NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- It's been quite a while since the Chevy Impala had a redesign. In fact, in the time it took General Motors to get around to it, the automaker has redone its Malibu midsize car twice.
On Wednesday at the New York Auto Show GM at last unveiled its new, and much sharper looking, Impala full sized sedan.
The Impala's new, highly sculpted look is supposed to hearken back to the more dramatic Impalas of 1950s and early '60s. While this car doesn't have chrome-edged fins, it does have the sort of sloped coupe-like rear styling pioneered by the Mercedes-Benz CLS.
Despite the tapering roof-line, GM promises ample and comfortable rear seats. As in the new 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, the Impala's center computer screen lifts to reveal a hidden storage area.
"The 2014 Impala re-establishes this iconic Chevrolet nameplate as a design leader with bold styling that will turn heads for years to come," said Mark Reuss, president of GM (GM, Fortune 500) North America, in a statement.
Even the logo -- a chrome prancing gazelle -- has been reworked, sharpened and slimmed down.
The car will go on sale early next year. The new Impala's exterior offers a preview of how future Chevrolets will look, according to GM.
Inside, the new Impala has an upscale-looking two-tone design that visually splits the cabin into a "twin-cockpit" look. That sort of design, vaguely reminiscent of early Corvettes, has become a Chevrolet signature.
The new car will also have a host of luxury-like hi-tech options, GM boasts, including cruise control that automatically maintains a set distance from other cars, even in city traffic, and radar that warns of cars coming from either side while backing out of a parking space.
It will be available with a choice a 195-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, 3.6-liter 303-horsepower engine or GM's eAssist "mild hybrid" system. The eAssist system combines 2.4-liter four cylinder engine with electric motors to achieve an expected 35 miles per gallon in highway mileage.
Pricing and fuel economy details are not expected to be revealed until closer to the Impala's actual on-sale date.
Toyota (TM) is expected to unveil its competitor to the Impala, a thoroughly redesigned Toyota Avalon, later at the New York Auto Show. 
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