Official Camaro Thread - Merged threads (2011 V-6 now has 312hp)
02-06-09, 02:55 PM
#16
Lexus Fanatic
That's the ironic thing......the last F-Bodies, as you note, were not big-sellers, yet GM did not realize the flood of protests they would receive by dropping them.
You, as the owner of 2 previous Camaros, may or may have not been one of those who protested GM dropping them (I don't know?) but I can assure you that many others DID....otherwise GM would not be bringing them back. The GM marketers also took a look at the new Mustang's sales, and, not surprisingly, decided that the Mustang needed some competition. Yes, it's true that the new Dodge Challenger has not kept up with the Mustang's sales numbers, but Chrysler was more or less expecting that....the original Challenger did not sell as well as the original Mustang or Camaro either, 40 years ago (and I grew up wth all three of those cars, in high school). The new Camaro, even with the auto-buying recession, will probably do better against the new Mustang than the Challenger, so far, is doing. I plant to review one (preferably an SS) as soon as it becomes available.
GM was not the first company to make a mistake like this, either. Mitsubishi, foolishly, dropped the Turbo and AWD Eclipse models back in 2000. While some of those former Eclipse fans gravitated to the Turbo/AWD Evo, many more wanted the old Eclipse GS-T and GS-X models to return. But, unlike GM, Mitsubishi still persists in refusing to bring back the once-popular high-performance Eclipses.
Just at the D.C. auto show, yesterday, I spoke to the Mitsubishi reps there, who acknowledge the flood of protests the company keeps getting from the old Eclipse crowd, but the Mitsubishi marketing people just aren't convinced.
So, unlike Mitsubishi, GM at least acknowledged their error in dropping the F-bodies, and is rectifying it.
Last edited by mmarshall; 02-06-09 at 03:04 PM.
You just get tired of looking at 40-year-old designs?
02-07-09, 06:46 AM
#21
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02-07-09, 06:57 AM
#22
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02-08-09, 04:32 PM
#23
Lexus Fanatic
The New Camaro is on the Way, Next Month.
Today, the last day of the D.C. Auto show, the Chevy product specialists said that the new Camaro would start production March 16 (that's the latest word, unless there is a last-minute change), although they did not go into much detail on which model(s) would start up first. At present, V6-equipped RS, V8-equipped SS, and SS convertible models are planned. They said that pricing of SS coupes would start around 31K.
There were two Camaros at the show, a dark blue RS and a silver SS. Both were roped off, so I could only get a limited view of each (and they wouldn't show off the interiors because they were pre-production models without full-factory-specs inside).
But the outside of both of them were dynamite-looking. This car is going to compete very well, looks alone if nothing else, with the Mustang and Challenger. Chevy already has a list of pre-orders, so unsold ones may not be available for awhile. I plan to review a Camaro (preferably an SS) when unsold ones become available, but just from a quick look from the specs, the 305-HP V6 in the RS has enough spunk that those who cannot afford an SS (or, who don't want one for other reasons, as insurance is bound to be high) need not be embarassed.
(Google-image pre-production interior)
There were two Camaros at the show, a dark blue RS and a silver SS. Both were roped off, so I could only get a limited view of each (and they wouldn't show off the interiors because they were pre-production models without full-factory-specs inside).
But the outside of both of them were dynamite-looking.
This car is going to compete very well, looks alone if nothing else, with the Mustang and Challenger. Chevy already has a list of pre-orders, so unsold ones may not be available for awhile. I plan to review a Camaro (preferably an SS) when unsold ones become available, but just from a quick look from the specs, the 305-HP V6 in the RS has enough spunk that those who cannot afford an SS (or, who don't want one for other reasons, as insurance is bound to be high) need not be embarassed.(Google-image pre-production interior)
02-08-09, 07:29 PM
#27
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new Camaro would start production March 16 (that's the latest word, unless there is a last-minute change),
GM should and take the loss.
The Camaro is a disaster waiting to happen. Brilliant GM. Make a 2 door V8 coupe right when the economy is in a recession.
