I'm not bashing the GTO just the fact that GM expected the GTO to sell better than it has. Yeah, the market adjustment did not help the sales. It was a nice try but...

Pontiac is more upscale than Chevy. If a higher priced, V8 only, IRS Muscle car is having trouble with Pontiac, imagine if it was a Chevy. That formula won't work. The Car must have a solid V6 entry/base model to sell and survive.

 

Hmm..."top level GM exec" asking what a journalist thought about a Camaro return....

Oh yeah, whoever said Camaro never outsold the Mustang...there were many years in the 70's and 80's Camaro did in fact outsell the Mustang. Could Camaro do it again? Dunno. It'll need to be drop-dead gorgeous enough to steal the "yippee it's retro" hook the current Mustang now enjoys, for starters.

 

The GTO is selling fine. It's a small volume V8 performance car and it's fulfilling it's duties. You can't compare it to cars that include base V6's as their majority. You can probably bet on sales to go up when the next Gen GTO comes out.

 

Regarding the Firebird, I think GM doesn't know where it wants to take Pontiac as a brand. On the one hand we hear that they want it to move upscale. And yet, Evok on C&G said that Pontiac is actually going to move down - nothing over about $28,000.

I also don't understand how GM decides that two models is too much for a 100k unit per yr car, but that it's fine for something selling 40k. Oh how demorilaizing.

 

*Ford still had the highly mod-able 5.0 Mustangs & Cobras till '95.
*Ford also had a 145+ mph supercharged Thunderbird till 96.
*Ford also had the Taurus SHO.
*Also, Ford had the SVT Contour.
*Lincoln Mark VIII, though ugly as sin and just as heavy, were still quick with a quad cam V8.
*Don't forget the 4.6 quad cam Cobra.

Ford had performance in the 1990s. It's that except for the Mustang & the Lincoln, Ford and GM's performance vehicles never really went head to head in the same market.

 

Guy don't forget the turbo Probes from the VERY early 90s. Also don't forget to mention the Turbo Grand Prix from 1990 on the GM side.

Both camps had performance that isn't remembered today but were still quite impressive at the time.

 

So, would it not be unreasonable to say GM is looking at the divisions in this way:

Divison-->Target competitor
Chevrolet --> Ford, Toyota
Pontiac-->Honda, Mazda, (Dodge?)
Buick--> Mercury, Lexus
Cadillac-->BMW, Mercedes
Satun--> ??
Saab--> ??

 

i'd throw honda in as a comp. for chevy
all they make is appliances anyways (save the s2000 which i don't know how long it'll be around) whereas pontiac has performance everything (well, atleast they tout it like mazda does)

 

from '93-'95 chevy ruled with the LT-1.I think the cobra quad cam came out in '96.No Ford could keep up with my '95 LT-1 at the time,even modded 5.0's needed major mods to beat a simple bolt on Z.I remember freeking out when I heard the new camaro was going to have 275 hp.

 

even if the Camaro is a low margin item, its a garanteed sale, and it helps pay for fixed costs such as health insurance.

If its not worth it Ford wouldnt be doing it w/ the mustang.

 

GTO's biggest problem has been it's less than popular styling. I like it, myself, but it has generally been panned for not being extroverted enough. Add in absolutely suicidal dealer sales practices, and it's no surprise GTO tanked last year. If Ford offered a $34,000 Boss Mustang with 400-hp, IRS, and significantly upgraded interior, people would be in line to buy one. Why? STYLING!! Regardless of your personal opinion, no one can argue with the success of the new Mustang. And in light of the fact that folks are paying over $30,000 for GT's, the price point debate seems less important. Excepting "cosmetic" differences (styling) I still can't see a new GT having the same relative value of a new GTO. That said, a new rear-drive, V-8, four-seat coupe (just as the GTO is) that has a nice interior and top-flight build quality would sell just fine for $28,000 to $32,000 if it is styled (manufacturer) and sold (dealer) properly using the terrific resources we all know GM has at it's disposal. Nothing wrong with the formula; just the execution.