Well, I belive that there were some, if not a large group of people that still didnt belive the Mustang's sucess, but I think that most of them are now going ot push for a Camaro type vehicle. Then there will be some that will say "well, its just cause its new, it will loose its appeal over time", but to me thats just more reason to make a MONDERN Camaro. So with its innitial success, the Camaro will continue to gain sales after people get tired of there 45 year old Mustangs.

 

45? 2005-45=1960 (1961 if you go by model years)
mustang didn't come out til 1963

 

April 17, 1964, to be exact.

 

thank you

 

GM blew it.

 

With saying "will continue to gain sales", that put this scenario in the future a few years. After the camaro comes out and after the initial success, while the camaro is still gaining sales. Thats when he was talking about, and yes, that would be around 45 years or close enough. But who really cares.

 

By the time the Camaro gets to market the retro thing just might have worn out. GM should be taking into account future styling trends when they design the new Camaro beyond the retro revival. I still thing that styling nuances from the 1967-68 Camaro should be built into the new car, but going as far as Ford did might not be a good idea three years from now.

 

Ford got rid of the boy racer fake scoops of the last mustang, made the chassis much more rigid, added a classic roofline, tuned suspension, decent V6 power and a 300hp GT V8 and BAM! 200,000 unit sales a year. GM has nothing to answer for this car. Maybe thats why GM is heading down to about 25% of market share.

 

3 years after the ultra moderen 4th gen Camaro was out sales were fading, and after '98 the F-body was in a freefall. PT Cruiser still sells 100K annually over 6 years after it's been out.

Retro isn't going away because it has it's roots farther back than you (and alot of other people) think. The early 80s Chrysler Imperial, the late 70s Cadillac Seville, the early 70s Buick Riviera, the Mustang II, the Dodge Viper, & the SN95 Mustang pop instantly into mind. A case can be made that the new Corvette and Chrysler 300 are also retro designs.

Retro is like any other design. Some have legs and look great or are timeless, others don't. Once a car's design has gotten worn in, it's up to the vehicle itself to keep things going.

The PT is extremely practical, the T-bird offered very little beyond style and a tricked out Lincoln LS instrament panel.

The Mustang is not only very performance & aftermarket oriented, Ford is going to keep things going with special editions throughout it's life cycle.

No doubt the 5th gen Camaro will make a big impact, and will no doubt sell in very high numbers (barring the bad timing of a US recession). But it's going to be up to GM to keep the car fresh through timely restylings or at the very least, a very heavy aftermarket and personalization network.

 

I'm happy to see that the Mustang is selling so well.

Proves a point.

 

For every "retro" car that "failed" after a couple of years I can name 10 non retro cars that suffered the same fate. Fashion is fickle. If the car doesn't offer anything other than fashion (modern, retro or whatever), expect sales to drop. In the case of the mustang, it's a great car for the money, so I don't think Ford will have trouble keeping them moving in later years.

 

According to Bob Luts, GM is "studying".... Hope they are taking notes.

 

That's what I was thinking too! I see a ton of Cobalts on the road here. My GF's son wants a Cobalt SS real bad. I had a new Met. red 6 cyl mustang in front of me on the way out of E-town last night. Some guys were hanging out in the parking lot, when we went by, they yelled out to the driver, " why get the 6 cyl." I'll be nice and not say what I said! They do stand out though, I'll give them that much. Also I saw a new saleen yesterday black w/ silver stripes, I couldn't help thinking with what he must have paid he could have got a lightly used C5 or maybe even a base C6. Saleens seem to always be too much money and not enough power! It did look nice, I guess that is what you are paying for! We need a New gen Camaro very, very Bad!

 

Best response to retro bashing I have ever read. Good points all around.

 

I have to agree!