Quote:
Originally Posted by Martinjlm
No doubt each class of sedan is moving up in size. The current Malibu is almost the same size as the Impala. I recently parked my 2016 Cruze next to a 2008 Malibu. They are almost exactly the same size. Cruze has grown from Cavalier / Cobalt size to where Malibu used to be and Malibu has grown to almost where Impala is. The main reason for this is the EPA fuel economy regulations. The targets that each vehicle are supposed to meet are determined by their shadow area....the area between the wheels. Vehicles with greater shadow area have lower mpg targets than vehicles with smaller shadow area. So if you can make the vehicle lighter, and stretch the wheelbase, and widen the track, homerun!
This is why FCA dropped the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200. They were the heaviest vehicles in their class and had the worst fuel economy. To improve them would have required more engineering and investment than FCA was willing to devote to those old architectures. So now they are focusing on SUVs and vans, pretty much across the board, plus Charger and Challenger. Now they are at the point where they have to decide what to do with Charger and Challenger, because they are also the heaviest vehicles in their class with worst fuel economy. They'll either move them to the Giorgio architecture or drop one of both of them.
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Yeah, I'm getting better at recognizing the differences between Cruze, Malibu, and Impala, subtle as they may be..lol..I went with the Impala, it still had the largest dimensions for passengers and cargo of all of those three...Plus, the 6-cyl was only offered in the Impala...But you sort of make my point, why get rid of the Impala if the Malibu is going to grow to that size anyhow?....I can't see the rationale for "large sedans don't sell" when you have three that are close to being the same...Just keep the largest one (Impala)...offer it in Biscayne, Bel-Air, and Impala trim levels, and call it a day....lol....Get rid of the Malibu and Cruze!...lol