Yes, but why alienate the fans and force them to look elsewhere for no good reason.

 

I think just cause of the name alone will attract people to the car. Its not like we are takign a 30 year old name, like GTO or Chevelle and pinning it on a car. Camaro is recent, and it sticks out in all the minds of anyone buying a 2dr performance car.
Naming it something else would only be becaue of the bad things associated with teh names, aka mullet, red neck mobiles. I dont know how many "red necks" dropped 25-33k large for a new SS or Z28....thats a different thread.
The Camaro name has history and heritage. Yeah, its gunna be debated no matter what. Every name will be.

The Chevy coupe needs to be more civil in feel. It CANT be a 4 seat corvette. It has to be a Camaro. People will want this car in V6 form, and they are the ones that need to be taken care of. There will always be a V8 for us gear heads, but the V6 buyers need to be bedazled.

 

 

A 5th gen without a camro badge has no soul or history. It would be just like any other new car. The name carries a lot of weight in terms of history and heritage and is something camaro enthusiasts take special pride in.

Naming a prospective 5th gen anything else is the biggest mistake GM can making next to making the next camaro a 4cyl front driver.

Will i still buy? If i find it appealing/likable, you bet. But why name it something else? I think "camaro' was like the 3rd or 4th best known automotive nameplate in the U.S (next to vette and mustang) and so that must mean something.

 

Couldnt have said it better myself!

Take a look at the Nissan 350z and Infiniti G35(or 45) coupe. The 350 is the Z Car. Conjurs up images of 300ZX's, 280Z's, etc. A rich history for one of Nissan's most recognized coupes. Now the Infiniti coupe, basically a new coupe with a new name yet similar underpinnings to the Z car. Nothing. Not a damn thing. No history, no soul. Boring. Yet it is built fantastically so it sells. Now imagine a Camaro that is built with that kind of quality with that kind of history backing it up. Homerun, out of the park winner.

Another question for the masses, what would Ford fans think if Ford renamed the Mustang? Would avid Mustang fans run out in droves to receive this new coupe? Or would they feel betrayed like they've been spit on and one of their most favorite things has been essentially killed?

 

If this would be the best GM could come up with, leave the Carmaro dead....

 

If I went through this whole thread and replaced "Chevy Coupe" with Monaro and "Camaro" with GTO, we'd have an exact copy of 127 threads that were posted in early 2003.

Why the name thing... 87camracer, it's just GOTTA be that way dude.

Coke tried to change - it FAILED.
Pepsi tried to change - it FAILED.
Mustang tried to change (in 1988) - it FAILED.

Why do Snicker Bars not add almonds instead of peanuts?
Why do M&M's not come in squares or triangle-shapes?
Why doesn't McDonalds rename "the BigMac" to "the Best-Burger"?

There is ONE answer to all the questions above...
If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
There is a "recipe" of inexpensive, performance, options, styling, 2-doors, V8, RWD, manual tranny, and "fun-factor" that all blends together is some special ratio to create a car that is ONLY suitable for the name Camaro. Change any component of that recipe significantly, and the name no longer applies. Just like a hamburger made the same way but with turkey is not called a hamburger anymore - it's called a turkey sandwich on a bun.

As you age my young friends, you will become more sensitive to the originality of great things and classic design, and you will be less likely to offer them up for radical and progressive alterations. Don't get me wrong at all - I DO want progression and modern technology in the classic nameplate(s) like Vette, Camaro, and Mustang - but I don't want them to lose their identity. Create the all-new ultra modern car with super-this and mega-that - heck, I'll probably buy one! - but give that all-new car an all-new name... PLEASE. Let it fly on it's own merits, not on the legendary name of historical predecessors that are essentially unrelated and non-continuous in design or content.

Peace.

 

Here here Mustang man!!

 

Look at late-4th gen sales figures, and the fans were already gone, basically.

 

Not really. Camaro sales really stunk and looked poor in comparison to mustang sales, but they were still the #2 best selling sport coupe on the market i believe. Given the number of sport coupes on the market, sitting in the #2 slot isn't all that bad.

Btw: Enthusiasts/fans only make up a small percentage of the buying public so you can't expect them to go out an buy all 150,000 mustangs or camaros. For all we know, the fans/enthusiasts were probably the only ones buying 4th gens . The masses were probably the ones that have gone on to other things, and a better 5th gen can probably pull them back in.

 

The fact that some people think the name is important doesn't mean we are stuck in the 70s (especially since the name originated in the 60's but I digress).

This same question has been asked a few times in different ways…I remember well the very first Camaro and Firebird (and my first car was a brand new 1973 Firebird Formula 400). So, I’m sure my view is very different than those who are half my age. That said, the simple fact is that the Camaro/Firebird name “means” something special…those names have a history and a tradition and a following. As Scott Settlemire has often said, they have a DNA. Perhaps most importantly, they have a connection to things that have happened in our lives.

A new car with a new name that attempts to fill the market niche of the F-Body, no matter how measurably better it might be, will just be another car to me…maybe it will be a truly great car…maybe it will build it’s own history and following. Maybe it too will mean something special to two or three generations and or maybe it won’t do any of those things. Maybe I’d buy one and maybe I won’t…if I do or don’t buy it wouldn’t be simply because of the name.

When the Mustang, Camaro and Firebird, were introduced they defined a type of car that hadn’t existed before…that doesn’t happen often…that’s part of the reason, I think, that these cars mean so much to so many people and why the names are important.

I hope GM builds a new Camaro that is true to its heritage and not just a “new” car to fill a marketing void. Part of that heritage is the name CAMARO…and yes, it does matter.

 

very well said Robert.

My personal feeling is that if they are gonna build a 2 door coupe, with a v8 and rwd and not name it Camaro, then why did they bother bringing back the GTO. Its obvious a nameplate means something to those people at GM. Name it Camaro and make it a good car... something not easy to do but they are getting a fresh sheet to redesign this car, bring it back better then ever so I can have it sit next to its grandfather in my garage

Even if its not named Camaro, id probably buy it... id complain for sure especially if its that great of a car... but I cant control GM just tell them what I think they are there to make money not listen to the small group of Camaro Enthusiasts that want a new car

 

If it doesn't have the Camaro nameplate, there is a simple solution...whip out the ol' dremel tool and carve the name "CAMARO" into the rear bumper

 

honestly there are a lot of replies here that i didnt look at when i posted. but the fact still remains, there are people that will not buy a car if its not named "_______". why? what does that rebelious act prove? that the car thats not named "_______" is not good enough? frankly the automaker is going to look at it as a lost sale. a lost sale for IMO a stupid reason, but a lost sale none-the-less. the bean counters will be all over that one.

i can understand if you dont buy it because it doesnt have t-tops (i wouldnt buy if it didnt have them OR a targe) but a name?

which brings me to a point i was going to make when i started this. is brand loyalty bad?

to me brand loyalty is just that. you buy the vehicle, whatever it may be, because _____ made it. whether it be one of the Big 3 or Honda or what have you. does brand loyalty open the opportunity for bad cars? the way i look at it, is that if you are ultra brand loyal, you will buy it regardless if your Caddilac has 3 dollar vinyl seats or supple leather. and with that view, why would caddilac in that situation opt for something more expensive?

thoughts on that also?

 

No it is not a bad thing, but it can be a jeopardy situation for both the buyer and the manufacturer.

Think of it this way, the best advertisement is word-of-mouth. And in the case of a car, getting to ride/drive a different car than you own. When I travel I always try to rent something new and different than what I own... it gives me reference and benchmark to say "I like this BETTER than my so-and-so", or "I like my so-and-so much better than this thing." If I find myself constantly thinking the new car is better in many areas, I go shopping.

Regarding product, what I typically find is that whatever one company develops that gives them an advantage, that feature is soon developed and applied to competitive models too. So no maker gets an infinite advantage due to some specific feature. To me, this means that no maker is supremely "better" than any other for any period of time either.

If you get 20 people to say "I love my car" when asked about their Impala, and you find one that says "I hate it", odds are the Impala is a pretty darn good car, and you will be content buying one - provided you buy it because it suits your needs. If you NEED a truck but buy an Impy, you will likely be dis-satisfied with your purchase despite the car being a great unit.

Lastly, to me the brand loyalty thing boils down to corporate stance, styling, relationship with the dealer/company, and historical performance. We have owned everything under the sun, but the relationship I have with my local dealership and their service personnel is why I would be hard-pressed to go elsewhere. How many of you get free unlimited access to EVTM manuals, TSB's, diagnostic books/programs, and specialty tools to do your own repairs? I help them, they help me... it's just a great situation, and I know I'm saving tons of money to boot. They sell me parts at their cost if possible. I just got a 3rd brake light ballast that retailed for $89 for $72 out the door (and it's not available thru aftermarket either ). When you have an element of trust and companionship with your supplier like this, it's hard to go to some new place and start from ground-zero - I guess that's the big reason I am "stuck" on Fords for the time being. Although the committment Ford has made to the Mustang doesn't hurt my position either.

So Brand Loyalty is just not a cut and dried situation to me.
*If my current dealer goes 86, or they screw me somehow, and I still prefer a Mustang or Explorer to the competition, I will change dealers.
*If my current dealer goes 86, or they screw me somehow, and I prefer the Envoy to the Explorer, I will get a coworker to take me to his dealer and start a new relationship with them with my purchase.
*If Ford starts making chitty product, but my dealer hangs in there with me keeping my stuff going, I'll stay with my dealer for a while until better things come along. If it takes too long, I'll have to buy a different product from a different dealer.
But bottom line for me is that I'm not willing to risk my current "comfort zone" because a competitor offers a truck in a more appealing shade of black or has better looking rims.

I guess it's a matter of personal taste and circumstance.