Fbodfather

....sorry but we're putting the final touches on NAIAS so I was not able to get on the site for the past couple of days -- but I started to read thru the IDL thread on another site-- and DEAR GOD there is WAY too much mis-information out there.



Thoughts:

1. The one month delay is to bring you the BEST POSSIBLE Camaro ever....Let me assure you that the 'easy' thing to do would be to build the car -- get your money -- and then have you bring the cars back for 'little dissatisfiers' -- which, in reality would be upsetting to most people that they had to take a new car back for service -- .......and we are NOT willing to do that. The Camaro team feels that we need to sweat every detail on this car so that you will be completely satisfied at delivery - but MORE importantly -- you'll still have that grin on your face years after delivery.

BELIEVE ME - no one wants to 'delay' a start-up -- but we are doing this in YOUR interest as well as ours. (.....we could use the money right now....but it isn't worth it to ignore little nuances that need to be addressed.......)

2. We are NOT focusing only on V6s. We understand -- and frankly, are blessed -- that we have so many Camaro enthusiasts that have turned this car into a lifestyle -- (and some might say: addiction!)

Now for a personal comment: whomever feels we don't care about enthusiasts is living in a vacuum.
I could list for hours the things we have done to involve our valued enthusiasts in everything about this car........from electing "the 12 disciples of which there are 15" to sharing information about this car LONNGGGGGGGGGG before we -- or any other manufacturer -- has done ....EVER........

I have personally put in thousands of hours of my own time to keep the community together -- and to try and keep the faith within the community. I don't expect anyone to thank me -- or to 'cowtow' to me -- I chose to do it because, like you, I LOVE THE CAMARO -- and it was -- and is -- the right thing to do.......but when I hear someone say "GM doesn't care about us" I get a *bit upset*......

We ARE going to provide each dealer with a new Camaro -- for many reasons: We want people to come in and sit in the car -- to drive the car -- to fall in love with the car -- and to order the car of their dreams -- and we're doing it with the V6 car because we KNOW that a large percentage of our enthusiasts want a V8 engine -- so rather than build a 'stock' V8 -- we'll build V6s for stock -- and build V8s to get you your 'sold' order as soon as we can.

I know for a fact that many dealers have asked us to build them a 'stock' car so that they can have a "Camaro Celebration" with their local Camaro clubs. And -- it's no surprise that most of these cars will be Silver -- because, you see -- the Silver Concept blew people away --even people who would never normally consider a Camaro as their 'car of choice' -- and the production car is a dead ringer to the concept --......

.....oh - by the way -- CAFE will play a role in future years of the Camaro -- but right now, we're safe.......

We are not **completely stupid** -- we KNOW how badly you want your new Camaros -- and it's our intent to do whatever we can to get them to you ASAP -- BUT - we won't ship cars until we're confident that we've taken care of any outstanding issue.

Now -- I must warn you -- John, Cheryl and I are going to be tied up with NAIAS for the next several days -- so we won't be able to come onto this site at will and answer your questions - and if the thread goes to a couple of hundred posts -- I won't be able to read 'em all.......

What I would simply ask you to do is know that:

>We are BLESSED to have you as a Camaro Enthusiast
>We want your new Camaro to be the best car you've ever owned..
>We only wish we could see the grins on your collective faces the first time you get behind the wheel -- turn the key -- and drive at a *lively pace* out of the dealership.
>We are working long into the night to address any issues that we feel need to be addressed before shipping new Camaros to you.
>We want to sell as many Camaros as possible -- because that allows us to work on a 6th gen........but to do that, we also know that the car has to appeal to more than just enthusiasts -- and that's where the V6 comes into play.......


Thanks for your continued patience -- I think you'll find the wait was more than worthwhile..........

Z 2 L8ter

I'm sure the wait will be worth it and I trust Scott here. I'm all for pumping out V6's so we can keep our Camaro like Ford's kept it's Mustang. The more Camaros on the street the better, that helps to guarantee that the enthusiasts won't lose their Camaro again in the future. I hope CAFE doesn't kill it again but I'm going to enjoy it while it's here! The car looks unbelievable and the 3 years of waiting has been hard but worth it as far as I see.

97QuasarBlue3.8

I have confidence that GM is taking the right steps with this car. After waiting for over 6 years now, I think we can all wait a little longer if it means a better ownership experience in the early stages.

Fbodfather

WHO told you that your V8 will be delayed due to the V6? They are wrong.

We WILL build what our customers want -- that was the whole reason for us bringing the voice of the enthusiast into the development of the Camaro.

Don't believe me? Ask Jason Debler - -he's a disciple and I'm sure he'd be happy to put you straight on it.

TOO Z MAXX

I agree, I think GM is making a big mistake with all this V6 business. Just get the cars to the customers and they will sell themselves. If you cant get people into the showroom this will backfire. All roads in the USA will be your showrrom with the cars on the road. This does not affect me as I have not ordered one yet and was going to wait a year anyhow.

Fbodfather

Let me make something very clear:

THERE IS NO CONSTRAINT AT THIS POINT ON THE V8 engine.

None.

Zip.

IF - and it's unlikely - that 99% of the orders came in as V8s, we'd have a problem-- and every manufacturer would.........but that's not what happened.

Simply too much misinformation out there -and too many people making 'interpretations' that are wrong -- and too many people jumping to conclusions because of it.

TOO Z MAXX

Maybe I misread your post, but it does sound like the dealers will be getting V6's before anyone else so the car can be shown off to potenetial customers. Not a bad idea but I think filling the orders that are already in would be done first.

ACE1252

I fell in love with the 4th gen body styling. While that has not happened for me with the new 5th gen Camaro, I remember the wait for my 1st 4th gen.

It was a black 3.8 V6 that I custom ordered from Chevy. 1996, 5-speed, power options, no T-tops, and Y87. The day it arrived I went to the dealership on a Saturday before they opened, after I got off 3rd shift, and peeked in the dealership through the garage doors to see if I could see it.....and I did. It was very exciting for me. My first new car and a 4th gen Camaro at that.

The 4 month build time was a killer for me, but the end result was so worth it.

I feel that will be the same here.....better to get it right the first time than to have a do over. As both an engineer and consumer.....nothing worse than correcting mistakes after the fact.....this is the right thing to do.

SSPORT10

Scott,

Thanks for the "correct" information and reasons for the delay. I know everyone, including myself, is very anxious to receive their cars and was a little disappointed of the news today, but in the end we understand and want to get the best Camaro that GM can build. It is better for them to get it right the first time and not having negative things floating around after its release if there are a bunch of "small" issues that could have been addressed if the car wasn't just rushed out the door. Actually the delay will bring nicer weather for our deliveries

cssltx

Thank you for all of your hard work Father! I have been following this board for years and have followed yours and many other post on here regarding the 5th generation Camaro. Kudos to you and your team, I have seen all the hard work you have put into this car and I know its going to be a winner.

Racer0329

I think what FBodFather was saying was that the general plan by GM is to provide 1 demo car (a V6 model) to every dealership. I think this is a great idea because there is a large part of the population that is waiting to actually sit in, play with, and test drive it before they hand over their hard earned money. I am one of them, and, yes, while the V8s will be a big thing order wise, FBodFather is correct when he says that the "bread and butter" of the sales on this vehicle in the future are going to be the V6 model trims. Thus, the other part of what he is saying is while GM understands the V6 will be the main seller in the future and they plan to work to get all dealer ones, he no where stated specifically that doing this would delay the V8s that will be produced, especially those that are ordered.

Remember, once production does start, a Camaro going down the assembly line either goes one way for the V8 or another for the V6. They all end up meeting at the same end point which is you, the customer.

Rob V

From Scott himself, way too much mis-information out there.

From the sounds of it, you weren't too keen on the car in the first place if one UNVERIFIABLE, UNLIKELY notion set you off like this. To each their own. I'll be enjoying my Camaro when it arrives. I'll even let you take a picture of it. But don't think for a second that I'll let you behind the wheel, because the last thing I want is for you to rain down on my enjoyment like a "retarded ape with a chainsaw"

ChrisFrez

Some people really need to learn some respect here!! Each and every member deserves it here on this site and anything less will not be tolerated. Infractions are forthcoming to those who don't know how to play by the rules.

Scott is coming here to try and keep us informed as to the real reasons why things are being done the way they are. There is absolutely no need to interject inappropriate language and disrespect. Not only is he a friend and a big enthusiast, but a HUGE contributor of information on this site.

We can agree to disagree, but disrespect will not be tolerated on this site! Thank you.

Bearcat Steve

Scott, hope to see you in Detroit. Anyway, several years ago, I told that if you built a new Camaro that I would buy one. I am keeping my end of the bargain because Chevy -- and you -- kept your end of the bargain.

I believe that 99.9% of the enthussiasts support the Camaro team and all of the hard work that has taken place to get us to where we are.

BTW, I am very close to talking my wife into getting a GM car for her next ride instead of a Honda.

Good luck at the show.

2001Firehawk

If "sold" orders are built 1st, all is good...

If "one-for-every-dealer" cars are built 1st, that would be uncool...

Rule #1 - The customer is always 1st.
Rule #2 - The customer is always 1st.
Rule #3 - See rule #1.