Automobile Magazine - Too Long To Wait For Camaro?

[GhoSSt]

I got my latest Automobile Magazine yesterday and there is an article about the best cars to come in 2009. Camaro is one. But they say in the article that it has been too long in development, that Mustang is gaining from everything it learns from the new Camaro for its next model, and that changes in fuel costs, etc. make it possibly too long in development.

I personally don't think so because I really was only looking at the Camaro since Transformers came out. I pretty much wrote off American cars since I had a 2000 Mustang convertible. It was underpowered, cheap shiney plastic looking inside, and unstable under serious driving. After that I have had an Audi S4 with a 340 HP V8 that was brilliant and now a BMW 335 that is not even close to as good as my S4. But my S4 had all the aggressive design of a bar of soap and AWD so there was no fish tailing or irresponsible fun.

So here I am thinking I can get the powerful V8 with the '69 Camaro look I have loved since childhood. So I think the wait is reasonable if they are working on the handling on the Nurburgring.

How about you - is Automobile Mag right?

[SSNIGHTMARE]

In many ways I think they are right. It has been 6 six years since they killed the camaro, and they were already talking about making a new one before the last one rolled off the line in 02. As an engineer who works for a QS 9001 auto sub contractor, i think they have defenately waisted to much time on releasing this car. I believe it has already been confirmed that you will need to wait 8 months after the first cars are out for the convertible, and rumors of a year wait until the top dog gt500 killer is released.
This is absurd, I will not wait a year to get a car with 550 hp, that is for sure. I can go buy a vette now. It's not like they need to design a new drive train for this car. I do not believe it takes a year to upgrade the suspension and braking either. If they were serious they would have this car to market much faster.

[The_Blur]

It's only too much time if there are significant kinks in the car that they haven't worked out yet. The bar will be very high for the Camaro, but I am confident that GM will fulfill all their goals with this car thanks to thorough development from Chevrolet and help from Pontiac's use of the Zeta platform for field testing.

[Muscle Master]

I think GM is waiting on everybody else to see who got the bigger engine, and then WHAM,

Rumor that is most likely to come true:The SRT8 engine is due for an upgrade, dodge said and they are not that much worried about winning the HP wars but they are scared that they won't keep up with Ford and GM so they are upgrading the 6.1 to a 6.4 Hemi V8 thats suppose to have increased fuel management by 10% pushing 500+ horses I think its true considering Dodge is crazy not stupid, talks about 500+ top dog engines in the maro, stang dodge be crazy to call this a bluff and stupid, this is the phony wars baby: Mustang, Camaro, Challenger

[qualitywah]

i think they are right on this. with upcoming fuel standards and such these high hp cars are goign to be disapearing fast. also witht he rising fuel costs, many consumers will look elsewhere b/c i dont think the camaro is going to have steller gas milage. they keep putting it off. frankily im sick of waiting and everyday i consider not waiting for one.... i almost went and test drove the G8 today...

[radz28]

I think that it's been a long time coming, however, with the cars GM is starting to release, I think it's going to blow a lot of people away. I agree that the Mustang and now the Challenger are now going to benefit from Camaro taking so long, but I can wait longer for a car that is not going to be blown away by the competition two years after it comes out. I'd like a car that feels higher in quality than the 4th. Gen. and still have the ponycar feel.

It'll be here in now time and I can't wait for what the Mustang and the Challenger have waiting for a preliminary response. I think that will only make Camaro better; BRING IT!!!

[Mr. Wyndham]

Sky falling again?

Fuel rose in the 70's...but performance cars didn't go extinct, they just went anorexic. This go around, they're just going to change; not disappear. No more 6+ L honkin' V8's as the mainstream performance engine. Look for smaller V8's, and V6's. (I'm not complaining, really, 300hp is impressive out of a 6)

Camaro was killed in 1998, actually... Funding was pulled in that year, not 2002, I believe. Scott, and some others were responsible for keeping it around for another 4 years.
But due to some issues with the ass. plant, apparently; no formal project could be started until ~2006. Hey, That's when the concept was shown at NAIAS!! Do you really think the DIDN'T want to bring it back until 'late'? Please.....

Plus, look at how long it's taking them to actually engineer from the ground up: 2.5 years, approxomately. That's pretty darn impressive for a Brand new vehicle. Look at it as "fashionably late", I say. Personally, I think it's miles ahead of the other two cars...and it's going to be a hit with MUCH more than just the traditional muscle-car, baby-boomer crowd; and that's where the Camaro will make up for it's tardiness.

[LS9CamaroSS]

This is a Brand NEw plat form people! there have only been 2 other cars on this platform. one of them only lasted 3 model years or so before dying. i agree with Dragon on this the sky isn't falling people! it is a new platform that performs great. look at the G8. it is getting compared to the BMW 535i!!!!!! is that not good enough for you?! oh my god... i think this thing is coming at the right time... if it is better than the G8 then i think we'll have gold for about 30k... just be patient and "keep the faith"!

[GhoSSt]

Originally Posted by qualitywah

i think they are right on this. with upcoming fuel standards and such these high hp cars are goign to be disapearing fast. also witht he rising fuel costs, many consumers will look elsewhere b/c i dont think the camaro is going to have steller gas milage. they keep putting it off. frankily im sick of waiting and everyday i consider not waiting for one.... i almost went and test drove the G8 today...

GM probably wouldn't mind if you went ahead and bought a G8, what does it matter?

But if people on this site are saying, "I almost went and bought a Mustang GT today" then they will start to worry.

People who are not huge Camaro fans and just wanted a muscle car may have already bought a Mustang or Challenger by now though.

[radz28]

Honestly; I could give an 'ish about those people. I understand the need to appeal to the broadest demographic possible, but I'd rather GM cater to the enthusiast than a guy who'd be just as happy with a Crustang or bloated Challenger.

JMHO...

[GothamCamaro]

Nope not too long of a wait for the Camaro. It's just on time. I think that article was posted already on the forum or another magazine cried the sky is falling as well. We'll have to show them how stupid they were when we go buy our Camaros.

[boxmonkeyracing]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

Sky falling again?

Fuel rose in the 70's...but performance cars didn't go extinct, they just went anorexic. This go around, they're just going to change; not disappear. No more 6+ L honkin' V8's as the mainstream performance engine. Look for smaller V8's, and V6's. (I'm not complaining, really, 300hp is impressive out of a 6)

Camaro was killed in 1998, actually... Funding was pulled in that year, not 2002, I believe. Scott, and some others were responsible for keeping it around for another 4 years.
But due to some issues with the ass. plant, apparently; no formal project could be started until ~2006. Hey, That's when the concept was shown at NAIAS!! Do you really think the DIDN'T want to bring it back until 'late'? Please.....

Plus, look at how long it's taking them to actually engineer from the ground up: 2.5 years, approxomately. That's pretty darn impressive for a Brand new vehicle. Look at it as "fashionably late", I say. Personally, I think it's miles ahead of the other two cars...and it's going to be a hit with MUCH more than just the traditional muscle-car, baby-boomer crowd; and that's where the Camaro will make up for it's tardiness.

I agree 100%.

[MerF]

Originally Posted by radz282003

Honestly; I could give an 'ish about those people. I understand the need to appeal to the broadest demographic possible, but I'd rather GM cater to the enthusiast than a guy who'd be just as happy with a Crustang or bloated Challenger.

JMHO...

Absolutely my thoughts. Let the Mustang appeal to Grandma in her midlife crisis, or the mullets in the trailer parks because they are a dime a dozen and have almost zero actual refinement in them (or their idea of refinement is 400 different versions with different stickers and body kits). Just go fast and cheap. Let the Challenger attract the folks who want a cool looking car to dive on the weekends but definitely not actually drive it because it's so heavy and gas-hungry it's inpractical.

Like MotorTrend said in an issue a month or so ago (I know, there's plenty who hate MT) the Camaro will likely stick with it's history of "outperforming and underselling" it's rivals. I'm cool with that, as long as it doesn't undersell so much that GM takes a loss on it!

[LS9CamaroSS]

Originally Posted by MerF

Absolutely my thoughts. Let the Mustang appeal to Grandma in her midlife crisis, or the mullets in the trailer parks because they are a dime a dozen and have almost zero actual refinement in them (or their idea of refinement is 400 different versions with different stickers and body kits). Just go fast and cheap. Let the Challenger attract the folks who want a cool looking car to dive on the weekends but definitely not actually drive it because it's so heavy and gas-hungry it's inpractical.

Like MotorTrend said in an issue a month or so ago (I know, there's plenty who hate MT) the Camaro will likely stick with it's history of "outperforming and underselling" it's rivals. I'm cool with that, as long as it doesn't undersell so much that GM takes a loss on it!

I'm not fine with the "under selling" issue... Back in the 70's the Camaro out sold the Mustang for a few years running and they still wanted to axe it then! i say make it appeal to everyone they can and watch it stick around for a while!