After 62 Years – Say Goodbye to the Chevy Impala
The last Chevrolet Impala will roll off the line at Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly today. After 62 years of being one of the quintessential American sedans, our love of crossovers, SUVs and pickup trucks has finally done the Impala in.
According to The Detroit News, 16.8 million Impalas have been sold around the world since 1958. My mom and dad had one back in the 60s. A '65 (I think) 4-door - and kind of a bluish-green color as I remember, with those round tail-lights. My Aunt Donna had a nice, blue, two-door '63 for years. That was a nice ride.
In 1965 Chevy sold a million Impalas. In 2019 they sold about 45,000.
What happened? No Impala could compete with the modern SUVs and their rear seat, high-def, entertainment systems. In the 60s, all we had was a window seat and punching our siblings in the arm for entertainment. The 1960s Corvettes and Camaros were always the stars of the Chevy show - but it was the Impalas that did the grunt work of hauling kids and groceries.
So, if you see an Impala, today - give it a nod.