Is it popular? Chevy, GMC updating it

Aside from the midengine Corvette, the focus for Chevrolet is on updating its crossovers, pickups and SUVs to stay competitive in the coming years.

After the launch of redesigned Chevy and GMC pickups, attention is turning to full-size SUVs next year. Expect both brands to freshen their most-popular vehicles — many sooner than previously expected — and add crossover models.

Spark: The minicar arrived in dealerships last summer with a freshened exterior and additional active safety technology, including optional low-speed automatic braking. The changes and low price of the car helped sales increase 4.5 percent last year and 20 percent in the first six months of 2019. Production of the Spark is expected to end in 2021, though Chevy could grant the nameplate a reprieve or transfer the name onto an all-electric vehicle.

Sonic: Like the video-game hedgehog of the same name, this subcompact car just keeps on rolling. Reports of the car's demise as soon as last year never came to fruition, but production finally is expected to end in late 2020 to make room for the plant in Orion Township, Mich., to build more electric vehicles. GM hasn't freshened the vehicle since the 2017 model year.

Malibu: A freshening of the midsize sedan for the 2019 model year couldn't drum up enough attention to turn around declining sales. The car is expected to continue until at least 2024, when it will cease production and potentially be indirectly replaced by an all-electric vehicle. A freshening is possible around 2022 to help it through the final few years.

Impala: Production of the large sedan was expected to end in June, but GM extended the life of the Detroit plant that builds it until January 2020. Sales are now a mere fraction of what the storied nameplate used to generate.

Camaro: A poorly received freshening of the car for the 2019 model year may have accelerated its sales decline to fewer than 51,000 in 2018. GM was quick to make styling and packaging changes for the 2020 model year, but the Camaro nameplate may once again be shelved after the 2023 model year, according to one report. An expected redesign of the car in 2021 was reportedly canceled.

Corvette: The C8, the first Corvette to have a midengine layout, is scheduled to begin production this year in Bowling Green, Ky., and reach dealerships in early 2020. Among its innovations is an optional lift system that raises the front end almost 2 inches to clear speed bumps or steep driveways. The 6.2-liter small block V-8 LT2 engine, visible through a rear hatch window, produces up to 495 hp and 470 pound-feet of torque. Chevy hasn't been specific on pricing yet, other than to say the car will start at less than $60,000.

Bolt: GM's first all-electric vehicle for the mass market is expected to get its first freshening in early 2020. The magnitude of those changes remains unclear, as the EV has become more important for the self-driving ride-hailing fleets that GM Cruise plans to operate than it is for consumers at this point. Bolt sales rose 5.4 percent in the first six months of the year after declining 23 percent to about 18,000 in 2018.

Trax: Sales of the subcompact crossover rose 13 percent in 2018 but are down slightly this year. Don't expect any significant updates to the vehicle soon, as Chevy is instead expected to focus on the new, larger Trailblazer crossover.

GMC subcompact crossover: While it's a logical place for the brand to expand, plans for such a crossover, dubbed the GMC Granite by some, remain unclear. Brand head Duncan Aldred has said he believes a subcompact crossover would fit well in the lineup, but it may take a back seat to a more rugged Jeep fighter based on the next generation of GM's midsize pickups. If it gets a green light, expect it in 2022 or 2023.

Trailblazer: The compact crossover is expected to arrive in dealerships early next year as a 2021 model. The South Korea-produced vehicle shares a new platform with the upcoming Buick Encore GX. It will feature the aggressive design of its larger Blazer sibling as well as an RS trim and two-tone roof. Standard active safety features including lane-keep assist and automatic emergency braking.

Equinox/Terrain: The popular compact crossovers, which were redesigned for the 2018 model year, should both get freshened in late 2020, which is sooner than previously expected. Expect a redesign around 2023.

Blazer: The resurrected SUV-turned-crossover received praise from critics, but the fact that it's made in Mexico has turned it into a political football for the UAW and public officials to use against GM. In the first six months of the year, Chevy sold fewer than 15,000 Blazers. Expect a freshening in late 2021 or early 2022.

Acadia: A freshening for the 2020 model year brought the crossover into the fold of the brand's new design language, improved the interior and added a 10-speed automatic transmission. After falling 20 percent last year, sales appeared to be back on track in the first half of 2019, up 19 percent. A redesign is expected in 2022.

Traverse: After a successful redesign of the large crossover for the 2018 model year, sales are starting to slow, sliding 2.3 percent in the first six months of 2019. Expect a freshening late next year for the 2021 model year.

Tahoe/Suburban/Yukon/Yukon XL: GM's full-size SUVs will be redesigned in 2020 as the company works to counter a well-received redesign of the Ford Expedition and the upcoming resurrection of the Ford Bronco SUV.

Bolt-based crossover: While the name isn't official, a Bolt-based crossover is finally expected to arrive for the U.S. in 2021, likely after it arrives in China as a Buick. Spy shots of the vehicle appear to show the design will be a mix of the Bolt and Trax.

Colorado/Canyon: General Motors' midsize pickups are expected to receive minor updates early next year amid increased competition from the Jeep Gladiator and Ford Ranger, but a redesign of the vehicles isn't expected until at least 2022, if not 2023.

Silverado/Sierra 1500: A year after redesigned versions of the trucks started arriving in dealerships, GM says it's still in launch mode, as it only recently started taking fleet orders and delivering more work truck models. The prolonged ramp-up, concentration on higher-priced models and pressure from Fiat Chrysler's Ram brand have led sales of the Silverado, including heavy-duty models, to fall behind Ram for the first six months of the year. Versions of the pickups with a new 3.0-liter, inline-six turbo Duramax diesel engine are expected to arrive in dealerships this year for the 2020 model year. A freshening of the pickups — particularly concentrated on the interior — could come next year or in 2021.

Silverado/Sierra 2500HD/3500HD: GM's heavy-duty pickups received much-needed redesigns and capacity increases for the 2020 model year. The highly profitable vehicles, which began shipping to dealers last month, feature distinctive designs to separate them from the light-duty pickups.

Express/Savana: Will they ever be redesigned? Expectations are not anytime soon. GM seems content to let the more than 15-year-old vans — whose development costs were fully amortized long ago — quietly age rather than invest in a new generation to compete against Ford's segment-dominating Transit series.

Electric pickup: GM executives have said an electric pickup is in the works, but there's not much more to say than that at this point. Whether the pickup will be powered by fuel cells, which was previously rumored, and the energy source for a military prototype GM made or a battery also remains in question. The zero-emission truck is expected no earlier than 2023.