Camaro races ahead of GM's profit expectations. It's HIGHLY PROFITABLE.

[MightyT]

The Camaro has to be the comeback kid of the decade! I am glad we are all a part of bringing GM back!

I believe the pendulum is swinging!!

Having my Camaro reminded me of the excitement for GM I lost 20 years ago when I bought my first foreign car. Gotta say ... It's great to be back!

Funny story ... went to lunch today with my boss and peers. Boss driving his pretty new Camry. As he pulled out of the parking lot he said, I wonder how many people will be looking at my car.

[PAUL SS]

It was inevitable, but sooner than I expected. That's great news, GM is back.

Anybody considering a new car purchase that does not look at GM is making a mistake.

[Eski7399]

Originally Posted by Paul SS

It was inevitable, but sooner than I expected. That's great news, GM is back.

Anybody considering a new car purchase that does not look at GM is making a mistake.

I have a Toyota Tacoma too and I feel bad that I didn't get a chevy/GM. I think I'm going to be very loyal to GM in the future. Thanks GM!

[Captain Awesome]

Is anyone here pissed that they put a "guzzler tax" on the car and pocketed the money? Just think of how cool it would have been if they didn't artificailly inflate the price of the V8 to sell the V6.

So much for the market driven economy!

[HeavyD]

Lets all remember this article and throw it back in GM's face when someone gets their warranty denied because of some aftermarket add on!

[Mr. Wyndham]

Good news, as always it seems with the Camaro. If this car exceeds expectations at current levels, I'm very happy -- because it means there's almost no chance of it being canceled again anytime soon! The Camaro is more than an "extra" in the product lineup...it's a viable, important team player!

Originally Posted by Captain Awesome

Is anyone here pissed that they put a "guzzler tax" on the car and pocketed the money? Just think of how cool it would have been if they didn't artificailly inflate the price of the V8 to sell the V6.

So much for the market driven economy!

Oh, don't be such a sourpuss. Designing profit into the vehicle is part of the game. And it's about damn time they do it, so they can make some real money off more vehicles than trucks.

Originally, it was expected that V6 sales would outstrip SS sales...so to make up for that loss in profit, they engineered a little more into the assumed-lower-sales-numbers SS. The plan took an unanticipated turn...in a good way.

Besides, it's still competitively priced, given the content and competitors. Win-win-win!

[racert33]

does this also mean that in the future they have room to lower prices??

[Captain Awesome]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

Good news, as always it seems with the Camaro. If this car exceeds expectations at current levels, I'm very happy -- because it means there's almost no chance of it being canceled again anytime soon! The Camaro is more than an "extra" in the product lineup...it's a viable, important team player!


Oh, don't be such a sourpuss. Designing profit into the vehicle is part of the game. And it's about damn time they do it, so they can make some real money off more vehicles than trucks.

Originally, it was expected that V6 sales would outstrip SS sales...so to make up for that loss in profit, they engineered a little more into the assumed-lower-sales-numbers SS. The plan took an unanticipated turn...in a good way.

Besides, it's still competitively priced, given the content and competitors. Win-win-win!

The thing that sucks about this is that for some reason they are INTENTIONALLY trying to steer people away from the V8 car, by inflating the price. I don't mind them engineering profit into the car, it's the fact they are trying to influence people to buy the V6 model. By your statement they didn't need to do this because they were already expecting it to be the big seller.

It leaves me with the impression that the V6 model was all they really cared about and the V8 was just something they put together to satisfy a handful of "squeaky wheel" purists with their unreasonable throwback mentality.

One could wonder what compromises were put into the design to make the V6 profitable at the expense of V8 performance, given they expected the V6 to be the "bread and butter" and the V8 was just there to appease a few enthusiasts willing to pay extra.

How about now that the competition is improving their desigs that we steer a bit of that extra V8 profit into some exotic lightweight materials and maybe some lights across the dash?

[MightyT]

Originally Posted by Eski7399

I have a Toyota Tacoma too and I feel bad that I didn't get a chevy/GM. I think I'm going to be very loyal to GM in the future. Thanks GM!

I moved from my Accord to the Camaro ... When my wifes' Odyssey is ready to be replaced she wants a CTS. That is unless, of course I can convince her she needs my 2010 Camaro so I can get a new one!!!

So, I guess I am now lyal to GM too!

[Mr. Wyndham]

It's actually quite the opposite in some cases.

I'll respond in blue.

Originally Posted by Captain Awesome

The thing that sucks about this is that for some reason they are INTENTIONALLY trying to steer people away from the V8 car, by inflating the price. I don't mind them engineering profit into the car, it's the fact they are trying to influence people to buy the V6 model. By your statement they didn't need to do this because they were already expecting it to be the big seller.
Of course they're intentionally trying to steer people into it: CAFE is coming, right? With all the tech in the car, you can only price it so low before you go broke...the only other way to incent people to buy it is to discourage the sale of the SS for those on the ropes.

They expected it to be the big seller because of a number of reasons, fuel economy, raw price, performance value, etc...The price difference being one of them. Do you remember the problem they had with the G8 V6s? There was 2-4k difference between the base and GT models. Naturally, an overwhelming amount of G8s were GTs...

It leaves me with the impression that the V6 model was all they really cared about and the V8 was just something they put together to satisfy a handful of "squeaky wheel" purists with their unreasonable throwback mentality.
Impressions aside, this was not the case. The SS got a full performance-suite of parts including an unmolested LS3 straight from the Corvette, Brembo brakes, etc. They could have skimped on all that and made it "extra cost optional" like certain other companies are doing.

I think what it really is...is that the V6 model got just as much attention in order to overcome that "V6 stigma". In comparison to earlier years, it does seem like they care more about it than the SS...but it's not true.

One could wonder what compromises were put into the design to make the V6 profitable at the expense of V8 performance, given they expected the V6 to be the "bread and butter" and the V8 was just there to appease a few enthusiasts willing to pay extra.
You assume that given...and it's not really true. As far as compromises...the V6 is the compromised car. Zeta was designed with the specific goal (among others of course) to house V8 engines and handle their power. So it could be said that the platform was "overbuilt". Whatever you call it, the V6 car could have weighed less, been smaller, and performed better than the current one does...but the Camaro's "ideal" form is that of an SS.

How about now that the competition is improving their desigs that we steer a bit of that extra V8 profit into some exotic lightweight materials and maybe some lights across the dash?
They're certainly not saving it for a rainy day. I can tell you that.

[MightyT]

I think they did the right thing for all ... and understand their logic behind focusing on the V6. Historically American car makers get slammed for not responding to fuel economy. Say what you will, but for a muscle car, with the V6 they did.

I've said this before; this Direct Injection V6 is a 304hp, virtually 315hp V8 performance. Also, my last car was a 4 cylinder with 29 mpg ...

Being my daily ride and a commuter, and considering what I said above, I got 8 cylinder performance with 4 cylinder mileage!! To me, that's the sweet spot!

On the other hand with the American desire for a muscle car with stellar looks and over the top performance, it's no surprise the V8 is doing as well as it is.

In the end of the day I think GM nailed it raising the Camaro from the dead in such a spectacular way. They have taken a beating in the past, but this time they certainly deserve accolades.

I can't wait to see what's next ...

[2ss-booya]

I went from a Silverado to a Pontiac Vibe GT (basically toyota matrix) oh my god, what a piece of %$#@. Then ventured out and bought a Mazdaspeed3....I have to say..I didn't feel the comfort of a GM vehicle. Oh boy I was glad to get my Camaro

[SZOTSTA24]

not surprised

[Bryan2230]

If they hadn't inflated the V8 price I would have ordered a SS, although I couldn't get over the mail slot on the SS bumper (I really prefer the V6 front end). But I ordered a 2LT, and haven't been disappointed yet. To order an SS with all the same options as my 2LT it would have cost me an extra $8K, another $200 a month on top of my current payment, and who knows how much extra in insurance.