[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by 90503

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

Sorta like "why is Gen 6 Camaro a better car than Gen 5 Camaro.". Impala is built on an earlier version of Epsilon architecture. The newer generation that Malibu and Regal are on is lighter, more rigid and allows for making a car that is longer and wider than the last generation Malibu while still being significantly lighter. Since the older smaller Malibu was already lighter than the Impala, what you have is the newer Malibu that is almost as large as the Impala, but significantly lighter, better handling, and probably more durable. If you need bigger than Malibu, there's Equinox and Traverse. The current Impala (and Taurus and Avalon) are the last of what are called E-Segment cars. When you look at what customers buying C-Segment Utilities (Equinox) and D-Segment Utilities (Traverse) are turning in and/or identifying as 2nd choice vehicles, it's E-Segment sedans.

C-Segment (Cruze, Corolla, Civic) are declining in sales, but still selling ok. Same for D-Segment sedans (Malibu, Camry, Altima). The fact that Ford appears to be ending the Fusion is evidence that D-Segment sedan may also be winding down faster than originally expected. Honda Accord is a bit of an anomaly. It is E-Segment sized, but seems to sell like a D-Segment.