A Chevrolet GTO is just wrong......

 

Who says the Camaro has to look like a GTO?
And a Chevy GTO..or a Chevy Tempest/Lemans...which would mean Chevelle....cant be that wrong.

 

Charger sedan has been confirmed...where is the coupe? Mustang and Camaro have been rivals, yeah....but there are now several other cars out there that now fit in.

Ahh...place a picture of a G6 next to a Malibu, Impala next to Grand Prix, and Monte next to last gens GP coupe....
Then compared the Taurus to Sable, Crown Vic to Grand Mk, 500 to Montego....I think I can stop. I belive your idea of rebadge is different then what the real deffinition is. Rebadge would just be removing one badge to place on another. Not that it uses the same chassis, or the same engines. Ford just removes badges off the Taurus, adds a Merc grill, different tail, and you got yourself a Sable.
Show me one pannel that would fit from G6 to Malibu, or the Maxx?

As for why cant GM build a supercar....because GM knows that spending billions in a single supercar from 40 years ago probably isnt the best move when there car and truck lines suck. But Im not GM...

 

Maybe I should specify something,

A car CALLED a Chevrolet GTO is just wrong.

 

One more reason we shouldn't compare the Charger to the Camaro/Mustang
Can't argue there I've felt GM has done the best CAR rebadging jobs in the business since the 90's (trucks are a different story).

 

Still not rebadging. Reengineering, ok. Redesigning, alright. Using there power and making many cars off a flexable chassis...thats more what I was looking for.
As for rebadging trucks and suv's...name a company that doesnt? Even the almighty Toyota rebadges its SUV's to create Lexuses. So in that case, I dont bring in trucks, vans and suv's into the mix, because if a company has more then 1 of them, they are usualy a rebadge.

 

My wife and I were going to buy a 2002 Z28 or SS in 2003. Then we heard the GTO would be coming out so we held out a bit longer. Then we found out they weren't going to be available in Canada.

Then we heard the Camaro would be out in 2005 as a 2006 model or at the latest in the spring of 2006 as a 2007 model.

We're not going to hold our breath any longer. Whatever is available next summer as a 300+hp RWD car is what we will be buying. When and if the Camaro comes out next decade or whenever, will have to wait for when my unborn children can afford one.

 

I'm kind of frustrated that we dont know anything but like others have said, this is a business and one leak could be very harmful. I'm just hoping that GM/Chevy can pull off a 5th gen thats true to Camaro's roots. Hopefully if there is such a thing as a Team Camaro inside GM right now, I would think that these people would understand such matters.

Either way I'm not in the market at the moment so in all honesty it doesnt bother me to the point of disgust right now. When I go to make a new purchase here in a few years, then hopefully we'll see something. If not, theres plenty of other sports cars out there, including nice used Corvettes. Hopefully though, I'll be looking at new, rightly done Camaros.

 

I'm not disgusted in the very least at the whole thing.

One thing I've learned in this business is not to listen to every piece of info that comes my way, because I'll end up with headaches trying to figure out conflicting info.

There is alot of conflicting info coming out behind the scenes regarding the Zeta coupe, so what I have to do is resort to the knowledge of how things work behind the scenes.

When a new vehicle is proposed, all aspects of that vehicle as well as tons of research and studies are part of the case. This includes the market it's going after, it's basic configuration, etc.

If a vehicle is based on another chassis, it's hardpoints are already established, and it's just a matter of details such as styling, clinics, and available money.

There may be conflicting stories along the way because a company like GM is large and has plenty of fifedoms. The right hand doesn't know what the left's doing, the right foot thinks it know the direction things are going without realizing the left foot's leading the way, the body's laying down meanwhile, the heads along for the ride.

To most all of GM, the C5 virturally appeared out of thin air for final approval. The C6 was developed in a vaccuum. The Solstice for all intents and purposes was made completly outside of GM. The Colbalt was made within GM, but most of the accountants responsible for interior materials were unceremoniously run over. And lets not talk about about how many people swore the GTO wasn't going to happen right up till the car was in the showroom.

The point here is we have to filter out the excess noise, and realize that things are going to happen. The Zeta coupes WILL start showing up in showrooms in '07 or '08. There may be little dustups going on behind the scenes, but GM isn't going to discard the lessons learned with the Aztec and it hasn't forgotten the downside of dilluting vehicles to their lowest common denominator.

The Zeta coupe car isn't in chaos. Other divisions want to be a part of it, and other divisions are trying to change the direction of the car. But Pontiac and to a much greater degree, Chevrolet owns this game, and the other divisions will go with what these 2 have created.

Think of how the Cadillac XLR and the Chevrolet Corvette are different cars off the same body. Think of how the Ion and Cobalt coupe are very different cars on the same body. Thats what's in store for the Zeta coupes.

Trust me. It's not nearly as bad as it may seem.

 

I'd say my level of frustration....not disgust....is more aimed at the fact that we even find ourselves in the position of...what seems to be...starting from scratch.

I mean, hell...they decided to kill our car in 1997 for crying out loud.......and we won't get one back until 2007!?!! That's ten fuggin' years!

Oh sure, we got cars until 2002.......but it takes five damned years to get back up and running?!??

Five years in this industry, these days is an eternity!

The lack of vision in the recent past at GM is staggering.....thank God it's been changed, but it's going to be a loooong cold (performance) winter at GM.....

 

Tonight my girlfriend and I stopped by a local Ford dealer...she hadn't seen a new Mustang yet. As we looked at a new red GT on the showroom floor, and as the same salesman who demoed an '04 GT with me a couple months back jabbered away in my ear, I realized something...

I really am not interested in a $25k+ GT model, for myself. I am extremely happy with my Z28 as a toy, and truly enjoy my Grand Prix, too. However, a $19,995 Premium 5 speed V6 for my girlfriend may literally be the best possible option as a first new car for my girlfriend. To think about it this way, I priced a Cobalt for her on GM's Auto Book dealership program...

$17,900 gets me an LS Sport 2 door with a stick, moonroof, ABS and power everything. Undoubtedly, when we're ready to buy next summer, the car will have at least a $1,000 rebate. So assume $16,900 for a Cobalt, or $19,900 for a Mustang. All I give up with the Mustang is ABS and the sunroof, but I gain a power seat, killer stereo, and the small fact that ITS A SPORTS CAR, not an econo-car...as nice of an econo car as the Cobalt is. A G6 base coupe (assuming the base coupe will exist...coupes may be only GT and up) will run even higher, about $22,000.

Moral of the story is, for $65/month over a Cobalt, and $40/month less than a G6 Coupe, my girlfriend can have a Mustang. I now understand fully how it was the Grand Am was the second choice to Mustang owners when Camaro was still around...in the marketplace, the 2 are more comparable than you might think.

I refuse to live with the retro for over $25k, but for $19,995 a Mustang premium V6 5 speed is one helluva fun, viable, AFFORDABLE option...

If I bring a Ford home next summer, my parents will never let me hear the end of it They bought a new "Exploder" 2 summers ago, and I've given them crap ever since

 

Zeta coupes/convertibles are on the way...that's true. If you're hoping for a Camaro out of them, you'll be disappointed...for various reasons. I've been hearing this from a number of sources (and for a number of reasons). Maybe Doug can chime in here also....we were together on one encounter.


Pontiac seems to be wielding an inordinant amount of influence here. Chevy could virtually pull off this program on it's own without Pontiac or Buick, but Pontiac/Buick can't do it without Chevy's participation.

And yet, Pontiac seems to be calling most of the shots.

 

And that is what continues to scare the living crap outta me...

 

THANK YOU GUY!!! I do think that Pontiac should have the focus of the Zeta cars, as well as Buick, and to a lesser extent...Chevy. Pontiac NEEDS RWD cars. Buick NEEDS a flexable RWD/AWD chassis to make silent luxury cars. Chevy doesnt NEED a RWD sedan. Chevy doesnt NEED a RWD coupe. It would be nice if they did have one.

 

Naming a 5th gen ANYTHING other than Camaro will be a b!tch slap in the face. I don't want a chevelle or whatever other name they'll conjure up from a 30+ year slumber .