(AP2012)
Chevy has a new car!
But it won’t say what it is.
In a press release announcing plans to replace the championship-winning Impala that it currently fields in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, the automaker revealed that the new car would carry a new name, one that’s not currently found in showrooms, but will be next year.
Intriguing.
“We know that Chevrolet fans are eager to see the new racecar and we hope that the prospect of being able to own one just like it will make the wait a little more bearable,” says Chevy motorsports head Jim Campbell in the release.
Chevrolet is known to be working on an all-new replacement for the street version of the Impala next year, and the best-selling full-size car is widely expected to retain the Impala nameplate.
Is something else in the works? A new Chevelle Laguna?
Speculation is that the automaker will introduce a high-performance rear-wheel-drive sedan, either one based on the Chevrolet Caprice police car currently available only to law enforcement, or an updated version of the Corvette V8-powered Pontiac G8 GXP that was discontinued with the brand in 2010. Both vehicles are manufactured in Australia by GM’s Down Under division, Holden.
NASCAR Sprint Cup teams have been given more leeway than in recent years to make their 2013 cars look more like the production versions. Ford and Dodge have already the new versions of the Fusion and Charger that they will be fielding next year, with significant changes evident on both.
So when do we get to see the Chevy?
Sometime after the New York Auto Show in April, a GM spokesperson tells the Detroit Free Press.
We’ll go out on a limb and guess that it won’t be called the Vega, but what do you think they should name it?
Let us know in the comments section.