A Muscle Car to the Rescue for GM
Please let me know when the convertible model gets released . . .
“Believe it or not, General Motors has a hit car on its hands.
Amid the gloom of bankruptcy and a miserable market for new vehicles, G.M.’s new Chevrolet Camaro muscle car is winning over consumers looking for a little excitement in a bland landscape of look-alike sedans and watered-down sport utilities.
G.M. sold 9,300 Camaros during the month of June — more than either its entire Buick or Cadillac divisions could muster on their own.
And with G.M. expected to emerge Friday from bankruptcy as a newly constituted company, it is hardly surprising that the Camaro will play a starring role in the company’s coming-out party and news conference at G.M.’s Detroit headquarters.
G.M.’s chief executive, Fritz Henderson, and new chairman, Edward Whitacre, plan to offer the Camaro as proof that a comeback is under way.
A product renaissance, of course, cannot be led solely by a retro-styled sports car that harks back to the horsepower hysteria of the 1960s. But in its short time on the market, the Camaro has brought some much-needed buzz to G.M. showrooms.”
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The Chevrolet Camaro, a working-class hero of the 1967-2002 model years, has been reintroduced for 2010. At left, the Camaro SS model.
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The Camaro’s arrival completes a baby boomer trinity of so-called pony cars, following the return of the retro-styled Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger.
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For those who want to save money and fuel, or just be seen in the Camaro’s hunky embrace, the V-6 will do the trick. But muscle car mavens will want the 6.2-liter V-8, with 426 horsepower when paired with a 6-speed manual transmission, or 400 horsepower for the version mated to a 6-speed automatic. If saving gas is a priority, note that the car will also run the V-8 on 4 cylinders.
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The new Camaro has sharp style outside, but the interior is less enticing.
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The SS starts at $30,995, while the base model begins at $23,995. RELATED
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With more displacement, the V-8 engine in the SS offers nearly 150 extra pound-feet of torque (for a total of 400), as compared to the base-model V-6 engine
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The coupe is built on a modern sport sedan platform, a modified offshoot of the Holden Commodore that General Motors builds in Australia.
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Source:
A Muscle Car to the Rescue for General Motors
BILL VLASIC and NICK BUNKLEY
NYT, July 9, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/10/business/10auto.html
July 10th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
It is about the first thing GM has done right in years. It may not be the solution for returning their overall sales to past years glories, but it is a seed that might help. It is a good design and that is something coming from a ‘69 Camaro owner.
July 10th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Looks like the more recent version of the Ford Mustang.
July 10th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Does nothing for me but invoke the feeling that GM is still trying to live in the past. While GM needs a sales success, that’s not guaranteed with this. If you recall, the latest T-Bird sold lots of models above MSRP at first, and then became a sales failure once the initial glitz faded. And while the Charger is doing much better, it has had a lot of copies go to fleets (esp. Hertz and police forces). The Mustang, of course, is a perennial winner. But the Camaro is no Mustang; for one, it has the Corvette to compete with and for two it’s history is too segmented. GM really needs something that appeals beyond the retirement crowd who wants a Chevy but can’t afford a Corvette, and auto repair techs who can’t even afford a new Camaro.
I can’t help but think that this will suffer a fate similar to the GTO. While this car gets GM some sales and may turn out to be a money maker, is this really the image they want to portray? Bringing back a car that was notorious for being designed by cutting corners for the sake of cost and horsepower really doesn’t seem like a “brand builder” to me; it strikes me more as lipstick on a pig. That’s exactly the image that GM needs to shake – nice looking cars with bad bones. GM is building better cars, but people still don’t know it. Toyota sells Corollas because the Prius is cutting edge and they feel like they’re getting a reliable car with the newest and best technology by buying a Toyota. Even if it is a great car, Chevy’s not going to sell many Cobalts or Colorados because the Camaro makes lots of horsepower and appeals to dad/grandpa. Yet another retro car is not going to stay in the spotlight long enough for the average consumer to notice. GM needs to overcompensate for years of neglect on the technology and reliability fronts and this car doesn’t do that, in fact, it may turn out to do the complete opposite.
July 10th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Last of the V8 Intercepters!
(sorry, watched The Road Warrior again the other night)
July 10th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Great post. Thanks for sharing the NYT story. Quick correction, the V6 starts at $23,040. Also, the convertible will be available in the first quarter of 2011. Oh, and the V6 gets an amazing 29 hwy mpg while still churning out 304 hp.
Brendan,
Sorry to hear you feel that way. I hope you’ll take the chance to drive the Camaro before making any more of your claims. We’re having huge success with the Camaro right now. You have to understand, however, that people may come into a dealership to check out the Camaro, but walk out having been exposed to or buying one of our other award winning new vehicles (Chevy Malibu, Traverse, Equinox, etc.). There are great products from Chevy right now and more to come!
Adam Denison
Chevrolet Communications
On Twitter: @AdamDenison
July 10th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
I agree with Brendan. Nice car, as with the retro Mustang and Charger. But can GM succeed living in the past?
There is nothing wrong if these retro cars are a sideline to the main business. Where I get my concern is that there is no main business for GM. There is no plan, and I suspect there is no future other than as the America’s version of the 80’s Renault/Peugeot.
We all have to keep in mind that GM was losing billions in 2005, when anyone who could sign their name could get financing to buy a car. The financial crisis has little to do with GM’s core problems.
July 10th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
[...] Kinda looks like the Ford Mustang if you ask me. [...]
July 10th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
There is just no going past the fact that any guy who can afford the down payments and interest on a sports car and is more than four feet tall will get a girl of some sort once in possession of the car. To heck with the long term consiquences of the debt burden…
July 10th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
[...] Ritholtz of the Big Picture is living the retro-dream (with photos): The Camaro’s arrival completes a baby boomer trinity of so-called pony cars, [...]
July 13th, 2009 at 1:18 am
Please let me know when the convertible model gets released . . .
. . . so you can drive a rattletrap AND a deathtrap?
Nice to have all the glossy porn (complete with horsepower numbers!!!) but where’s the handling, cornering, braking, . . . data? Cheaply built, uncomfortable, lousy-to-drive cars is What’s Good For GM and America?
Are you one of those street racers that San Jose is trying to clamp down on?