Chevrolet News:Chevrolet Considers Trim and Features Changes for Camaro

[William Maley]

The sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro has been lagging somewhat in sales when compared to the likes of the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger. Through July, Chevrolet only has moved 41,280 Camaros (down 2.5 percent). Compared to the Mustang which sold 50,814 (down 30 percent). The Challenger trails the Camaro but not by much - 41,243 units (up 2.6 percent). It gets worse when you compare it to last-generation Camaro. In 2015, the last year for the fifth-generation model, Chevrolet moved 77,502 models. A year later when the sixth-generation arrived, sales dropped to 72,705 models. 

To try and change the Camaro's fortunes, General Motors is considering making some changes to the lineup. Some of those changes will focus on the base and V8 models.

"I think we've got opportunities at the very low end of the Camaro range and some remix of some of the V-8 options on it so we don't force people to buy all the options with a V-8, just to get a V-8," said GM product chief Mark Reuss.

Reuss wouldn't go into detail about the possible changes or when we could see them.

Bringing down the price of the V8 is a great start. The 2018 Camaro with the V8 begins at $37,995 which is $4,800 more the Mustang V8 and $5,000 more than the Challenger. We could see a base V8 with smaller wheels, skip the infotainment system and have a radio, and other changes.

We hope Chevrolet is planning to make changes very soon as Ford's refreshed Mustang is just around the corner.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

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[David]

Have a stripped tin can with a big fat V8 would stimulate sales as people who want a Camaro with V8 but nothing else will buy. 

The good ol days of a sleeper with power.

[frogger]

Ford isn't sleeping on the Mustang either, bunch of updates coming for 2018, competition is good.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/news/a32298/2018-ford-mustang/

 

[Frisky Dingo]

I've said time and time again, and I'll say it here-

The answer has been right in front of them ALL ALONG- PUT A 5.3 IN THE DAMN THING!!!

Not only would the lower price point and additional trim see additional sales, it would still away sales from the Mustang for people who want a more 'authentic' muscle/pony car feel at a given price point. 

A manual 1LS V6 Camaro Coupe w/ no other options rings up $28,395 after Dest. I bet the 5.3 costs them LESS to build. Even if cost the same, let's say they put a 2 grand premium on a 5.3 car with the same options. Put a proper- but not fancy E-thingy- LSD out back, slightly upgraded brakes, and summer tires on 18-19 wheels. That car priced at $30,500-31,000 would sell like gang busters.

The new Camaro is great, but in the effort to make it more refined, and faster, and more capable, they've made the car expensive, and eroded some of the car's original ethos and philosophy.

I looked at the new SS before buying my GTI. The 2SS is simply too much money. The 1SS still has more than I need without having the stuff I want. If I can't get the A/C seats and all the other goodies for an attractive price, I'd gladly give up a little power and outright performance to get a cheaper, but still V8-powered car. There is NO way I'm alone in that. 

[smk4565]

I feel like a lot of brands price the V8 or sport model high because they know enthusiasts will pay extra for it.  And at the same time it helps their CAFE by putting a big up charge on a V8 so it drives sales to the smaller engine.

It would be nice to be able to get a V8 without getting a lot of option packages but re-Shuffling the options will not create more sales.  If they want sales increase they should offer all wheel drive.

[aurora97]

Frisky is right on!  Make a true RS model with the 5.3L V8/6 speed manual and the basic amenities all at the great price of $30k!

[regfootball]

leg room and head room, if they can't add that then whatever else they do has limited benefit.

[smk4565]

59 minutes ago, regfootball said:

leg room and head room, if they can't add that then whatever else they do has limited benefit.

That is true too, it is a hard car to get in and our of and see out of. 

[balthazar]

SO are all the exotics and sports cars. Buyers in these classes wear that as a badge of honor.

Camaro moving 80K/year is incredible to me. Not that tweaks / option juggling isn't always a good thing to reassess, but that's very healthy 'play thing' numbers.

[surreal1272]

5 hours ago, frogger said:

Ford isn't sleeping on the Mustang either, bunch of updates coming for 2018, competition is good.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/news/a32298/2018-ford-mustang/

 

Too bad they made the front end uglier. Otherwise, nice updates. 

3 hours ago, smk4565 said:

I feel like a lot of brands price the V8 or sport model high because they know enthusiasts will pay extra for it.  And at the same time it helps their CAFE by putting a big up charge on a V8 so it drives sales to the smaller engine.

It would be nice to be able to get a V8 without getting a lot of option packages but re-Shuffling the options will not create more sales.  If they want sales increase they should offer all wheel drive.

Lowering the end price via option changes will absolutely increase sales. Not sure where you get such silliness from. 

[regfootball]

2 hours ago, balthazar said:

SO are all the exotics and sports cars. Buyers in these classes wear that as a badge of honor.

Camaro moving 80K/year is incredible to me. Not that tweaks / option juggling isn't always a good thing to reassess, but that's very healthy 'play thing' numbers.

because its completely impossible to create a sporty coupe that has headroom

 

[daves87rs]

Drop the price on the base as well....

Offer stuff they can add to make it their own.....let' get a new generation in these...

 

Price drops elsewear are wise too......

[smk4565]

They don't seem to interested in dropping the price because they want to move it up market.  It used to be a loaded Camaro was about the same price as a loaded Impala (or Lumina) in the 90s 4th Gen, and the base models were about the same too.  They are going more for a higher price, higher margin plan now it seems, not a volume play like FCA sort of goes for with their discounts.

The Charger/Challenger have all wheel drive though, and the CTS has it, it would be so easy to add AWD to a Camaro V6 for the snow belt states, then you find some more sales.  The Supra is coming, if they price it like the Camaro and Mustang it could shake up this segment a bit.

[balthazar]

18 hours ago, regfootball said:

because its completely impossible to create a sporty coupe that has headroom

[picture of 1968 Camaro]

'68 Camaro headroom : 37"
'17 Camaro headroom : 38.5"

[ocnblu]

I am on board with a Camaro with LS trim, V8, six speed manual, and LSD. 

 

[oldshurst442]

How I have ALWAYS felt about the alpha Camaro is what Bob Lutz said on August the 4rth, 2017 on RoadandTrack.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a11471024/bob-lutz-on-why-the-new-ford-mustang-beats-the-camaro/

 

 

Quote

 

Dear Bob,

The new Camaro has been outsold by the Mustang almost every month. What’s holding it back?

David Freedman, Detroit, Michigan

The minute I saw the new Mustang and the new Camaro, I knew Ford had won this round. The Mustang is a design masterpiece: sleek, semi-European, yet still a Mustang. Independent rear suspension or not, it is a winner. The Camaro, an even better car, sinks into quasi-irrelevance. You can’t tell it from the previous one. “The same as before, only smaller” has never been a winning formula in a fashion-conscious segment. The current Camaro, although fabulous, missed the mark.

 

 

 

 

And to boot, I quickly fell out of love with the Zeta Camaro shortly thereafter when the 3rd Transformers movie came out...so sometime in 2011.

Yes...not long after the Camaro went on sale. I was deeply,  madly in love when it hit the streets. We had several lustful encounters together

 

but the attraction was short lived.

To get my attention...it seemed like every other month there was another Transformers Camaro reference...and it scared to shyte out of me...

It felt kinda like this

Then the Alpha Camaro came out...and it felt as if Chevy was purposely trying to kill me!

 

 

 

Edited August 13, 2017 by oldshurst442

[smk4565]

The Gen 6 Camaro does look too similar to the Gen 5 Camaro.  And I think the current Mustang is the best looking Piny car of the past 10 years or so.   I like the Mustang's interior more than the Camaro's also.  Huge missed opportunity by Ford not to offer an Ecoboost V6 in the Mustang, and I don't know why Ford hasn't made an Ecoboost V8 yet.

[Robert Hall]

The 6th gen Camaro has side windows even smaller than the 5th gen, I think..the chopped top look is so impractical...and the grille is oversized and juvenile--looks like it is a large fish trying to swallow smaller fish..painfully ugly plastic cheese front end, as bad as the predator shit from Lexus, IMO..

The Camaro may be a great performer, but the styling is dreadful, IMO. 

Edited August 14, 2017 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[David]

1 hour ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

The 6th gen Camaro has side windows even smaller than the 5th gen, I think..the chopped top look is so impractical...and the grille is oversized and juvenile--looks like it is a large fish trying to swallow smaller fish..painfully ugly plastic cheese front end, as bad as the predator shit from Lexus, IMO..

The Camaro may be a great performer, but the styling is dreadful, IMO. 

Big Mouth Billy Bass! 

I agree the chopped top narrow windows, just does not do it for me.

[regfootball]

i like the styling, but at some point the compromises to me are such that you could get something almost as nice styling wise with better visibility and less claustrophobia.

 

i think chevy thought because of interest in bimmer coupes 1, 2, and 3 and the buzz around the code red concept, that people were moving to smaller cars.  Well the truth there is Camaro's can handle like BMW's but will never be considered as fashion accesories as such.  the other is that evil CAFE forcing all the room and space out of the cars to squeeze out the extra one or two mpg.

[Drew Dowdell]

GM as a whole has been terrible on pricing lately. They just aren't competitive on price.  The Traverse is a fine piece, but families shop on cost. Dip your toe just slightly out of the base model and the price shoots up drastically.  Just adding leather forces you into the LT at $42k. Ford gets you there for $38k in an Explorer. Hyundai for $35k, Honda for $36k. I see Acadias over $40k with cloth seats.  

That said, GM will really punish you if you want more power, when it's even available.  A 2.0T in a Malibu forces you into an option package priced at $31k.  At Ford, the 2.0T is a $1,750 option on the SE model. You can already see above about the Camaro.  Want an Envision with the 2.0T instead of the dog 2.5? Base price jumps from $34k to $43k. How about a nice CTS with a 3.6 instead of a 2.0T? That'll be an extra $8k please. $9,400 if you try the same jump in an ATS. 

Now a lot of those jumps involve multiple trim level climbs, forcing you into high option vehicles just to get a higher powered engine.  I realize that poverty spec trims shouldn't have the higher power engine available, but being forced to jump from the base model to the Premium Luxury trim just to get a V6 is asinine. 

 

[ocnblu]

Them there supercomputers ought to be able to run an assembly line a la carte, like the old days.  Option packages are nothing but extortion.  I should be able to order what I want.  There is a balance between higher profits and higher unit sales.

Edited August 17, 2017 by ocnblu