Quote:
Originally Posted by DGthe3
The modern approach is to not do a refresh. That is the old, cheap way of doing things. When you want to milk a platform for all its worth and merely keep a product competitive, but not excellent. You only need to do refreshes when you have an extended product life. Keep the life short, and you no longer need to do a half-assed attempt at making an old car look new. Plus, making small additions to the lineup on a continual basis keeps it fresh. Such as a convertible ~2 years in, then a super high performance version ~3 years in, followed by new engines and so on. Then after a 5 or 6 year run, move to the next generation and skip the refresh altogether. The next gen Mustang is expected what, 2014ish? 6th gen Camaro is expected 2015ish.
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I think Fbod said that 2015 redesign wasn't going to happen so I think a 50th Anniversary redesign would be fitting. I don't know if the Camaro has enough appeal to go unchanged all the way to 2017, I don't even think it would sustain sales up until 2015 without some new body work. The Z28 will no doubt help pull some attention but I believe it will be another limited edition. If the 5th Gen Camaro last 7 years that would see the maximum profits being made from this generation. If GM were to change it too soon, say 2015, then the 5th Gen may not cover the cost of R&D and IP and they would be in the hole again throughout the 6th Gens life too. 7 Years gives GM the time to pull out all the tricks like a Z28, 6 month interval special editions, a mid-gen refresh and some unique drivetrain additions like an LS9, LS7 and SSX LS3. The Mustang III will be seen camo'd around the spring/summer of 2012, details won't go public until Ford gets rid of the majority of 2013's (for sales and hold outs). That would be a perfect time for GM to shake things up with a refresh, a new Z28 and another, improved ZL1. There will need to be drastic measures taken by Team Camaro when the Mustang III starts hitting the rumor mill. I think that the Camaro should do its own thing (like the Challenger does now) after the 2014 Mustang comes out, If they chase Ford it could force them into a premature redesign and if sales are still good, there is no need to do that. Nobody is going to cross shop a 3400lbs, 440hp car to a 4000lbs, 430hp car...