Shanghai Auto Show: Launch Of The Retro Rockets - Bumblebee Edition
The fifth generation of that other legendary car was launched on China by Shanghai GM. Ample 50s cues were not spared. Rock’n’Roll and a historic Camaro were on hand that had served as the official pace car of the 1967 Indy 500.
The 60s don’t make the hearts pound in a Chinese – unless accompanied by a rendition of “The East is Red.”
What they get are the Transformers. Now THAT works in China.
Like the Beetle, the Camaro will not be built in China. It’s an import with a hefty price of RMB 455,800 (roundabout $70,000) for the 3.6-liter model.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
More by Bertel Schmitt
Latest Car Reviews
Read moreLatest Product Reviews
Read moreRecent Comments
- The Oracle Honda is generally conservative yet persistent, this will work in one form or fashion.
- Theflyersfan I love this car. I want this car. No digital crap, takes skill to drive, beat it up, keep on going.However, I just looked up the cost of transmission replacement:$16,999 before labor. That's the price for an OEM Mitsubishi SST. Wow. It's obvious from reading everything the seller has done, he has put a lot of time, energy, and love into this car, but it's understandable that $17,000 before labor, tax, and fees is a bridge too far. And no one wants to see this car end up in a junkyard. The last excellent Mitsubishi before telling Subaru that they give up. And the rear facing car seat in the back - it's not every day you see that in an Evo! Get the kid to daycare in record time! Comments are reading that the price is best offer. It's been a while since Tim put something up that had me really thinking about it, even something over 1,000 miles away. But I've loved the Evo for a long time... And if you're going to scratch out the front plate image, you might want to do the rear one as well!
- Ajla So a $10K+ transmission repair?
- Kwik_Shift_Pro4X I've mentioned before about being very underwhelmed by the Hornet for a $50000+ all in price tag. Just wasn't for me. I'd prefer a Mazda CX-5 or even a Rogue.
- MaintenanceCosts Other sources seem to think that the "electric Highlander" will be built on TNGA and that the other 3-row will be on an all-new EV-specific platform. In that case, why bother building the first one at all?
Comments
Join the conversation
GM has a unique opportunity here, it's 1964 all over again and they could own the desires of the youth market. Granted that the price point makes this a challenge, but a NEW market is in the waiting. The Camaro (and Mustang for that matter) need to be marketed as NEW China youth. They need to equate BMW, Mercedes, & Audi as cars for older Chinese. Growl of the exhaust, sound system blaring, and all smiles for the driving experience. (although the China government may want to kabosh that!) Hello Kitty need not apply. Also goes a long way towards fixing the trade deficit!
Testimony to how good many of the 60's cars looked that there styling can still look good on today's muscle cars.