The next generation of Chevrolet’s Impala sedan due in 2009 will be rear-wheel-drive and will share its underpinnings with the upcoming Camaro on GM’s global Zeta platform developed by Holden. The new model is expected to grow in both length and width over the current version, which should allow for more interior room. Automotive News reports that the front and rear overhangs will be shortened, giving the car the ideal wheel at each corner design.

Of equal concern is the possibility that the new Impala will be positioned more upmarket so that it doesn’t compete with the redesigned Malibu, and instead rival cars like Chrysler’s 300C. Either way, GM is set to reveal its new Malibu at the Detroit Motor Show and previous reports of Australia’s VE Commodore being rebadged as a Pontiac now seem moot.