for the past 2 generations the only reason for Firebird's existance was slightly nicer/more upscale interiors to bring in the buyer who's not blinded by all out performance on the cheap. if the Camaro comes with a nice interior and a nicer still interior on a separate semi-lixury-performance trim, what reason is there for a Firebird except to drain more cash from GM's marketing purse and give the same designers an extra 2 hours of overtime to try to figure out how to make the Firebird look different enough yet spend no money on it's developement.

MAKE ONE REALLY GOOD CAR AND DIFFERENTIATE WITH TRIM LEVELS. end of topic.

 

Hmm. I wonder what he wants that ONE car to be called?

Just playing around, but seriously:

I disagree. On paper that makes great sense. But there are not many cars with real history... I'd put the Corvette, Mustang, Firebird and Camaro in that category. (lay off the flames for the few I left out) I think having the two separate cars has always been a plus.

The name brings alot of power.

 

You have to be the first person ever on this board to argue that cryptic alpha-numberic names are less confusing that actual words.

 

Brangeta: 1st off, the FireHawk isn't a GM or Pontiac name designation. That's all SLP, and the Camaro SS has two trim levels in a sense, the SS from CHevy and the SS from SLP with the Air lid. So basically the Firebird goes like this:
Firebird (v6) = Camaro RS
Formula = Z28
TA (WS6) = SS

MorbId: I see what you're trying to say, but having the Firebird gives consumers options, and a different style to choose from. Not to try and start an argument here, but I have heard countless times how the 98+ Camaros look like Chrysler Concordes and also as cat fish. Also how the Z28 is too plain Jane for a sports/pony car. So that's where the Firebird comes in. It offers another styling direction for consumers to choose from. And this also applies to the Firebird. Some people say the Firebird is too over the top and gaudy. So by having both cars, GM can appeal to different consumers.

Now Obviously I'd rather they be both differentiated through drivetrain, styling and handling charactersistics. But if not, just the ******d appearance could be enough.

 

Guys, the 4th Gen's looks are gone. The 4th Gen's designation setup is gone and it was a mess. Using these things as a reference for the 5th Gen is not gonna be accurate. Neither is asking for a car they are so far deciding not to make, the Firebird. Maybe years from now, but I wouldn't expect it to be anytime near the next Camaro's release. If we even get a "Camaro," if you know what I mean.

 

Absolutely agreed. I've always been afraid to say that I didn't really like the Camaro's front appearance... some of these guys are vicious. That's the only reason I like the Firebird more than the Camaro. Otherwise, they may as well be the same cars (4th gen).