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Ask the Best and Brightest: Has the Camaro's Day Passed? Again?

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago
Published:  August 7th, 2009
Robert Farago
Robert Farago

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  • Wolven Wolven on Aug 10, 2009
    Pch101 : "Are you for real? Seriously? It's as if you read these posts intentionally just to find things in them that aren't there." If you'd browse back to my first post in this thread (# 14) you'll see I stated the lame excuse anti-musclecar critics always give when faced with the Mustangs undeniable success. I read all the same "reasons" why the new Mustang was doomed to be a failure BEFORE it ever hit the showrooms. And then with the Challenger. And now with the Camaro. It's as predictable as a Pavlovian response. First they crap all over American musclecars as "cheap, crude, phallic symbols driven by trailer trash having a midlife crisis". Then go on to pontificate on the ultimate demise of the genre because "no self respecting upwardly mobile environmentally aware effeminate limp dick" would drive one. And then, finally, when confronted with DECADES of success (some years and models OBVIOUSLY better than others) of the Mustang refuting their illogical arguments, they trot out the "iconic history and status" B.S. How many people bought a Mustang because of its "history"? I'm bettin' next to none. How many bought one because of its "iconic status"? I'm STILL bettin' next to none. What musclecar critics can't stand is that, when done right, many Americans PREFER the rugged, independent, powerful masculine symbolism embodied in the American muscle cars. It's that American "thing"... which they despise.
  • PeteMoran PeteMoran on Aug 10, 2009
    many Americans PREFER the rugged, independent, powerful masculine symbolism embodied in the American muscle cars Not true. The "muscle car" segment has declined at a faster rate than the manufacturers of same have lost market share. I do not have the figures handy, maybe someone else can do that exercise. From memory, the 64 sold around ~400k units in year 1, while the 74 sold ~350k, the 94 ~220k, the 05 ~160k and now cracking ~100k for the current? The trend is clear. The average buyer age is rising, somewhere above 45 now. The mix is changing too. ~48% of Mustang buyers are female. Can't get much more effeminate than that! The segment is dodo dead, with the Mustang probably the survivor and most identified with the genre. Re-introducing a competitor into an already owned niche market is a Lutz fantasy that won't return a dime. There are so many other pressing problems for GM.
  • Wolven Wolven on Aug 10, 2009
    The mix is changing too. ~48% of Mustang buyers are female. Can’t get much more effeminate than that! C'mon pete... that's like saying jeans are effeminate cuz 48% of them are bought by women... A female wearing jeans, or buying a musclecar, isn't the same as a guy wearing a dress, or buying a Prius... :)
  • Pch101 Pch101 on Aug 10, 2009
    I read all the same “reasons” why the new Mustang was doomed to be a failure BEFORE it ever hit the showrooms. You're claiming to have read that the Mustang would fail because it had a strong brand? I'm reasonably sure that you didn't read anything like that, as that would be a reason for the car to succeed. The fact that the Mustang owns the space is a conspicuous advantage for Ford. And then with the Challenger. So far, about 16,000 Challengers have been sold this year. The bad economy may be skewing the long-term results, but that's looking like a mighty flop in comparison to pretty much anything you'd find on the market. Fortunately for Fiat, they got the car for free, so you can only hope for their sake that there are operating profits, as those might make it worth their while to keep building it due to the fact that they didn't have to pay for the R&D, tooling, etc. And now with the Camaro. If the future of the Camaro resembles the sales pace of the Challenger to date, then the Camaro will fail. A few sales does not a successful car make. How many bought one because of its “iconic status”? I guess that you never studied marketing. The status of the brand comes from the fact that it's a good brand. The iconic status doesn't come from Ford saying it's iconic, but from the public wanting to buy it. The fact that Ford went retro with the design and the public bought it suggests that the heritage of the brand helps to sell cars. You need to make up your mind as to what your argument is. My point is similar to that of several others here, namely that Ford owns the segment and delivers a vehicle with broader appeal, which results in more sales. At this point, it sounds as if you just want to argue. What your argument actually is is hard to say. You've got this strong fixation on burning more than your share of gas and hating the environment, whereas most of the rest of us here are just discussing branding and product positioning.
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