Filed under: Sports/GTs, Green, Marketing/Advertising, Chevrolet, GM
Mark LaNeve: Camaro won't be positioned as a muscle car
The hits just keep on coming for fans of the Chevy Camaro. Just yesterday, we quoted Bob Lutz as suggesting that the Camaro could get a four-cylinder engine option. Now we hear that Mark LaNeve, VP of sales and marketing for GM North America, says that, "We won't position it as a muscle car," speaking again of the 2010 Camaro. Sure, you could spend hours debating the terms "muscle car" and "pony car", but we're pretty sure that very few ever thought of the Camaro as a fuel-efficient option. But, that's exactly how GM will position it. "The mainstream positioning will be fuel economy, design and a V-6," says LaNeve.
The truth seems to be that GM just cannot afford to sell a couple hundred thousand Camaros a year with V8 engines rated at around 20 miles per gallon combined. But, before V8-lovers get too upset, remember that it is the fuel efficient engine options which make the fire-breathing V8 an option at all. Without mainstream options like either a direct-injected V6 or even a small turbocharged 4, there is simply no way that Chevrolet could ever reintroduce the Camaro at all.
Gallery: Pre Production Camaro High Res
[Source: Business Week]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Throwback 9:17AM (3/22/2008)
6 cyl Camaros have been around since 1967, this is nothing new. Same for every Pony car ever built. Nothing new here, other than a 4 cyl turbo which makes sense with today's gas prices.
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MajorGeek 10:03AM (3/22/2008)
Exactly. The Camaro was a huge seller for Chevy, I assumed from day 1 of the announcement this was to be mass produced. As I have mentioned before, this is what makes the Mustang (and the old Camaros) so popular, cheap car with tons of aftermarket and used parts.
naggs 12:54PM (3/22/2008)
its true, if it wern't for all the wanna be posers who think its just as cool to have a v6, the vehicles could not exist to fulfill its true purpose, to have v8 cylinders and cartoonish amounts of hp
The Luigiian 3:12PM (3/22/2008)
Naggs, what's the problem with a V-6 Camaro? I don't think it's just a posermobile; there are just some people out there who would like a stylish midsize car that doesn't look like a Toyota Camry. A V-6 Mustang or Camaro (or Dodge Challenger) accomplishes this very well.
Avinash machado 9:30AM (3/22/2008)
The upcoming CAFE laws seem to be depriving us performance fans out of a lot of fun cars.
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psarhjinian 10:52AM (3/22/2008)
You can buy the V8. Read it again: you can buy the V8.
Besides, aren't people consistently complaining about how Europe gets all the fun cars, despite higher fuel prices and correspondingly high fleet-average fuel consumption? Unless you equate fun with "going fast in a straight line for ten seconds", CAFE really doesn't have much of an impact.
My problem with CAFE is that it still artificially promotes trucks and truck-like crossovers over cars by virtue of the stupid "light truck" standard.
Derek 11:20AM (3/22/2008)
I'm just hoping that CAFE rules will provide us with some cars that aren't ridiculously overweight.
Gary Blomquist 11:53AM (3/22/2008)
Think Buick Grand National.......It wasn't a V8, and it was more than impressive. :)
User 5:23PM (3/22/2008)
It's not so much CAFE standards, it's that GM has been taking huge losses and they finally realize what the market wants. For once GM is trying to save themselves by actually doing what they should do.
rooster 9:33AM (3/22/2008)
I'm more concerned that the implications also involve pricing - muscle/pony cars were about cheap performance. As stated, "economy" versions have always been around. The independent suspension, sweet ride/handling and other improvements aren't associated with muscle cars. Hopefully, they don't intend to price the performance versions out of the realm of reality.
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scott 3 9:53AM (3/22/2008)
That is not news as the Muscle car died in 1970. All we have today are performance cars. They coime in 4,6 and 8 cylinders. They Run, stop, turn and do things Muscle cars never could do.
GM even before the new CAFE standard [Note the goverment has not written the exact rules yet and the MFG are still waiting] The Camaro was planned to be 70%+ V6 cars.
Even the Mustang over the years has been more a sporty 6 cylinder car with a option for V8's and performance options. Most sold only had 6 pistons.
Chevy is going to offer a V6 that will get very good milage and still perform as well as many V8 engines.
You can get a V8 if you want it but most sold will be 3.6 V6 DI powered.
This car will be around for a while and and do very well. I would not be suprised to see a Apha platform approved and a 6th gen live on with it.
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Rudolph Robinson 9:58AM (3/22/2008)
That engine looks just like a toy car.
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VP 10:52AM (3/22/2008)
Say it out loud with me, it will help:
The engine bay in the picture is a C..O..N..C..E..P..T
Mobius_1 11:29AM (3/22/2008)
C.O.N.C.E.P.T.
Find out what it means to me
Rene Curry 10:34AM (3/22/2008)
Maybe the Camaro is really a CTS in disquise?
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JMC 3 12:08PM (3/22/2008)
i hope it's getting the CTS' sensational V6
HotRodzNKustoms 10:43AM (3/22/2008)
I think they will try to position the Camaro as a sports coupe along the lines of the G35, 350Z, 3 Series Coupe, 6 Series, RX-8, and well I can't think of anything else in this segment at the moment. Just to try to make the Camaro more mainstream and to try to get customers from the other brands.
And at 260hp, more power than the V6 Mustang, why is everyone complaining about being given more choices? You guys must be communist. The availability of a Turbo 4 doesn't mean we cannot still get our fire breathing V8's
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DIRETTORE 10:18PM (3/22/2008)
* God help me & I hope Im wrong, but I think thats EXACTLY what it will mean. So much focus on the GREEN, that there will be very little if any hot sauce available.
Im tellin' you, a SS Super Sport Cabrio with all the trimmings will go for well over double MSRP 'IF' you can find one!
AND its still a couple of years down the road! Arggg
indymcsc 10:52AM (3/22/2008)
Its starting to sound like the Mustang II of the 70's
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Andrew 10:55AM (3/22/2008)
Tehehe, he said "efficient camaro".
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