6th Gen Feb sales - not encouraging !

[dcarlos55]

I was at a car show at a Chevy dealer today. They had 2 16 Camaros. Both v6 cars and both priced higher than what I paid for a new 11 2SS. Makes me glad I bought a 15 ZL1 instead of waiting on the 6th gen.

On the other hand, they had a used 16 Stingray 2LT with the Z51 package and 2500 miles for less than what I paid for the ZL1.

Seems to me they have priced their target demographic right out of the picture.

[OrangeVert]

Originally Posted by mfarhan_amin

One reason is lot of trims. V4 V6 V8....hahaha V4 American Muscle. Totally insane

+1. I think Camaro's did the 4-cyl thing in the 80s too, iirc.

[Nor Cal ZL1]

Originally Posted by dcarlos55

I was at a car show at a Chevy dealer today. They had 2 16 Camaros. Both v6 cars and both priced higher than what I paid for a new 11 2SS. Makes me glad I bought a 15 ZL1 instead of waiting on the 6th gen.

On the other hand, they had a used 16 Stingray 2LT with the Z51 package and 2500 miles for less than what I paid for the ZL1.

Seems to me they have priced their target demographic right out of the picture.

I would agree. I am not seeing many of the 5th gen owners lining up to trade in. I seems they are looking for a new buyer market, but the design is confused, and a bit global with the whole wide mouth design everyone is putting out these days. The performance stands out as the single best thing, but much of that is the car has been reduced in size. It wasn't reduced weight with better materials, it is reduced in size. I think that it appeals to an age audience, that does not in majority, have the means to buy one.

The 5th gen stood out so I picked up one, but if I were shopping today I think I would have to pass the 6th gen by for a C6 Zo6 or C7 stingray.

The design is not close enough, or far enough away from the 5th, it kind of has lost identity in a styling sense....

[esperman]

PRICE and lack of entry base model is KILLING sales. That, and all the quality issues they're having with the new line isn't helping. 35K for a V6? No thanx...IMHO.

[AZCamaroFan]

was at the chevrolet dealer earlier today. 16's look awesome.

[Tenring]

Motortrend called the 6th gen looks to be childish, cartoonish. Can't say I really disagree with them, maybe it will grow on me with time.

[SS PANTHER]

Originally Posted by Nor Cal ZL1

I would agree. I am not seeing many of the 5th gen owners lining up to trade in. I seems they are looking for a new buyer market, but the design is confused, and a bit global with the whole wide mouth design everyone is putting out these days. The performance stands out as the single best thing, but much of that is the car has been reduced in size. It wasn't reduced weight with better materials, it is reduced in size. I think that it appeals to an age audience, that does not in majority, have the means to buy one.

The 5th gen stood out so I picked up one, but if I were shopping today I think I would have to pass the 6th gen by for a C6 Zo6 or C7 stingray.

The design is not close enough, or far enough away from the 5th, it kind of has lost identity in a styling sense....

[scandata]

Originally Posted by Spec

Sounds good, goes fast.

I like the rear end on that. The front end still needs work, imo. That huge grille tho, hope they don't leave it like that... you've got Hyundai and Scion doing the 'wide mouth' thing too...

At least it doesn't have that big dumbass grin that the Miatas got. It even has dimples!

[AZCamaroFan]

Originally Posted by Tenring

Motortrend called the 6th gen looks to be childish, cartoonish. Can't say I really disagree with them, maybe it will grow on me with time.

they also called the 5thgen cartoonish in their may 2009 issue.

[Welker2]

Here's my $0.02. When the gen 5's were released it was the re-introduction of one of Chevy's most popular & iconic muscle cars. This combined with nailing the design (IMO) and a respectable MSRP, resulted in it its popularity. In 2014 Chevy made some minor changes which some really like(d) and other's, like myself, weren't overly impressed with. As a result sales of all this, 2010-2015 were good (in comparison to today).

The 2016's are great cars in regards to performance & technical advances, as well as interior quality (again, IMO). However, there a couple of issues in regards to sales.

1) Many Camaro 'lovers' already own gen 5's that are paid off and/or mod'ed to their personal likes.
2) Many are less then impressed with the new body styling/lines.
3) First year avoidance - Some want to wait until at least the second year after a major redesign.
4) The pricing is now in a range that is either out of some people's comfort zone and/or make them consider other options.

These are just the top four I've come up with and, to be honest, these are some of the reasons I'm not trading mine in. That being said, if I didn't already own my gen 5 and was in the market for a new car, after seeing & test driving a 2016, I'd probably be looking into getting a 2017 gen 6.

[95birdible]

My 2 cents: Some of us like myself have a Camaro for a fun summer time joyride type of vehicle. I love the hell out of my 2nd 12 1SS Vert and drive it every time the weather is warm and sunny from May 1st to November 1st. My first car was also a 12 1SS Lemon that GM bought back. Anyways, I had a hell of a time convincing my better half that 36 grand was a bargain to get what I got for a fun summer ride. Now add 10 grand or more to the same car for people that were/are in my position at almost 47 years old and most would say it priced them right out of the market. For the price of a new 16 SS Vert I could get a new 15 SS Vert plus a nice brand new winter car like a Toyota Yaris, Nissan Versa etc. 2 new cars for the price of one summer fun car. No thanks I will pass this time around.

[Mr. Stacy]

Originally Posted by scandata

At least it doesn't have that big dumbass grin that the Miatas got. It even has dimples!

LOL, now that is hilarious!

IDK about the gen6 anyway. Maybe it will grow on me, but I doubt it. I didn't realize some of the changes between the 13 & 14 but I knew I wanted one with the pre 14 tail light style.

If it grows on me, and they address some of the initial issues, I'll still let someone else pay the depreciation. So probably be looking at a 2017, but not until 2019 or 2020. So I'm good for a while.

[MrChrisLS3]

Just went to the Chevy build it web site. It's pretty much about a $5,000 increase for a 2ss across the board. A little less if you build a 15 1LE and leave the MRC off the '16. A 2ss with no boxes checked starts at $42K and change. But of course the '15 is a little more negotiation friendly at the moment.

I imagine if the price hike is what's holding up sales, it won't be too long before the incentives start rolling in and those that want the car may find it within reach.

I for one like the new design, but not enough to make me hate my pre-refresh Gen 5 enough to go deeper in debt for it.

[IOMCamaroSS]

Originally Posted by ChocoTaco369

This doesn't make sense. The Mustang is crushing it in sales and they perform identically to the Camaro in the snow. People have been lining up to buy the Mustang over the winter. The problem is, Average Joe can't afford a Camaro anymore. GM has lost its identity with the 6th Gen. The Camaro was the performance car for the blue collar American, and now that the blue collar American can't afford a Camaro priced on par with a BMW, the market has been cut dramatically. People don't want to drop $40,000 on a car with a cloth interior, and a $50,000+ Camaro is just a bad joke.

The Camaro may be a better car than the Mustang in terms of performance, but the Mustang is a far better car for the money. As such, the Mustang is and will likely continue to crush the Camaro in sales.

There are way more Mustangs on lots compared to the Camaro right now.. I'm not saying price has nothing to do with it but let's wait a couple months before panicking about sales. The Camaro will close the gap but I'm not sure we'll see too many months of Camaro sales topping the Mustang this time around.