DETROIT – When the 2014 Chevrolet Impala arrives next year it will put to rest a fixture of automobiles since the days of the horseless carriage – the front bench seat. The outgoing Impala is the last passenger car in production in North America to offer three-across front seating, an option that that ends with the introduction of Chevy’s redesigned flagship sedan.

The passing of the front bench seat into automotive history is expected to transpire without notice from many car buyers. Only one in 10 Impala buyers chose the $195 option last year on the LS and LT models. For many of today’s car buyers, front bucket seats are the norm – a trend that General Motors designers expect will continue.

“A lot of people prefer bucket seats because they’re sporty, even in models that aren’t sports cars,” said Clay Dean, GM director of design. “Our customers also appreciate having the center console as a convenient place to store their phone and other personal items.”

The first Chevrolet ever manufactured, the Series C Classic Six of 1911, featured a front bench seat. Chevrolet will continue to offer bench seats on pickup trucks and sport utilities.

The need for six-passenger sedans is largely being met today by SUVs or crossovers, such as theChevrolet Suburban and Traverse, which offer seating for up to eight.

“There is certain nostalgia for bench seats, like being able to snuggle up with your date at a drive-in movie, and some customers still like them,” Dean said. “You never know, we might see bench seats re-emerge someday, possibly in very small cars like the EN-V urban mobility concept vehicle, in which the feeling of open space may be very desirable.”

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4 million cars and trucks a year.  Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design, and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Today Buick and GMC announced to dealers that the two brands will collectively launch nine new or revised products over the next 12 months. The announcement comes as both brands continue on their third year of consecutive retail sales gains, and enjoy an impressive 40-percent conquest rate.

Some of the nine new products have already been announced, while the rest are quickly becoming common knowledge thanks to insiders and spy shots. For example, Buick-GMC is counting the revised 2013 GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave and Encore crossovers in the group of nine.

Additionally, Buick confirmed that revised LaCrosse and Regal sedans will also launch over the next 12 months. While this is the first time GM has confirmed the redesigns, spy shots of both have all but validated that both sedans will be revamped likely for the 2014 model year.

On the GMC side, the brand confirmed that their entire truck and SUV lineup will be all-new within the next 12 months. For those keeping count, that means a new Sierra, Sierra HD, Yukon and Yukon XL.

The announcement means that, by this time next year, the oldest products in the Buick-GMC showroom will be the Buick Verano and GMC Terrain.

To recap the new products—along with GMI’s predictions—see the below list:

• 2013 Buick Encore – All New
• 2013 Buick Enclave – Redesign
• 2013 GMC Acadia – Redesign
• 2014 Buick Regal – Redesign
• 2014 Buick LaCrosse – Redesign
• 2014 GMC Sierra – All New
• 2014 GMC Sierra HD – All New
• 2014 GMC Yukon – All New
• 2014 GMC Yukon XL – All New