General Motors looks like it's replacing its venerable Chevrolet Impala cup car for NASCAR with an all-new production model (i.e., not Impala, not Malibu.) Got it? The news has the autosphere scrambling in a guessing game on what this "new model" will be.
 

Here's the story so far. While Chevy isn’t saying too much about the new Cup car, it did offer a few clues. For those that might’ve guessed it would be named for the new 2013 Malibu so it could compete with the Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry, both Sprint Cup entries, think again. Chevy says the new racer will be based on a new nameplate to the brand’s lineup. The Bow-tie brand also said it will be able to display more of its brand identity in the race car per the new NASCAR rules, and that it will closely resemble the production version. Chevrolet says both cars will be unveiled later this year.

Until then, the race car will be kept under wraps as it continues testing, and for ansty fans who don’t like to wait, Chevy says this car will definitely be worth it. “We know that Chevrolet fans are eager to see the new race car and we hope that the prospect of being able to own one just like it will make the wait a little more bearable,” said Jim Campbell, vice president, Chevrolet Performance Vehicles and Motorsports.

Best guess at this point is that Chevy will re-name the next-generation Impala, which has been spied testing recently and whose introduction looks to roughly coincide with the 2013  NASCAR season.


via Chevrolet courtesy of Motor Trend staff