posaune

I attended the Washington Auto Show yesterday and finally got to see the Code 130R in person. Below is my review and pictures of the Code are in the link. January 28, 2012 | Facebook
Let me start off by saying I really love this car even more now. As good as the 130R looks in pictures, it looks even better in person. I was amazed that it doesn’t look like a small, 1 Series size car. It looks very well proportioned.
The good:
The traditional coupe shape works very well with the other curves and lines. The hips and shoulder flares are sporty but not overwhelming. Any narrower and it would make it look too boxy. Wider would look like an after market , ricer fender.
It seems like there will be plenty of interior space, especially in the back seat. Before I saw the 130R, I had a chance to see the Subaru BRZ and the biggest thing I noticed about it was the lack of back seat head room due to the fastback roofline. A kid who was about 5’8” was sitting in the back, his dad was asking how the headroom was. His head was hitting the rear window glass. I did manage to get a pic of him sitting back there and it seems very cramped.
130R has a stance that demands attention. There were tons of people around the car. It took a while to get photos without a bunch of other people in them.
The needs improvement:
It looks a little short in the back. Adding about 2” at most to the length of the trunk would help.
The bowtie is big and needs to shrink some. The corporate Chevy front end is not bad but the bowtie doesn’t need to be that big.
It would have been really nice to see some mock-ups of the interior, not just the video rendering. The don’t have to be in the car, bucks would be acceptable.
Over all I was impressed by the Code 130R and how it was presented at the auto show. The survey that is online was available to take there on iPads. It was definitely the main attraction of the GM portion of the show.

97QuasarBlue3.8

I am all over that car if it ever makes it to production.

Slappy3243

Looks pretty cool. I actually think that rear-end would look great on the Camaro.

SRFCTY

Anybody think some/all aspects of this is a design study for the next Camaro?

posaune

Maybe sizing but the exterior design has about zero Camaro genes in it. On the sizing, it is a little small for Camaro.

guionM

That's what I think. And not just because of the generic names that sound like part of a development project code.

If the next Camaro is based on the Alpha and is supposed to be out around 2015CY, and this 130R is based on the Alpha and if it was to go into production it would be probably in the 2015-2016CY timeframe (that's just 2-3 years...a hair less than the current Camaro went from concept to showroom).

It's hard not to make a connection between the two.

Personally, (and I want to emphasize, this is just my opinion) I think the 130R is a design and/or packaging study for the next Camaro and the other is an idea for what is essentially a radically styled Cruze coupe.

jg95z28

Packaging study I'll buy, however if the 130R is design study for the 6th gen Camaro, then the next Camaro will be a failure. It has no Camaro-like qualities whatsoever. I can see it as an Alpha coupe, or an Alpha Family of Chevy vehicles but not as a Camaro, at least stylistically.

I totally agree on the 140. Its definitely "just" putting a pretty wrapper on the Cruze platform.

guionM

I think if... and again, that's IF... this is the opening pitch on the next Camaro, I think GM is sort of fishing around for input on everything (from design to packaging, to features) in an effort to broaden it's appeal to younger buyers. The new Camaro is a flat out success, but it's getting people out of SUVs and crossovers, empty nesters, and 2nd car buyers. My understanding is that it's not really cutting into young import buyers, and GM wants to bring them into the fold (expecting young buyers will become lifelong buyers I suppose).

I wouldn't think that the 130... as it looks now... would be a Camaro. But outside the standard issue Chevrolet nose, you can imagine places (ie: the export Camaro-like tail lights) where Camaro themes could be done with revised styling.

The last Camaro had am image problem. Even though the LS1 got better mileage than many import V6s, the image was as a gas guzzler. Also, even though it wasn't that heavy, it's reputation was that of a big heavy car, and that happened over 9 years.

The current Camaro is already about to hit it's 3rd model year. Even though it's fuel economy isn't putting it in danger this coming decade, it obviously is going to wind up with a reputation that's going to send it down the same unfair path as the 4th gen unless it becomes more relevent with younger people (ie: shrink in size and have quick 4 cylinder engines....in addition to at least 1 V8 for us traditionalists).

Personally, I'd like to see the 130R come out as is as a Chevrolet Monza, and Camaro continue as is with perhaps a nip here and a tuck there, but I know that's unrealistic. It would make Camaro's sales fall every year until it was at the point where it'd be killed all over again. So, morphing the 130 into the next Camaro is far more logical.

97z28/m6

the reason it doesn't sell to younger buyers is that its massively over priced.

HAZ-Matt

It isn't overpriced.

If you mean they should de-content it to make it cheaper, that is another issue.

97z28/m6

up here a v6 stang is 21k..a camaro is 27k. 6k more. too me thats over priced.

even a 21k stang is i bet a bit too much for "youth" buyers.

ImportedRoomate

Around $20k-$25k is the sweet spot for the younger generation that are just starting their career and are looking for their first new car. These people will be looking for good looks, cutting edge interior technology, and fuel efficiency.

The Camaro and Mustang start within $1000 of each other - $23k vs $22k. You're not going to find a high power V6 car anywhere else in the market for that price. The V6 Accord Coupe, Altima Coupe, and Genesis Coupe all start at about $30k. Camaro and Mustang can meet their price point, but with any options they start to creep out of that market's range. Its not that they're overpriced - its that too much of their value went into the powertrain.

guionM

$22,000 doesn't seem too much for them to buy a Toyota Celica GTS.

WRXs start at over $26,000, but I tend to see young drivers behind the wheel.

Actually, I can go through an entire list of cars whose buyers are young, who pay more than what a Mustang or even a Camaro start at. Camaro might be overpriced if you can't afford a new car (I can't right now either, so don't feel bad), but by any measure you can think of, 21 grand (or 27K well equpted) for a car like Camaro and Mustang isn't by no means overpriced.

Teenagers don't buy new cars, they buy used. First time buyers tend to buy the cheapest thing on the lot whose insurence isn't going to kill their bank account. Later, as they get well into a career or a good job, that's when the econocar or the used one gets traded in on something more expressive that might cost a few dollars more to buy and insure.

Thats where Camaro and Mustang used to come in.

And that's where it seems to be at once again.

97z28/m6

that car doesn't exist anymore.

how many of those youth bought that brand new? whats the average age of a new wrx owner? i bet it won't be below 25.


that was my point. thanks for the help.


and they don't now because they cost too much as you just stated what "youth" buyers DO buy.

jg95z28

The current Camaro is priced out of the market for young import buyers. It is quite obvious that GM is currently marketing the new Chevy Sonic toward those buyers, not Camaro. Camaro is something for their parents or for them when they get older and have a little more money. To take Camaro backward in evolution and try to make it an entry point sport coupe for young buyers would be a huge mistake. That is not to say there shouldn't be an entry point coupe for young buyers in the Chevrolet line-up, where right now none exists. However what several of us older buyers fail to understand is in today's world, 20 somethings prefer 4-doors. The majority do not flock toward 2-door coupes. Therefore while a small portion would be sold to this demographic, the majority would be purchased by older drivers looking for a cheap coupe. (Cheaper than Camaro.) For this, the 130R is perfect. However they're not going to sell as well as the larger Camaro.

Quite frankly, the Sonic is perfect for the millennials. It is more in line with they type of car they would drive and buy. What GM needs to do now is capitalize on that market by offering customization packages and components so buyers can personalize their Sonic. What GM does not need to do is devolutionize the Camaro into a cheaper compact RWD coupe. Go ahead and build one, but call it something else.

Keep the Camaro on its current retro/heritage track. Put it on a slightly smaller and lighter platform if you will, but pay homage to the current styling. To change directions 180-degrees would be suicidal and not be good business sense at this point. I honestly don't see this happening though. The beancounters left at GM are even smart enough to see how successful the Camaro is in its current incarnation. Why the hell mess with a good thing? Its far cheaper to tweak it to make it better and keep it fresh while still maximizing profit and marketability. They're not going to take a flyer on such drastic changes in this economy.

Remember how the Ford Probe was originally going to be a radically new version of the Mustang until Ford changed their minds and called it by a different name? The last Probe was built 15 years ago, and the Mustang went "retro" and is still going strong. Smaller and lighter is not always the key to success in the auto industry. What works for an appliance economy coupe does not necessarily translate to similar results for a niche sport coupe like the Camaro. (or Mustang for that matter.)