As Mark Twain once said, "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated," rumors that the Chevrolet Impala will soon be in the grave have indeed been exaggerated. And are ultimately false. Although the Malibu has quickly become Chevrolet's premiere family sedan, the much neglected Impala will soon be rewarded with a desperately needed redesign. Instead of simply dropping the model, Chevrolet is currently developing an all-new replacement for one of their most cherished and historical nameplates.

As these new spy photos reveal, the 2013 Impala is currently in the testing phase with development mules already on the road. We know the new car will be based on the long-wheelbase version of the Epsilon 2 platform, which also underpins the new, but smaller 2013 Malibu. Power will likely come from either a 3.6-liter V6 or the new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 270hp. The pictures also include some views of the new interior which already looks to be a mammoth improvement over the existing model's. There appears to be lots of leather, aluminum accents and a large nav screen.

The exterior remains well hidden under the camouflage, but we wouldn't be surprised if Chevy has given it some Camaro-like styling traits, a la the Malibu's rear taillight design. A full reveal is expected sometime early in 2012. Photos courtesy of Autoblog via Chris Doane Automotive