I mean really, they must be pretty certain on what the new Camaro is going to consist of. Why would they not get the word out and get people really excited? In my opion if they let this "he said she said" BS keep up, then if they produce a car nobody likes, it will not sell. I say get the plans out there, and let the publis help set the final touchs. I think it would sell more. /Rant.

 

Some decisions are likely not made yet, and some may not be finalized right up until production begins.

Here's your answer...

 

Well heres how I see it, 40,000 is alot of money to spend. When the new Camaro comes out I will be spending 40,000 on a car. Now it could be a Camaro or the rival the GT500. Im gonna buy a car with speed, comfort and all the buttons new technology can offer. That being said, are they afraid the other cars will be better? If they put out the best how can it be beat? To be the best they got to give the consumer what they want. The best way to know if thier doing what thier consumer wants, let them make the car. Is chevy scared that they are not going to be the best? Think of it this way, how many 03 SS's would have been sold (if produced like the 02's) VS. the 03 Cobra?

 

You think $50k is a lot, GM is spending MILLIONS on this car (likely in excess of $100 Million!) By putting out the specs early, competitors could change their upcoming models to 'one up' the Camaro. But by waiting until right before the car is in production you eliminate the chance of a competitors car being better than yours.

As for the 03 question the 03 Cobra was a LOW production model likely less than 10k), Camaro was a wide model range while Cobra was just a small part of Mustang sales. And the 02 Camaro wouldn't pass the 03 crash tests so it couldn't have been sold anyways.

 

I think it's more a matter of trying to be innovative in a very competitive marketplace. They want the Camaro to be special and different. If you announce everything over a year before the car is produced that would give their competitors the chance to emulate some of the uniqueness that is the Camaro in some of the competitions cars.

Basically, a company like GM did not get to where they are by not making good business decisions. They know what they are doing. You will have plenty of information before the car can be ordered.

 

Are you asking serious quesions you want answers or just complaining? I suspect your questions are rehtorical. First off assuming you got your way and all the details were released. So since 40,000 is alot of money, if you like the GT500 youre going to buy it even if Ford doesnt release info on it before hand. So if GM spends all the development and reasearch dollars to produce a brand new state of the art feature X. Ford takes a look and doesnt release their info. Ford now having GMs playbook waits for GM to produce the Camaro and then counters with something similar to X and their own new feature option Y for the same price or close.

Imagine playing an opponent of similar skill in a game of anything. Now hand them your playbook, how well do you think you would do?

 

First off think of it this way, GM doesnt want to show all their cards yet because then Ford & Dodge would think of something better to come out with on their SPORTS cars.

 

They also don't want to announce that feature X will be available, then find out its too expensive, complex, or time consuming to include. Then the car comes out and everyone just complains that feature X isn't there and ignores what is there.

 

As much as I want to know more about the Camaro, there are good points listed above on why it is a good idea to wait to reveal too much...

 

I have no doubt that Scott and all of the people at GM have listened very closely to the Camaro community and they are doing everything they can to make sure we get what we want, but they still have to keep it affordable. I know it is important to make sure the customer gets what they want, but I think it would be a huge mistake to allow the general public to add the final touches. Letting people that have little or no knowledge of cars make decisions would be a bad idea. Two words "the Homermobile"

 

If GM released all the info early there is more potential for them to have to backtrack as things can and will change, which would potentially P.O. the public. And not releasing all the info keeps the hype up right until production time.

 

You better believe it! ... and from where I've been sitting, the Camaro team has definitely been busting their butts, sweating the details!!

Best regardSS,

Elie

 

1. Because it won't be for sale for over a year from now.
2. Because it is going to be so amazing (40 years from now people are going to be saying "they don't make them like they used to") they need to keep the competition in the dark.
3. Every part has not been finalized through all the committees and what have you.

 

First misguided view right there. Camaro is a car line. GT500 is a top model of a car line.

Second and third misguided view.
1. Competition is all about making a vehicle better than it's competitor, so of course, every car maker is concerned about being the best. It's pretty dumb to tell everyone what you are doing in a competitive enviroment since they will inevitably do what you are doing, and try to do it better.

2. There's plenty of ways of getting an idea what the customer wants without tipping their hand. All automakers enguage in focus groups, surveys, and the like.

Forth and final misguided view.

a. There was not going to be a 2003 SS. The 4th gen Camaro's A-pillar was too close to the front seat passenger's head to pass new car interior safety regs. GM went so far as even examining the possibility of classifying the Camaro as a convertible (different standards). September 1st 2002, GM was legally unable to sell the Camaro in the United States. Production stopped August 26th if I remember.

b. The 2003 supercharged Mustang Cobra was made ESPECIALLY to take down the Camaro. Since the SN95 Cobra came out, there was constant debate over which car was better. The Cobra was made to match the Z28 at the time. The 1st SN95 Cobra didn't make the cut because Ford misjudged GM...they didn't expect the Corvette's LT1 to end up in the '93 Camaro thanks to GM's secrecy (remember, cars are done well before they hit the streets...most always, years ahead). The next Cobra was allowed to marginally edge out the LT1. By the time the improved Cobra came out, GM had the LS1 powered Z28s & SS, a story in itself (again, a complete surprize due to GM's secrecy). The 2003 Cobra was internally called "he Terminator" at Ford because it's purpose was to terminate all doubt and duscussion over which is quicker. Ford did this in complete secrecy. Instead of basing the performance criteria on the current Camaro LS1 V8, Ford based it on the idea that GM would stick an LS6 engine into a Camaro (Camaro's demise wasn't official when the '03 Cobra was being developed... like everyone else, they believed GM would find a loophole to continue making the F-bodies).

That Cobra program was surrounded by secrecy.

And most all other vehicles made by all car manufacturers were and still are surrounded by secrecy until the very end when it doesn't matter much because it's too late for the competition to respond.



As you can see by all the posts above to your question, it's an idea that everyone accepts and is comfortable with because that's the exact way the car business is run. If you look over at the Mustang camp, you know little about the new Ford Mustang which is due out about 8-10 months after the new Camaro. Over at Chrysler, we've only just started getting information about the Challenger, and it's only a few months away from production. The new Dodge Charger and 300 are due within a year after Camaro. The new rear drive Cadillac DTS is due the sometime following year, as is the next Corvette and the 1st of Ford's and GM's RWD sedans.

Yet, no one is exactly spilling secrets about them as well, are they?

 

Call Fujifilm, Canon, and Nikon and ask them what the specs/features are going to be on their upcoming cameras, you'll get nothing. Try the same thing with digital music instrument manufacturers like Yamaha, Roland and Korg, same thing. Try other auto manufacturers and see if you get any significant information. That's the way it has been for many years in lots of industries.
Clyde