His statement mentioned the need for a Camaro, not that they are working on one (which I suspect they certainly are) or why the 4th gen died. He didn't come against any embargoes.

Kurt Ritter is General Manager of the Chevrolet Motor Division. Basically, he's responsible for marketing the Chevrolet brand.

As such, he's very, very, attuned to the need of having a historic car like Camaro in his stable more than probally any senior manager or executive at GM.

The down side is he doesn't determine the direction Chevrolet goes, or what cars it gets, though he has alot of influence in this. All of this is done by GM's corperate people. Those are the people who determine Chevrolet's role in the corperation's pecking order, what identifies a Chevy (including that goregous, big, chrome bar ) and what cars Chevrolet gets to sell.

Mr Ritter can present research in favor of Camaro, he can badger GM for a Camaro, he's basically the number one person who can lobby for a Camaro at Chevrolet (and my understanding is that he's been doing that big time), but at the end of the day, it's GM that decides if and when a new Camaro is made.

I don't know if Pontiac want's another Firebird, but if you had 2 divisional general managers pushing for the same car, it would probally be more likely Camaro (and Firebird) would be back.

This is also why I believe that the next Camaro will be built on a Bengal chassis (a longer 4 passenger version of the Solstice chassis), and almost definately won't be a unique chassis.

 

With all the news and discussions we have been having here lately, we have know its coming......Just how long down the road? An LS1 (or next gen small block?) powered Bengal chassis is looking better and better....The Bengal has been green lighted, but when is its supposed to hit the streets? Could a re-skinned/redesigned drive-train Camaro be possible with in a year after that?

 

What exactly is the deal with PMD?
I know that Camaro has some vocal supporters, what about Firebird?
All of what we have been talking about as of late is in reference
to Camaro....No mention of Trans Am.

I get the feeling that with the GTO about to make it's debut Pontiac has no interest in resurecting the Firebird name.

 

They better hurry up and plug that hole, or they are going to find it plugged up with 2005 Ford Mustangs.

 

I doubt anyone at Pontiac has any interest in a new Firebird. In fact I think many couldn't wait to get rid of it. With Pontiac having the goal of being America's BMW, a brute-force muscle car with the unfortunate stereotypes that Trans Ams carry doesn't seem to fit. Camaro fits with Chevy's direction much better than Firebird/Trans Am does with Pontiac's.

 

Pontiac like BMW?? LOL O...........K GM.

Pontiac never wanted a car like the F-Body anyway. It is/was Chevy's thing and Chevrolet is also F**d's main competition. Performance just goes with them better.

 

Wow where to begin. Sorry but that was the shortest statement to ever hold so many misconceptions.

*Pontiac didn't want a car like the F-body in 1966. And now they probably don't want one today. But I'd say there's a good 30 year span in there where they LOVED having an F-body.
*It was Chevy's thing? When performance and the muscle car era was a distant memory in the mid to late 70's who was still offering decent performing, larger displacement engines in their pony cars? It wasn't Ford and it wasn't Chevy.
*I would imagine for every true performance Chevy that has been offered there is a corresponding Pontiac. Camaro/Firebird. Chevelle/GTO. Oh and which F-body got the turbo GN motor in '89? Pontiac has a very good history of performance. Just sticking up for the Pontiac guys here.

Laugh about Pontiac trying to become BMW-like all you want, but the handwriting is on the wall. Pontiac is moving more upscale and that is the goal. This is why the "muscle car for the masses" with a not-so-spectacular reputation doesn't fit in those plans, at least not the way things look right now.

 

I see what you're saying about impoved quality, but BMW?? Come on. And if they improve quality it should go for all. Not just 1.