The Trans Am concept in the new hotrod is sweet!
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From: Ohio
The Trans Am concept in the new hotrod is sweet!
GM should drop the gto name and build a trans am based on the camaro concept. Firebird sales were better than gto sales anyways. People that want a V8 would rather have a car the looks fast too rather than a sleeper.
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From: Bay Area, CA
Re: The Trans Am concept in the new hotrod is sweet!
Originally Posted by NeoSNK
GM should drop the gto name and build a trans am based on the camaro concept. Firebird sales were better than gto sales anyways. People that want a V8 would rather have a car the looks fast too rather than a sleeper.
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Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Ohio
Re: The Trans Am concept in the new hotrod is sweet!
But why have a lackluster gto when you could build a trans am? It just doesn't make sense. And reading literature has nothing to do with what gm WILL ACTUALLY DO when the time comes. They can change their mind at the drop of a hat. The 09 model year is a long ways away. A new camaro may not be feasible by then if gas is $4 a gallon.
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 37
From: Jville
Re: The Trans Am concept in the new hotrod is sweet!
Originally Posted by guionM
Take a subject that has been beaten to a pulp, write an article gets people's hopes going despite the fact that it's been already definitively answered. Many times.
Scott has said, I've learned, and this has been proven 100s of times, just because it's in a magazine doesn't make it true. Late last fall, Automobile magazine stated that Camaro was not coming back. Early last year (when the Camaro was coming together) a magazine "quoted" Bob Lutz (completely out of context as it turned out) that Camaro wasn't coming back. Nevermind that their actual position was that it was on "hiatus", and the fact that no one was allowed to talk about Camaro.
This site (along with CheersandGears and GMI) are months ahead of the car mags. Some of those guys actually come to sites like this instead of using their own resources. Like everyone else, alot of them go to the wrong sites, listen to the wrong people, and come up with the wrong conclusions.
Once again (for about the 1001 time) Firebird isn't in the cards.
Even though I'd love to see a modern 70s version, and it's one of my all time favorite cars, Trans Am is NEVER coming back!
Pontiac's General Manager has said Firebird isn't coming back. Bob Lutz has said "Firebird's day has past", and again just recently said Firebird isn't in the cards.
Everyone up to Scott (even Lutz once touched on where he though GM went wrong on the F-cars said something about this) has talked about how Firebird took up a disproportional amount of resources of the F-body program, & how Firebird essentially canibalized potential Camaro sales. If you look at the sales of the $30K+ GTO and look at the sales of the $30K+ Firebird models, seems GTO sold more.
It's been described in detail many times why the name Trans Am has about as much chance returning to life as a passenger on the last space shuttle Columbia flight. GM doesn't own that name & had to pay the SCCA for each Trans Am they sold. They have no intention of going down that road again.... GM even tried to get rid of the name in 1983.
Firebird (to date) isn't coming back. This is from every comment coming from GM including the guy who decides what cars get approved.
Trans Am (especially at a penny counting, cash difficient GM) doesn't have a prayer. Assuming $100 per car and 20,000 Trans Ams sold per year, that means GM is giving up $2 million per year. Given a choice of spending $2 million per year on a name that can be easily subsituted, or using the cash on better interior materials, or taking the money to to plug their losses, using the money on the name is the loser.
And no..... they can't use the initials either.
Scott has said, I've learned, and this has been proven 100s of times, just because it's in a magazine doesn't make it true. Late last fall, Automobile magazine stated that Camaro was not coming back. Early last year (when the Camaro was coming together) a magazine "quoted" Bob Lutz (completely out of context as it turned out) that Camaro wasn't coming back. Nevermind that their actual position was that it was on "hiatus", and the fact that no one was allowed to talk about Camaro.
This site (along with CheersandGears and GMI) are months ahead of the car mags. Some of those guys actually come to sites like this instead of using their own resources. Like everyone else, alot of them go to the wrong sites, listen to the wrong people, and come up with the wrong conclusions.
Once again (for about the 1001 time) Firebird isn't in the cards.
Even though I'd love to see a modern 70s version, and it's one of my all time favorite cars, Trans Am is NEVER coming back!
Pontiac's General Manager has said Firebird isn't coming back. Bob Lutz has said "Firebird's day has past", and again just recently said Firebird isn't in the cards.
Everyone up to Scott (even Lutz once touched on where he though GM went wrong on the F-cars said something about this) has talked about how Firebird took up a disproportional amount of resources of the F-body program, & how Firebird essentially canibalized potential Camaro sales. If you look at the sales of the $30K+ GTO and look at the sales of the $30K+ Firebird models, seems GTO sold more.
It's been described in detail many times why the name Trans Am has about as much chance returning to life as a passenger on the last space shuttle Columbia flight. GM doesn't own that name & had to pay the SCCA for each Trans Am they sold. They have no intention of going down that road again.... GM even tried to get rid of the name in 1983.
Firebird (to date) isn't coming back. This is from every comment coming from GM including the guy who decides what cars get approved.
Trans Am (especially at a penny counting, cash difficient GM) doesn't have a prayer. Assuming $100 per car and 20,000 Trans Ams sold per year, that means GM is giving up $2 million per year. Given a choice of spending $2 million per year on a name that can be easily subsituted, or using the cash on better interior materials, or taking the money to to plug their losses, using the money on the name is the loser.
And no..... they can't use the initials either.
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Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Mack and Bewick
Re: The Trans Am concept in the new hotrod is sweet!
You suck at CamaroZ28.
In before lock.
Once GTOs price was what is was supposed to be, it sold what it was supposed to.
GM makes a "fast looking" V8 car. Its called "Camaro"
The new GTO is ground up and even by your standards probably won't be "lackluster".
They could, but they won't.
Markets have shown gas prices generate more complaints then changes. In any case if Camaro isn't feasible Firebird certainly isn't.
In before lock.
Originally Posted by NeoSNK
GM should drop the gto name and build a trans am based on the camaro concept. Firebird sales were better than gto sales anyways. People that want a V8 would rather have a car the looks fast too rather than a sleeper.
GM makes a "fast looking" V8 car. Its called "Camaro"
Originally Posted by NeoSNK
But why have a lackluster gto when you could build a trans am? It just doesn't make sense. And reading literature has nothing to do with what gm WILL ACTUALLY DO when the time comes. They can change their mind at the drop of a hat. The 09 model year is a long ways away. A new camaro may not be feasible by then if gas is $4 a gallon.
They could, but they won't.
Markets have shown gas prices generate more complaints then changes. In any case if Camaro isn't feasible Firebird certainly isn't.
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 757
Re: The Trans Am concept in the new hotrod is sweet!
The one thing I don't get about this whole issue is how GM can justify two brands for the small volume kappa's, or blatantly rebadge the Cobalt, and then suddenly decide it isn't into sharing one car between two brands when it comes to Firebird. What is different for this car that makes it unwise to do even as GM is still clearly a player in the rebadging game?
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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,597
From: Mack and Bewick
Re: The Trans Am concept in the new hotrod is sweet!
Originally Posted by dav305z
The one thing I don't get about this whole issue is how GM can justify two brands for the small volume kappa's, or blatantly rebadge the Cobalt, and then suddenly decide it isn't into sharing one car between two brands when it comes to Firebird. What is different for this car that makes it unwise to do even as GM is still clearly a player in the rebadging game?
One thing I can say is, just because they havent broken the habit, doesen't mean they should quit quitting...
I can somewhat understand the Saturn & Saab rebadges as you might be suprised how thoroughly unaware people are that both are GM products.
But when its a Chevy and a Pontiac, its obvious to all.
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 4,306
From: Jersey Shore
Re: The Trans Am concept in the new hotrod is sweet!
Originally Posted by NeoSNK
But why have a lackluster gto when you could build a trans am? It just doesn't make sense. And reading literature has nothing to do with what gm WILL ACTUALLY DO when the time comes. They can change their mind at the drop of a hat. The 09 model year is a long ways away. A new camaro may not be feasible by then if gas is $4 a gallon.
Why have yet another rebadge to divide R&D and marketing money with?
MY09 is 2 years away, thats a blink of an eye in the Auto World.
If Camaro is given a green light, it will be NOW, not in 2009. Gas prices are what they are. Im not to worried about it with things like E85 that might put a cramp into fuel prices.
Trans Am will NEVER come back because GM is not going to pay anyone to use that name. Firebird will never return as well.
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,093
From: Southern NJ
Re: The Trans Am concept in the new hotrod is sweet!
Originally Posted by NeoSNK
Well the GTO will be based on the same platform so its a "rebadge" as well.
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Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 10,285
From: Albany, NY
Re: The Trans Am concept in the new hotrod is sweet!
Originally Posted by NeoSNK
GM should drop the gto name and build a trans am based on the camaro concept.
Originally Posted by NeoSNK
Firebird sales were better than gto sales anyways.
Originally Posted by NeoSNK
People that want a V8 would rather have a car the looks fast too rather than a sleeper.