HarleyEarl

....ok, well the '59 got a little flamboyant :)

Perfectly said. The Bel Air/Impala has always been slightly understated with clean modern lines. And that is it's appeal. And along with some great engine choices. Now if Chevy would really go for it and bring back Impala 2-door hardtop coupes and convertibles, I would be in Chevy heaven.

Just for the record, this car is produced by Brilliance Auto which in turn is a subsidiary of the China Brilliance Group, a financial and manufacturing company. It's not a name they conjured up just for this car.

...lol, thats cool. I always liked car carriers as a little kid and this one had the great GM Corvair on it.

Saab has a lengthly history of using other manufacturers components and even blatant rebadging. In 1975 Saab marketed the Italian Autobianchi A112 for awhile. Then in '79 they rebadged a Lancia Delta. For over 30 years Saab used Ford of Germany engines. The Saab 900 was based on Opel/Vauxhalls. Saab hasn't been 'Saab' for a long time. So it's not so strange to have them rebadging GM and Subaru products.

I love this new Impala. Yesterday saw a dark red LTZ in the showroom..very sharp car. Crisp, stylish. It was capturing a lot of attention. It is so much better in every way than the last Impala.

The 'exactly' refers to an earlier post, not the one above. Just for the record. And just because it's summer and I love Oldsmobiles here is some convertible eye candy:

Bluuuu!...lol Yep, let's saddle up and head out on the road on our Harley. Razoredge, I agree about these complicated hardtops. And furthermore I don't really like all the cutlines and I like my car to actually look like it's a convertible, even with the top up. Some verts look very sexy with a soft top. They look special. The Mercedes SLK (it's big brother as well):

It doesn't read accurately, I gave correct answer, it said it was wrong, I tried again and then it accepted it. And no spelling mistakes either.

We have the Pontiac G6 coming on stream.

:)Northstar you are right. Yes the Peugeot was the first and the Ford was the first mass-produced. The retractable hardtop was invented by Georges Paulin. 100 Peugeot Eclipse 402L convertibles were produced. This system and the one used by Ford are similar. First retractable hardtop: 1937 Peugeot Eclipse First mass produced retractable hardtop: 1957 Ford Skyliner

a.What car had the first retractable hardtop? b.What car was the first mass-produced retractable hardtop?

Razoredge!

Renault: Volvo:

Euro carmakers are shedding some light on the subject: Ford: Vauxhall: Peugeot:

Well, if I were in the market for this type of car, I would buy it in a Chevrolet Heartbeat. And they are selling very well. There was a real buzz around this car in the showroom today. Chevy is crying all the way to the bank. It's a winner inside and out. Way to go Chevy.

This is an impressive car even in camo. Damn, the Koreans are really coming on strong. Even the Japanese must be worried. Ahhh, competition, you gotta love it.

Hey thanks Brandon, I will look for Lane Exact Detail Series. Have you heard of Westcoast Diecast? Was reading about them in Diecast Magazine. What are your thoughts on them?

Hey I can be very critical of GM and I and all of you want it to be great once more. But, I want to give credit where it's due and this new Impala is spot on. GM has a winner here and I congratulate them.

Exactly, it is not as difficult as people think to bring back this nameplate.

I was just in a new Impala in the showroom. The naysayers are way overly crititcal..this is a fantastic interior. Beautifully done. Give GM and Chevy some credit here.

I was out and about today and did a walk-about through some dealerships. Here are my impressions: 1. Nissan Skyline: as I was walking across street to the dealership, this car comes up to the stop sign looking like nothing more than a garden variety Nissan from the past. I glanced up and see someone in the 'passenger seat' and for a split second, thought, hell, there's no one driving that thing, no one in the 'driver's seat'. I had to chuckle, it was a right-hand driver, probably imported from Japan directly. I then realized it was a Skyline. 2. Pontiac G6 Coupe: it is very slick in person, but man, I am finding it hard to get used to that overly excessive wheelbase. It seems out of proportion to the car. Now , that was close up, I saw a black one from a distance and then it seemed to look better. 3. Chevrolet Impala LTZ and SS: This car is great in photos and even better in the flesh. I like everything about it. This car deserves to be a huge success. GM has to get the message out about this car. Why anyone would even consider one of the Japanese family sedans is beyond me. The interior is so good. I am totally impressed by the new Impala. Please, if you hear of someone looking to buy in this market, let them know what Chevy has...it's a gem. 4. Chevrolet HHR: It looks much smaller in person. I was slightly underwhelmed by it. It's a 'me too' car. Chrylser has one, GM needs one. It doesn't have that 'wow' factor when the PT Crusier was introduced. It could be because I have seen so many photos of the HHR in advance...if one was looking for a 4 cyl practical little car, then this has some extra personality I guess. The interior is on the cheap side. 5. Lincoln Pickup: coming up to it in profile, it looks too much like an F-150. The Cadillac pickup is recognizable from any angle. 6. Ford 500: Dull, dull, dull. Ungainly proportions. Dull. 7. From the used car file: I saw a 2005 Bonneville GXP in the lot and it had the most incrdible after market wheels. This car was absolutely stunning. Sexy, hot. Just some of my very quick initial impressions.

What is it with the Audi knockoffs for tailights on the sedan? First Audi, then Saab and now Honda Civic. It makes you wonder if the same designer got hired at all three. And this cab forward thing is dated looking. Look at the base of the windshield how far over the front wheels it goes...yikes.

I agree. I like some of the high tech fabrics in some cars now better than much of the leather out there. So many leather interiors looks like vinyl. They should just bring back vinyl. It used to be widely used, infact I think Mercedes still uses it in Europe or at least did up until very recently.

It has it's flaws, but the point is, don't underestimate them. Remember Hyundai in it's early days? I think cars like this from the Chinese could potentially be very successful in the future. The Chinese have come a long ways in a very short period of time. If this car and others like it are priced really low, it will find many buyers.