a frequent topic of discussion in the Product Development and Marketing conference rooms. If they want to position it as an M3 / Giulia competitor on the top end, four doors will not hurt it. And let's not forget, Dodge Charger will still have four doors with performance engines available.

I feel that the people that would buy a 4 door V8 Camaro would look at and buy regardless of what the name was. Where as you would have people not buy it because it is a 4 door Camaro. So personally, I feel like there is nothing to gain, only lose, by doing so. So using a different name such as an Impala SS or Caprice SS could potentially draw in more buyers.

[ariZona28]

Originally Posted by Mr_Draco

My prediction is the Chevy sedan will be called the Impala or something completely new with the V8 option being called Impala SS or SS of the new name. The reason I think Impala instead of Malibu goes back to NASCAR with GM always using the nameplates of fast cars for their bodies and Impala SS is more known of a muscle car and going fast than a Malibu.

.

Depends which generation of "Malibu" you are talking about. The '64 to '72 A-body versions were much more of a muscle car than any of the newer gen Impala cars by a WIDE margin.

[Mr_Draco]

Originally Posted by ariZona28

Depends which generation of "Malibu" you are talking about. The '64 to '72 A-body versions were much more of a muscle car than any of the newer gen Impala cars by a WIDE margin.

And the old gen Impala's is more a muscle car than the newest gen Malibu by a wide margin. See how horrible your comparison is?

The general population would not see a Malibu as being a fast car as for the last what 40 years it has been perceived as a slow, old persons car. Where as the Impala could be especially taking into consideration the popularity of the show Supernatural which used an Impala. Public perception matters most in marketing which is why I think the Impala is more likely to be used than the Malibu.

[PDXSSCE]

Originally Posted by Mr_Draco

Public perception matters most in marketing which is why I think the Impala is more likely to be used than the Malibu.

Agreed, it costs hundreds of millions of dollars in marketing when a new vehicle is introduced, so The General may take the safer and less costly route.

Additionally, I feel certain GM has little interest in what Generation X and older perceive as a muscle car. The vehicle will surely be marketed to Millennials and Generation Z, who are more interested in technology and comfort, with performance being third at best.

[ariZona28]

Originally Posted by Mr_Draco

And the old gen Impala's is more a muscle car than the newest gen Malibu by a wide margin. See how horrible your comparison is?

The general population would not see a Malibu as being a fast car as for the last what 40 years it has been perceived as a slow, old persons car. Where as the Impala could be especially taking into consideration the popularity of the show Supernatural which used an Impala. Public perception matters most in marketing which is why I think the Impala is more likely to be used than the Malibu.

Nothing "horrible" about my comparison. LOL! You possibly have a broader definition of muscle car than I do. I don't consider a 4-door, wrong-wheel drive vehicle a muscle car. Sport touring sedan or some other euphemism maybe. And as a side note your Malibu perspective is possibly what could occur to the Camaro nameplate if it's attached to cars that are more pedestrian in nature.

[Mr_Draco]

Originally Posted by ariZona28

Nothing "horrible" about my comparison. LOL! You possibly have a broader definition of muscle car than I do. I don't consider a 4-door, wrong-wheel drive vehicle a muscle car. Sport touring sedan or some other euphemism maybe. And as a side note your Malibu perspective is possibly what could occur to the Camaro nameplate if it's attached to cars that are more pedestrian in nature.

Again, you are doing an apples to watermelons comparison. You are trying to compare a late 60's Malibu to a modern Impala then do same thing. Compare a late 60's Impala to a modern Malibu. And yes, your comparison is absolutely horrendous.

[PDXSSCE]

Originally Posted by ariZona28

Nothing "horrible" about my comparison. LOL! You possibly have a broader definition of muscle car than I do. I don't consider a 4-door, wrong-wheel drive vehicle a muscle car. Sport touring sedan or some other euphemism maybe. And as a side note your Malibu perspective is possibly what could occur to the Camaro nameplate if it's attached to cars that are more pedestrian in nature.

Originally Posted by Mr_Draco

Again, you are doing an apples to watermelons comparison. You are trying to compare a late 60's Malibu to a modern Impala then do same thing. Compare a late 60's Impala to a modern Malibu. And yes, your comparison is absolutely horrendous.

These points are moot, as it's likely that GM isn't interested in what older consumers consider a "muscle car". I suspect the term isn't even being mentioned, and if it is, it's an evolution or reinterpretation of what a muscle car used to be.
It's in the past, so let it go.

[ariZona28]

Originally Posted by Mr_Draco

Again, you are doing an apples to watermelons comparison. You are trying to compare a late 60's Malibu to a modern Impala then do same thing. Compare a late 60's Impala to a modern Malibu. And yes, your comparison is absolutely horrendous.

Not a big fan of those wheels or the cowl hood. I always preferred the sleeper look.

[PDXSSCE]

https://gmauthority.com/blog/2025/10...e-cars-return/