I don't think the Cessna Skycatcher was exactly going to end the "stagnation" in certified GA R&D. It was a modernised version of the C152, or similar, not a lot more. The buyers would have been traditional Cessna customers.
You are right of course but at the time I hoped Cessna would do something brave when designing the 162 and selecting the engine. What a disappointment it was when the SkyCatcher was presented!
Concerning engines: too bad the Thielert effort ended (or isn't it?) in tears. Any ideas what is happening with the Austro engine? Let's hope they get that one right. We really need to get rid of the Avgas engines.