Camaro RIP

[mackinaw]

And then there was one (Mustang).

 

Goodbye Camaro.  Maybe a BEV version in the works.  

 

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/general-motors/2023/03/22/gm-to-stop-making-the-camaro-but-a-successor-may-be-in-works/70038314007/

[jpd80]

GM fans will say it’s faster and better than Mustang but won't go buy one.

 

[grbeck]

3 hours ago, jpd80 said:

GM fans will say it’s faster and better than Mustang but won't go buy one.

 

 

I test drove one at a Carlisle GM/Chevrolet event a few years ago. The chopped greenhouse gives the car a very claustrophobic feeling - enough to be a deal-breaker if one will be driving the car on a daily basis.

The prior two generations of F-bodies had the same problem. The performance and handling could be great, but give me a Mustang if I have to drive it every day. 

[akirby]

1 hour ago, grbeck said:

 

I test drove one at a Carlisle GM/Chevrolet event a few years ago. The chopped greenhouse gives the car a very claustrophobic feeling - enough to be a deal-breaker if one will be driving the car on a daily basis.

The prior two generations of F-bodies had the same problem. The performance and handling could be great, but give me a Mustang if I have to drive it every day. 

Ford stopped benchmarking Camaro for the 2015 model (probably sooner) and started benchmarking European sports cars.

[mackinaw]

3 hours ago, grbeck said:

.......I test drove one at a Carlisle GM/Chevrolet event a few years ago. The chopped greenhouse gives the car a very claustrophobic feeling - enough to be a deal-breaker if one will be driving the car on a daily basis.....

 

 

I had the same impression.  Never drove one, but had the chance to sit in one a few years back.  It was physically hard for my old man body to squeeze into that interior, and once in, I felt like i was sitting in a bathtub.  They were fast, I'll give you that, but not a good daily driver.

[jpd80]

Camaro was an example of GM choosing styling over practicality needed for a daily driver,

it chose to make Camaro so cramped/ claustrophobic that it turned off many buyers.

So it’s not surprising that sales increase from Camaro to Mustang to Challenger.

and that’s why Mustang is IMO, the best balance of styling and practicality.

 

The best Camaro can hope for is a new BEV Camaro coupe some time in the future

but my gut tells me that those people will in some way again be disappointed with it.

 

[rperez817]

22 hours ago, akirby said:

Ford stopped benchmarking Camaro for the 2015 model (probably sooner) and started benchmarking European sports cars.

 

So did GM, which is why the 6th gen Camaro became the best production pony car ever in the ICE age. Motor Trend summed it up as such when it was introduced.

Here's where the new Camaro might actually transcend the criteria. Is this the best production pony car the world has ever seen? Without hesitation, yes. What was interesting to me is that we judge types weren't talking about the Camaro in relation to the Mustang GT that we brought along as a benchmark. We were talking about future Camaro comparison tests against BMWs, Audis, and AMGs. I'd even throw Porsche into that mix.

[CurtisH]

2 hours ago, rperez817 said:

 

So did GM, which is why the 6th gen Camaro became the best production pony car ever in the ICE age. Motor Trend summed it up as such when it was introduced.

 

 

There are many that would disagree with that statement.  The 6th gen Camaro is far from the best daily driver.  That is an important aspect of pony cars.  Subjectively, it is not the best looking pony car either.  That is another important aspect of pony cars.  It did do well with the performance aspect, but fell short in other areas.  

[Harley Lover]

Mullets bow their heads in a moment of silence.

[ANTAUS]

Generation after generation the Mustang has been the better seller mainly because the interior is more upright and manageable.  My best friend's husband wanted a Camaro some years ago (Napoleon Complex at 5-01"), so we took him to the local auto show and I'm like "Here you have the opportunity to sit in one, get company, move around on it, make one with yourself"... lasted 3 minutes, he's like "I can't see over the hood" and shes like "Or reach the pedals for that matter" LOL  He was looking for adjustable pedal buttons on the steering wheel and I'm like "Oh your so cute you think it's Ford"...He bought a Mustang GT, cause, of course, Napoleon hits every curb and drives like an old lady so my best friend and I would have to take the car out once a month and flog it to help it breathe better.

[jpd80]

It’s always a problem when chiefs like Mark Reuss and Mike Simcoe develop cars they personally like and appear to ignore the day to day wants and needs of actual customers. The same people made sure that the Alpha platform could never be changed economically to include crossover or utility version.

Edited March 29, 2023 by jpd80

[atomcat68]

3 hours ago, jpd80 said:

It’s always a problem when chiefs like Mark Reuss and Mike Simcoe develop cars they personally like and appear to ignore the day to day wants and needs of actual customers. The same people made sure that the Alpha platform could never be changed economically to include crossover or utility version.

I always thought they missed the boat by not making a Camaro based "no compromise" performance CUV. I would have used the Nomad nameplate for that and the Nomad's lines could have been updated in a retro/future way like they did with the Camaro.

[jpd80]

6 hours ago, atomcat68 said:

I always thought they missed the boat by not making a Camaro based "no compromise" performance CUV. I would have used the Nomad nameplate for that and the Nomad's lines could have been updated in a retro/future way like they did with the Camaro.

Absolutely and Zeta was the perfect platform for that (was supposed to be aTraverse replacement)
Simcoe and Reuss are through and through car guys that abhor CUVs, they mightn’t say it openly but their actions preventing Alpha from having utility variants is pretty clear - they made a wrong bet 12 years ago when they doubled down on hp cars. 

Edited March 30, 2023 by jpd80