Should General Motors build the Camaro?
The General's minions
told Inside Line that they're getting 300 e-mails a day from Camaro fans begging them to turn the Detroit
show concept into production reality. They played down rumors that General Motors' Holden group in
Canberra, Australia is already working on a production vehicle (though this Autoblogger ran into a GM designer recently
who confirmed it), but they do say that the Camaro "is buildable [and]
believable."
Will they build it? We don't know for sure, but 300 e-mails a day sounds better than a focus group to us...
Get a WordPress.com Blog_opt_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg "2011 Audi A8: Live from Miami")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Scott 4:59PM (4/29/2006)
I bet Ford was getting a similar amount of emails regarding the Thunderbird a few years back. Just because people say they're going to buy one doesn't mean they ever will. GTO? SSR? Hmmmm. . .
Reply
Paul Bensman 5:08PM (4/29/2006)
I say yes, build the Camaro, but don't slap us in the face by not building it in the US.
Reply
Justin 5:25PM (4/29/2006)
how about they focus on building a descent cobalt or ion thats more than just a rental car, then once they have that little issue figured out they can focus on this redneck wet dream. How many people are going to buy this thing at $4 and $5 a gallon?
Reply
akatsuki 5:32PM (4/29/2006)
i agree with Justin. Better to focus all that sportiness and styling on their bread-and-butter cars than waste time with a niche car. Better to work on fuel economy too. The Corvette is enough of a a halo car and unless the platform can be used effectively for a couple of vehicles it really isn't worth it.
Reply
Vwartenbenschnuggen 5:40PM (4/29/2006)
I think this car looks great, but if they really want a sell a car they need to build one that is sporty looking, safe, good quality, and, as people have been saying, gas effecient. Any car with those qualities would sell like mad. GM needs to stop with gas guzzlers.
Reply
Will O'Connor 5:46PM (4/29/2006)
um, yeah ?? those idiots at GM should have been working on this car 5 years ago. Nobody asked for them to remove RWD cars from the lineup. Put them back ASAP!! I don't care if it is built in AUS. My dad has the 2005 GTO and it is really nice. And GM wonders why nobody wants their FWD cars???
Reply
Edsel 5:56PM (4/29/2006)
GM could always build the Camaro on the Cobalt platform, using a thrifty 4cyl engine, and liberal application of racing strips and decals. They can then call the poor thing a "SS Camaro".
Reply
ceh 6:01PM (4/29/2006)
The last I heard, it would take GM 4 years to get this car into show rooms if a decision was made today. So you tell me, would you buy this thing, after waiting 4 years? I expect gas by then will be close if not over $4 to $5 a gallon, if not more, and by than its retro styling will already be old hat.
What GM needs is to build is good cars, with good repuations, that people want to buy, not a retro car for a select few, or rental fleet cars ...and while they're at it, get rid of the SUV's the dinasaurs and big time wasters of our raw materials and energy resources. Gee whiz, that Camaro is already boring, just like new Mustang is.
Sure its about choice, and in the end we reap what we sow, so if you want a gas guzzler retro Camaro, or a heavy tank SUV, ...just don't be surprised if we aren't in the Middle East still fighting so we can enjoy these things with our wasteful actions.
Reply
Phil 6:13PM (4/29/2006)
ceh. Why aren't gas prices going down if our presence in the middle east is to make sure "we can enjoy these things with our wasteful action"?
Reply
Michael Karesh 6:22PM (4/29/2006)
General consensus is that this project is already under way for a 2008 or 2009 launch. GM is just keeping up the tease so people will be less likely to lose interest.
For me, the biggest risk is that it'll just be too frickin' huge, like the SSR. The show car is VERY wide. If it's going to feel like it should, they've got to keep the size under control.
Reply
Michael Karesh 6:22PM (4/29/2006)
General consensus is that this project is already under way for a 2008 or 2009 launch. GM is just keeping up the tease so people will be less likely to lose interest.
For me, the biggest risk is that it'll just be too frickin' huge, like the SSR. The show car is VERY wide. If it's going to feel like it should, they've got to keep the size under control.
Reply
Ebm14 6:32PM (4/29/2006)
I would build the car RWD with optional AWD. The Magnum offers this and Chevy this need this type of crowd. It would be best to sell this car with in 18 months.
Reply
Greg S 6:42PM (4/29/2006)
Chevrolet and GM have missed the boat. The Ford Mustang, Dodge Charger, and the new Challenger (due out in 07) have already stolen the show. This is General Motors' biggest problem, In order for GM to gain a viable share of the muscle car market they would have had to produce the Camaro atleast 2 years ago. The new camaro will not be GM's answer to their problems. 300 emails a day is un-impressive in my opinion and further proves that they should not build this car.
Reply
DEJAL 7:08PM (4/29/2006)
#2
The last ones were built in Sainte-Th?se, Quebec.
Reply
PJ 7:11PM (4/29/2006)
Gee... should we build the only car we've proposed that's had enthusiasts foaming at the mouth? Yeah, tough one, GM.
If they can keep costs somewhere between Mustang and Challenger levels, they should definitely build it. As I understand it, there were two reasons that Ford's T-Bird flopped after the initial excitement. One, it was absurdly expensive (the same problem that killed the Prowler and SSR). And two, it was FAR too faithful to older T-Birds in that it was huge, only sat two, and wasn't a great drive. People want retro styling, not retro space utilization and chassis rigidity.
While the Camaro unquestionably has retro cues, I don't think it's retro in the same way as a T-Bird or even the new Mustang. It's edgier and sharper--and certainly not "cute" like the T-Bird--so it's unlikely to be seen as a novelty piece. I think that look will wear well over the next couple years, even if it takes until 2008/2009 for the car to be released.
I think there will still be a market for performance cars even with the spike in fuel prices. I think the people who are more likely to give up their gas-guzzlers are the ones who don't really need to be guzzling at all, and aren't really getting any benefits from doing so. You know, the Tahoe drivers who don't really care about driving, and could easily carry their 1.5 kids around in a minivan or an Accord.
The Camaro's success or failure really depends on pricing. Base prices need to be in the mid-to-high $20K range, which seems plausible if it's sharing a powertrain and platform (share the interior, for all I care) with Holden models.
Reply
John Bryans Fontaine 7:42PM (4/29/2006)
Absolutely Yes. It can only lead to an even better looking and better performing Mustang.
If the next-production Camaro winds up looking this sensational, ( and Chevy prices it at a lot less than $60,000 ), Ford will need put the Mustang on a diet. In other words, keep the styling of the present model, just make the 'stang look less chunky, less stuby. A full-fastback design should help as well.
Reply
Scott 7:46PM (4/29/2006)
"I say yes, build the Camaro, but don't slap us in the face by not building it in the US."
GM said after they canceled the last Camaro that if they were to build a new Camaro it would be built in Canada just like the last one.
Reply
Robert Farago 7:59PM (4/29/2006)
Too late.
Reply
Jeff Maslan 8:17PM (4/29/2006)
GM may be out of business in 4 years. By then, Toyota's entire lineup will be hybrid, gas will be $4+ and GM will introduce the Hummer 4 and a whole slew of ugly cars that nobody wants. So, heck....go on and build it!
Reply
Ford Mustang 8:33PM (4/29/2006)
Yes, they should build it, but only if they can keep the pricing low. If this thing winds up a $40K car it'll never make it.
Reply