2014 Camaro Z/28 pricing announced at $75,000

[Mikes SS]

If it were me and I was in the business to sell cars, I would definitely be trying to appease the masses not just the 5 or so on here that are lapping up the koolaid..do I sound butt hurt? Yup sure am, mainly because GM chose this route to make money and deal with CAFE. They had to go overboard and price high because if they had a 1LE with and LS7(with hot cam)@62K and call it a Z/28 they wouldn't be able to make enough of them for the next two years and their CAFE would go down the drain. I don't see how it costs more money to recertify an engine than it is to build all these specific parts for a car and test brakes, tires, etc. Like I said, if it were my business that is what I would do, and exploit the hell out of the Volt to make up the difference.

[Number 3]

Originally Posted by Mikes SS

If it were me and I was in the business to sell cars, I would definitely be trying to appease the masses not just the 5 or so on here that are lapping up the koolaid..do I sound butt hurt? Yup sure am, mainly because GM chose this route to make money and deal with CAFE. They had to go overboard and price high because if they had a 1LE with and LS7 @62K and call it a Z/28 they wouldn't be able to make enough of them for the next two years and their CAFE would go down the drain. Like I said, if it were my business that is what I would do, and exploit the hell out of the Volt to make up the difference.

Ummmm what? GM chose to make Money? Did you expect them to lose money to put it at a price point everyone liked? Also, yes, GM must meet CAFE. The car already has a GG tax.

Sorry just missing your point I guess.

[Col. Brain]

Originally Posted by Mikes SS

If it were me and I was in the business to sell cars, I would definitely be trying to appease the masses not just the 5 or so on here that are lapping up the koolaid..do I sound butt hurt? Yup sure am, mainly because GM chose this route to make money and deal with CAFE. They had to go overboard and price high because if they had a 1LE with and LS7(with hot cam)@62K and call it a Z/28 they wouldn't be able to make enough of them for the next two years and their CAFE would go down the drain. I don't see how it costs more money to recertify an engine than it is to build all these specific parts for a car and test brakes, tires, etc. Like I said, if it were my business that is what I would do, and exploit the hell out of the Volt to make up the difference.

GM is done losing money on cars. They built the Sky/Solstace and those if i remember correctly lost GM money on every sale.

I think people would have been happy if the 1LE was the Z28 or Z/28. i don't think people would have bitched or moaned at all.

Would people be happier if this new Z/28 would have been called a Camaro R?

[mkorgan]

So, let me ask a simple question...everyone who loves the bowtie is happy that Chevy made the car that is called the Z/28, correct? If the answer is yes, is the only problem that most (ok some) have with the car is that it is called the Z/28? If THAT answer is yes, isn't that a little silly and childish? I mean, if you think the 1LE should have been what the Z/28 is....then get a 1LE. Right? I mean, are we so vain or nostalgic that we cannot move on from a 45 year old moniker? Are you buying the decal or what the decal is on? Seriously, to Col. Brains point, if the 1LE was called the Z/28 and the Z/28 was called the Camaro R, the world would be back in alignment? If it is that simple and those little things can ruin your view of the brand....you have bigger issues I think.

[35th02ss]

Here you go......Again if you dont like what is going on please feel free to talk to your elected officals.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/fmvss/

Every new component has to be tested....One reason why the ZL1 front bumper did not change for the 14 my..

Now the new fenders, glass, rims, spoiler, hood, you get the picture has to go through alot of testing...

And again you cannot just drop a LS7 into a 1LE and send it on its way....If anything changes on the car it has to be tested and tested and tested....

BTW for everyone that keeps saying just drop a LS7 into a 1LE I invite you to call any shop you want and get a price for the conversion......

[Norm Peterson]

Originally Posted by Col. Brain

I think most people would have been happy if the 1LE was the Z28 or Z/28. i don't think many people would have bitched or moaned much.

Fixed, and for most folks I think you're right without the fixes.

However . . . such a Z/28 wouldn't have set the bar quite high enough (with the S550 on the horizon) and it'd still have been too much about "features" (for those who want a track day car without the frills).

Would people be happier if this new Z/28 would have been called a Camaro R?

Probably. I have no problem with that.


Norm

[Zfatuated]

Originally Posted by mkorgan

So, let me ask a simple question...everyone who loves the bowtie is happy that Chevy made the car that is called the Z/28, correct? If the answer is yes, is the only problem that most (ok some) have with the car is that it is called the Z/28? If THAT answer is yes, isn't that a little silly and childish? I mean, if you think the 1LE should have been what the Z/28 is....then get a 1LE. Right? I mean, are we so vain or nostalgic that we cannot move on from a 45 year old moniker? Are you buying the decal or what the decal is on? Seriously, to Col. Brains point, if the 1LE was called the Z/28 and the Z/28 was called the Camaro R, the world would be back in alignment? If it is that simple and those little things can ruin your view of the brand....you have bigger issues I think.

And also, somewhat to further your point, there are those of us who don't care what manufacturers nameplate is on a car, we buy purely based upon the suitability of the package based upon our want/need. If the Z/28 were not spec'ed as it is, I would have never had any interest in a GM nameplate- I like the new 'Vette and ZL1, but never had the desire to buy one as with the instant desire I had with the Z at the unveiling in March. I saw the spec, understood immediately what kind of minds had thought this up, and instantly wanted one.

If some of you are so f'ing selfish, self-centered and sheltered that you can't understand the importance of GM bringing new blood into the GM fold by conceptualizing and producing a very special upmarket car like the Z/28 for a hardcore group of enthusiasts, then that's "your" problem (not talking to you mkorgan , just to the folks who this applies to).

[TrackClub]

Originally Posted by 35th02ss

Here you go......Again if you dont like what is going on please feel free to talk to your elected officals.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/fmvss/

Every new component has to be tested....One reason why the ZL1 front bumper did not change for the 14 my..

Now the new fenders, glass, rims, spoiler, hood, you get the picture has to go through alot of testing...

And again you cannot just drop a LS7 into a 1LE and send it on its way....If anything changes on the car it has to be tested and tested and tested....

BTW for everyone that keeps saying just drop a LS7 into a 1LE I invite you to call any shop you want and get a price for the conversion......

Yes, everything new has to be tested, but GM built a brand new Vette, with ALL new parts including a BRAND NEW engine and tested, tested, tested, tested and it costs almost 20 grand less. Why is z28 so damn expensive then? It surely is not because of r+d and testing. Folks replace their hoods all the time. Folks replace their rims and tires all the time. Folks repace their fenders to accommodate wider tires. Seats get replaced all the time. An engine swap is not a rocket science either. Folks drop Vette engines into Miatas for pete's sake! And it is much cheaper at a multi billion dollar factory then a small mod shop. With totally different margins. And no extra cost of removing the old motor/components and then installing a new one. Apples and oranges to compare a factory cost to an after market effort. Come on, GM is the biggest manufacturer in the world, not some 3 guy tuner garage.

[Bhobbs]

Originally Posted by TrackClub

Yes, everything new has to be tested, but GM built a brand new Vette, with ALL new parts including a BRAND NEW engine and tested, tested, tested, tested and it costs almost 20 grand less. Why is z28 so damn expensive then? It surely is not because of r+d and testing. Folks replace their hoods all the time. Folks replace their rims and tires all the time. Folks repace their fenders to accommodate wider tires. Seats get replaced all the time. An engine swap is not a rocket science either. Folks drop Vette engines into Miatas for pete's sake! And it is much cheaper at a multi billion dollar factory then a small mod shop. With totally different margins. And no extra cost of removing the old motor/components and then installing a new one. Apples and oranges to compare a factory cost to an after market effort. Come on, GM is the biggest manufacturer in the world, not some 3 guy tuner garage.

You do realize that they will sell more base Stingrays by a massive margin, right? That helps push the cost down. Not only that but the Z/28 contains quite a few parts that are expensive to use.

Those people who drop Vette engines in Miatas don't have to deal with government regulations or guaranteeing their work for 10 years and 100k miles. GM has to test every part they put in a car to make sure it works. Spread that cost over a few cars and it drives the price up.

[Norm Peterson]

It's also pretty late in the 5th gen product cycle, so the ability to amortize the extra costs over time and total units built is not as good as it is with the Stingray being at the beginning of its product cycle.


Norm

[LOWDOWN]

Still the same merry-go-round?

The bright shining beacon in all of this is, Gen-6 offers the promise/potential of MORE volume, with at the very least EQUAL performance, at potentially LESS dollar$ per Z/28 (slash present).

Hopefully, there IS an -R option package for the next one. One that ADDS the R-compound tires and CC-brakes as an OPTION (and I hate to say this, publicly) similar in concept to the Base BOSS - LS duo that WAS offered from you-know-who...

[TrackClub]

I understand the amortization game. Yet the key parts are "bolt ons" not brand new components requiring tons of r+d, design, enngineering and testing. Case in point: the z06 engine, 3rd party suspension, 3rd party brakes, etc. Indeed it has to be tested as a package, but it is not even close to say developing a new motor. I don't dispute that the z28 has a lot of new (to Camaro) parts, but they are not necessarily "new".
I think it is misleading to suggest the car's price is high because of "testing". It is high because it is a limited production car with a limited target clientele. At this level it wouldn't matter if it cost 85Gs. I am sure GM would find 1000-1500 folks with fat wallets.
Also, I have no respect for any product manager who is known by a quote: "they didn't ask me to make it cheap..they asked me to make it fast". Catchy quote? Yes, but it smacks of lack of respect for the working people. How different would would this quote sound if "cheap" got replaced with "affordable for loyal customers"?!

[Blueclyde]

Originally Posted by Mikes SS

If it were me and I was in the business to sell cars, I would definitely be trying to appease the masses not just the 5 or so on here that are lapping up the koolaid..do I sound butt hurt? Yup sure am, mainly because GM chose this route to make money and deal with CAFE. They had to go overboard and price high because if they had a 1LE with and LS7(with hot cam)@62K and call it a Z/28 they wouldn't be able to make enough of them for the next two years and their CAFE would go down the drain. I don't see how it costs more money to recertify an engine than it is to build all these specific parts for a car and test brakes, tires, etc. Like I said, if it were my business that is what I would do, and exploit the hell out of the Volt to make up the difference.

I totally missed this point. Yes, they will make money. They're not a charity. They also have to deal with CAFE. Do you think this is optional? Also, how unhappy would people be with a $62K (your figure) 1LE that would be outrun by a cheaper ZL1. I wish all could be happy with the 1LE as it is.

[TrackClub]

Originally Posted by LOWDOWN

Still the same merry-go-round?

The bright shining beacon in all of this is, Gen-6 offers the promise/potential of MORE volume, with at the very least EQUAL performance, at potentially LESS dollar$ per Z/28 (slash present).

Hopefully, there IS an -R option package for the next one. One that ADDS the R-compound tires and CC-brakes as an OPTION (and I hate to say this, publicly) similar in concept to the Base BOSS - LS duo that WAS offered from you-know-who...

+1!!!