Fritz:"I think Camaro is a wonderful halo vehicle, but can also be a core model".
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From: Chicagoland IL
It sounds like people in high places are FINALLY talking about Camaro as an integral part of the Chevy line-up. About time someone at the top said that about Camaro. It's probably been over 20 years since I've heard that kind of commitment to the brand.
You know, I've been thinking about Pontiac. All of that "We Build Excitement" energy is going to have to go somewhere. And Chevy is it.
As far as Alpha goes, Camaro won't be the first product on it, but Camaro will perhaps be the backbone of the architecture.
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From: Melbourne, Australia
Thread Starter
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 16,176
From: Chicagoland IL
I do know that he's MUCH better at communicating than Wagoner was - both on describing GM's current predicament and the positioning of it's products.
As far as a puppet on a string, other than Mullaly, who isn't?
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I think the Camaro could move between 100-200K units if done right. It has done it before..and the Mustang still does it.
I think the pony car market is due for an awakening. Think of it this way...the Camaro was bought in it's hayday by single professionals, or as a second or third car for families as an "emotion" purchase. The SUV boom syphened off a lot of single buyers...and the high cost of SUV's made it so that families could not afford a "fun" car.
With the SUV market severly contracting..either by buyer choice (no longer fashionable), or regulation coupled with credit tightening...maybe people turn back to the cheap pony car as way of making their emotional purchases.
I think the pony car market is due for an awakening. Think of it this way...the Camaro was bought in it's hayday by single professionals, or as a second or third car for families as an "emotion" purchase. The SUV boom syphened off a lot of single buyers...and the high cost of SUV's made it so that families could not afford a "fun" car.
With the SUV market severly contracting..either by buyer choice (no longer fashionable), or regulation coupled with credit tightening...maybe people turn back to the cheap pony car as way of making their emotional purchases.
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From: The Golden State
He doesn't mean a core model as in moving a hundred thousand cars annually. He also doesn't mean that a Camaro could be the basis of every car division GM has left when the dust settles. Or that Camaro will be the center of the GM automotive universe that some here seem to be thinking.
What he means is that Camaro can be one of the core models of the Chevrolet Motor division.... the way the Mustang is a core Ford product.
A halo vehicle is a vehicle that is in the showroom to pull in traffic to sell other models.
A core model is a vehicle that sells on it's own, and is an integrated part of a division's lineup.
The Camaro has been viewed as a car that Chevrolet could do with or without, more as a car to build to attract people into showrooms to buy Impalas, Malibus, and Cobalts.
What he's now saying that people could come into showrooms for the purpose of buying Camaros and Camaro could be a permanent part of the Chevrolet lineup the way Mustang is at Ford's.
In short, he's saying GM could make a permanent comittment to the Camaro (as far as permanence in the automotive business goes).
A "Core Model" isn't what some of you seem to be thinking it means.... but just the same, it's the most positive comittment about Camaro's long term future we've heard perhaps in 30 years.
He's not saying Camaro production will be pumped up to a gazillion cars, or that Camaro will form the basis for everything GM makes with 4 wheels. Not even close. What he DOES seem to be doing is making a tentative comitment on Camaro's future.
That's as best news on Camaro's future as it gets.
What he means is that Camaro can be one of the core models of the Chevrolet Motor division.... the way the Mustang is a core Ford product.
A halo vehicle is a vehicle that is in the showroom to pull in traffic to sell other models.
A core model is a vehicle that sells on it's own, and is an integrated part of a division's lineup.
The Camaro has been viewed as a car that Chevrolet could do with or without, more as a car to build to attract people into showrooms to buy Impalas, Malibus, and Cobalts.
What he's now saying that people could come into showrooms for the purpose of buying Camaros and Camaro could be a permanent part of the Chevrolet lineup the way Mustang is at Ford's.
In short, he's saying GM could make a permanent comittment to the Camaro (as far as permanence in the automotive business goes).
A "Core Model" isn't what some of you seem to be thinking it means.... but just the same, it's the most positive comittment about Camaro's long term future we've heard perhaps in 30 years.
He's not saying Camaro production will be pumped up to a gazillion cars, or that Camaro will form the basis for everything GM makes with 4 wheels. Not even close. What he DOES seem to be doing is making a tentative comitment on Camaro's future.
That's as best news on Camaro's future as it gets.