100,000 Camaros a year?
Bob Lutz, the product czar over at General Motors, says that the Chevy Camaro will be so smokin' that 100,000 coupes will fly off dealership lots each year. That's also the number the automaker must be able to sell before the concept will see the light of day in production form. The automaker is deep in engineering a production version of the muscle car, and the business case is being fleshed out, according to Lutz, but a final decision hasn't yet been made.
The 100,000 mark might seem a little high, but it's not unattainable by any means -- the Ford Mustang sold 160,975 units last year and the Camaro itself hit the 200,000 mark in its heyday.
[Source: Automotive News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Ford Mustangs 3:48PM (5/15/2006)
It's a nice car but thats a pretty big number. They had better make it one hell of a car at a great price. A $40K Camaro isn't going to sell like that.
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Optimus Prime 3:53PM (5/15/2006)
I wonder what Pontiac dealers are thinking.
Chev has the Corvette and Camaro and Pontiac has the .... Soltice?? ..which it also shares with Saturn.
Im guessing they will make a Firebird rebadged as well.
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AJ 4:03PM (5/15/2006)
if they can re-establish the Camaro at a decent price with decent fuel economy then they can expand the market further. But making such a high goal in a market that is now owned by the Mustang and they haven't been in since 2003 isn't a great idea...overproduction will led to more time on dealer lots and lower perception of value by the consumer..if they can manage it properly though a high production could lead to a lower price...
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AJ 4:05PM (5/15/2006)
*a high output level
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bob h. 4:12PM (5/15/2006)
the rebadging may be working the opposite way. As it says in the article the Camero is part of a series of rear wheel drive cars based on the Holden...Pontiac already has the GTO based on the Holden. That would be a lot sparter than building a entirely new platform. Maybe GM is getting wiser.
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Ferguson McSqueege 4:15PM (5/15/2006)
I wouldn't be surprised to see Pontiac, Buick and Saab get a rebadged version of this Camaro.
Oh heck, Hummer can have one as well!
[/sarcasm]
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John 4:18PM (5/15/2006)
What is General Motors thinking about? How they can sell 100000 a year of THIS?! My choice is Toyota. It's much more safer
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km 4:36PM (5/15/2006)
I would love to see the Camaro on the streets again...
But I also hate retro with a passion...
All I ever drove (and loved) was muscle cars, I had a few Camaros, a Trans Am and a Mustang (yes, a fan of both Ford and GM), but with this silly retro craze, and unfortunatelly for me, my next car will most likely be the Nissan 350Z. Not nearly as powerfull as the next wave of muscle cars from detroit, but at least it doesnt look old and dated right out of the factory...
But heck, if people want to drive something that looks like something that their parents drove, then more power to them (no pun intented), I'll be a spectator not a participant...
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Tool 4:37PM (5/15/2006)
GM can probably get 100,000 units out of the Camaro, especially the first few years. But like all things coupe, demand will probably decline after the novelty wears out.
If GM makes the mistake and creates a Pontiac also, be assured that this will be a one-generation vehicle.
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KT 4:43PM (5/15/2006)
If they can bring it in at the same price point as the Mustang they should have no problem selling 100k (the first year). Ford could have sold more Mustangs(GT's) if they had the capacity at that plant.
If GM can meet the price point and develop it close to the concept, they should do just fine.
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Kasper 4:47PM (5/15/2006)
what a shame... I was hoping that GM would resist the retro temptation and produce a car that is modern and sleek instead.
Rather than following the Mustang into the past (like the Charger is also doing), GM should lead the industry into the future (imagine if the next Camaro would be a 4-seater interpretation of the Corvette, how nice would that be??!!).
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km 4:49PM (5/15/2006)
If GM is listening: please, please give us a non-retro interior.... PLEASE!!!!!!!
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Howard Kerr 5:17PM (5/15/2006)
I suppose it's POSSIBLE that GM can sell 100,000 Camaros a year...for the first year or so. But if Ford is selling 160,000 Mustangs and DCX is teasing us with a possible Challenger, it looks like a very ambitious sales target. I would have to think it also might put at least a small dent in Solstice, and on the high end, Corvette sales.
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Mike G 5:28PM (5/15/2006)
Wow talk about beating a thing to death - I'm tired of hearing about this thing that's three years away. If they can't get the production Camaro out faster than it took to bring the production Solstice out, the buzz will be gone. It's just a little tiring hearing Bob Lutz go on and on about a car that won't be out for another three years.
Meanwhile you can buy a Mustang, arguably a better car anyway, right now, and probably for less. Less talk more action, please, GM.
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Steve 5:36PM (5/15/2006)
Seems like I'm not the only one who hates the "modern retro" movement. Its bad enough that haircuts and clothes from the 70's are back en vogue, but cars too?!? Enough! It screams that they've tapped out the creativity well and that the car designs were only good "back in the day." Yet one more to jump on the bandwagon only to ride it backwards.
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Fabulo 6:09PM (5/15/2006)
"...a final decision hasn't yet been made."
What do you need to make a decision? You already have a solstice/sky platform, factories, workers and tools. It's not like it would be hard to coat that Kappa platform with a different sheetmetal design?
Look at DCX, they spit out a new one every 6 month or so. 300c, magnum, charger, and soon a challenger.
It's not even like your engines won't fit. Some people have already shoehorned a smallblock v8 under that hood.
So what it is gonna take? Another 5 years? Is GM even gonna be around in 5 years?
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km 6:20PM (5/15/2006)
in response to # 13 by Mike G
How is the Mustang "..arguably a better car anyway.."
Based on what?
Also, as far as I know, prices are not out yet so what do you mean "..probably for less.."
again, based on what?
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Richard Warren 6:34PM (5/15/2006)
The Camaro sold in the mid 200,000 range for a number of years the Firebird somewhere between 150,000 to about 170,000. So what is Pontiac thinking? A new Firebird of course. Will they get it? My bet would be yes.
Could the sales equal what they once were? Personally I don't think so, yet look at Mustang sales. A lot depends on pricing, performance and how it finally looks. I'm thinking if Pontiac did get a car somewhere between 130,000 and 150,000 a year, the question then becomes for how many years.
The biggest problem GM had with the F body was they let it get old, if they kept it fresh this time more often (same with Mustang) we all might be surprised at how well both do.
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WillDaThrill 7:00PM (5/15/2006)
That is kind of high. Look what happened to my beloved GTO. Although, Camaro fans are coming to the end of their contracts (if they havent already) and should be looking for a new set of wheels. Hopefully the Mustang didn't shore up the market with there new body style. They also better hope that the Challenger doesn't come before it either or you can definitely kiss the 100 thou a year goodbye. Contrary to popular belief, that Challenger is looking better and better all the time......especially after yesterday's pics.
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the chad 7:23PM (5/15/2006)
Why is it so friggin hard for the people at GM to get it right????
From the article linked to:
"The Camaro would be part of GM's coming lineup of midpriced to premium-priced cars on a new rear-drive architecture developed by Holden. North American production of those vehicles is expected in 2008 or 2009."
Um, hello, mid to premium price??? NO! Try 20,000 if they want to sell these!
Does GM realize that the Skyline GT-R will be hitting US markets close to that time, and [I'm guessing] will be in the 35-42k range. GM will not be able to move these at all if they price it near the Skyline and way above the Mustang. They lose focus too quickly. Sad, I was hoping they wouldn't screw this up as previous experience would dictate [read: GTO]
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