How much is really riding on this Car for GM?

[Congoman775]

It doesnt take more than a kid with some history and a couple car magazines to come to the conclusion that GM is pushing this car forward with their own proffessional reputations at stake. This Camaro is not only the dream of what we enthusiasts have waited for since the death of the 4th gen, but it is the attempt to reinvent a company and an image with a market which has been taught to lean away from american cars.

I know you and i are excluded from this group... the people that read this are not the people i am talking about. i am reffering to the people who shop looking for japanese reliability, german engineering or italian speed over american muscle. If this car stays consistant with recent GM products, their market will be a dying breed for so many different reasons.

1. gas. you have heard it before, but its a real problem that will end up killing this generations muscle car race.

2. the Camaro has shown up fashionably late to the party... but the party doesnt last for ever.

3. most people who have been dying to own a modern muscle car... own one. the young kids who may have been too young for mustang but now find the camaro an option are the same kids who dont have the money to afford the cars petrol bill. and as many thousands of Camaro freaks out there (myself included) that wont make up for the hundreds of thousands of sales that mustang has been enjoying.

and 4. people are taught to shy away from this. i heard it a thousand times when i was shopping for a car last year... go reliable. go reliable, go fuel efficient. my father also heard it last year. so now i drive an 07' accord. ill have it for another 400,000 miles and ill get 35 mpg till i get there. and it only cost him 22k. and its not a camaro. but most people... dont care. they want value and reliability when shopping for a car.

i write this not to criticize the camaro... but i guess i am just pointing out that this camaro means alot more than a newly designed car. i am not saying this will put GM out of buisness or anything along those lines... i am just saying this is something much bigger, and i hope every option is highly looked into and GM doesnt take the cheap way out on anythingl, so as to ensure there isnt a damn thing on that road you are scared of when you are behind the wheel of that car. this could be the begining of a new line of competative GM models which could overtake lines such as BMW and Mercedes.

as a future camaro owner, i hope GM doesnt just take the general appeal, but takes a good look at where this camaro could take them, when they look at where they could take this camaro.

[Design1stCode2nd]

Any sports car will be a niche car, also the volume of sales from even a niche car like the Camaro will inherantly be from the more fuel efficient and cheaper V-6 model.

So from a profit standpoint GM should be fine on the Camaro. Especially if they tune the V-6 to have an overdrive 6th gear for good highway mileage.

Those interested in Accords, Camry's and Malibu's are not and never will be ones to buy a Camaro. Conquest sales will come from Honda (Civic SI), Ford, Mazda (MS 6, RX-8), Nissan (350z), Dodge, possibly a few from Subaru and Mitusbishi but not many as they will prefer AWD.

[The_Blur]

There's always a new crop of buyers when a year of high schoolers turn 16. GM wants to take the biggest chunk out of these new buyers that they can because good experiences in their first Chevy will lead to a lifetime of Chevy cars. This may not make a dent this year, but over the next 70 years, one family of car buyers that only buy Chevy cars will do GM well because it brands the customer and family.

How big a deal is the Camaro as a model? It is huge. For enthusiasts, it keeps them loyal. For opponents, it converts them. This could make or break Chevy's status as a performance car company. That reputation makes a big difference to car buyers, even if the Camaro isn't they car they are seeking. It's all about branding.

[radz28]

I think this car can make a big statement for GM. With all the hype that's been built around this car, well, at least to the general public (i.e. the movie Transformers) they have a lot to live up to. When enthusiasts like Father reaffirms what the car is going to be to enthusiasts, I feel a little better.

[Camaro 09]

Originally Posted by The_Blur

There's always a new crop of buyers when a year of high schoolers turn 16. GM wants to take the biggest chunk out of these new buyers that they can because good experiences in their first Chevy will lead to a lifetime of Chevy cars. This may not make a dent this year, but over the next 70 years, one family of car buyers that only buy Chevy cars will do GM well because it brands the customer and family.

How big a deal is the Camaro as a model? It is huge. For enthusiasts, it keeps them loyal. For opponents, it converts them. This could make or break Chevy's status as a performance car company. That reputation makes a big difference to car buyers, even if the Camaro isn't they car they are seeking. It's all about branding.

Good post. Im kinda like one of those kids only a little older and after following the Camaro for months now Ive grown more towards chevy and after the Camaro I will probably buy another Chevy and so on. So the Camaro is getting kids like me to become loyal to Chevy and thats exaclty what they need.

[Mythic]

The honest answer to how much is riding on this car: More than GM would like but probably less than we think.

[Congoman775]

How big a deal is the Camaro as a model? It is huge. For enthusiasts, it keeps them loyal. For opponents, it converts them. This could make or break Chevy's status as a performance car company. That reputation makes a big difference to car buyers, even if the Camaro isn't they car they are seeking. It's all about branding.

this guy gets what i am saying.

[DGthe3]

1) It will be cheaper to fuel the 5th gen than almost any others, except for late 4th gens. Price of gas has gone to levels slightly higher than in the 60's and 70's, after adjusting for inflation. But the Camaro will be twice as efficient.

2) I can't say that you are wrong, but just that good things come to those who wait.

3) there are always people who would like to buy muscle cars. there are some GM diehards that have refused to buy mustangs. others don't like the mustangs styling or performance, others will be willing to trade in their mustang for a new Camaro. There are people who are sick of owning boring cars. there are people who have been waiting for an alternative to the mustang. and so on. The market is not yet saturated.

4) Those that are interested in a reliable fuel efficient car will probably be surprised by the Camaro. They will get decent mileage on the highway, and will probably be cheaper to fix than many imports. The same features that have made camaros easy to upgrade make them easy to fix as well. the less time a mechanic needs to take stuff off, the less you need to pay him. Plus, the average reliability of GM cars isn't that far behind the standard that is being set by Toyota and Honda.


However, this car is extremely important to GM. Almost as important as the volt is. Almost. If it is a flop, they will have wasted millions and tarnished their name. I know that if the car is awful, I won't buy one and I will feel betrayed by GM. to the point where I might not even consider getting another car from GM.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Does the fact that GM is trying to push Chevy as their "Green" brand factor into any of this? Just asking.

[stovt001]

The thing with gas is, so many people who complain about gas prices are the single drivers who bought the Expedition or Tahoe just to commute 100 miles each way to work. For many people with reasonable commutes, gas prices aren't as killer as they're made out to be. If you live a few miles from work, rising gas prices won't make a huge dent. And if you're used to driving a full size SUV, the Camaro will deliver a huge benefit in efficiency. No one ever thought the Camaro would pull Pius (intentional pun) drivers away. It is competing against all the other mid-size performance cars, which get similar or worse mileage. Despite what the alarmists will tell you, there is still a large market for those cars.

If GM can make this thing get even decent mileage, better than the Mustang and Challenger (no problem on the latter) then they'll get a positive image boost. If the V6 model makes 300 hp, it will be a legitimate contender to the Hyundai genesis, Subaru WRX, 350Z, and all the entry level luxo sedans.

The V8 will certainly be for those of us who need no convincing. The V6 model is where GM's image really lies. If it gets impressive fuel economy and can compete with all of the above cars for a price tag in the low $20Ks, with better quality than GM had in the recent past, it will be a huge image victory.

[Congoman775]

haha if that v6 model makes 300 hp, mustang is going to need to go on some horse steroids just to keep up...

and gas milage for this car SHOULD be good (asuming you can get the active fuel managment for manual cars) for commuting to work and such... however, if you think you will get more than 10 mpg driving this car like it was built to be driven your nuts.

[shadowed_Stranger]

Originally Posted by The_Blur

There's always a new crop of buyers when a year of high schoolers turn 16. GM wants to take the biggest chunk out of these new buyers that they can because good experiences in their first Chevy will lead to a lifetime of Chevy cars.

My first car was a 4th gen camaro and The back wheels got loose around a turn the first night I owned it and went sideways into a fence at 50... But the 97 camaro was then and still is my absolute perfect car in terms of looks, only soon to be eclipsed by generation numero 5.

[radz28]

Originally Posted by shadowed_Stranger

My first car was a 4th gen camaro and The back wheels got loose around a turn the first night I owned it and went sideways into a fence at 50... But the 97 camaro was then and still is my absolute perfect car in terms of looks, only soon to be eclipsed by generation numero 5.

My first experience with a Camaro sounds like this event, LOL. That was in the rain though; now, if I'm not paying attention, my '02 will break the tires loose at 40 on a downshift