Quote:
Originally Posted by Icefsh
I thought GM hit a homerun with the 6th Gen. Talk about beating the Mustang and Challenger in almost all performance categories. They put out a darn good product. The only thing the 5th Gen had on it was a better ride. The new frame is better tuned for handling. One problem I saw was no advertising (don't see many Vette commercials either.) Another is not enough body change. I suppose they thought they had a winner in the 5th Gen and were not going to mess with the body much. This seems to have backfired on them. I personally like the looks of the 6th Gen.
I really don't think GM cares if they outsell the Mustang. They could have made a cheap version of the SS but decided to make the car with a lot of features stock. I love that you don't get nickel and dimed to death just to have a car that performs as it should. But America doesn't share my opinion. Looks like it must fall through the entire line up with the Turbo 4 and V6.
I think GM makes it's real living selling trucks and SUV's of all sizes. Those they advertise like mad. I love my Silverado (glad I don't have the 8 speed auto). So really, until they change their sales tactics we will lack in sales.
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I think that is part of the problem. Yes we the enthusiasts love that they built the best performance car in the segment, but unfortunately that's not what sells the most cars.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMPrenger
First off, let me say that I love my 2016 SS Camaro. Its an amazing performance car, and a big jump better in all things performance over the 5th gen (which I also owned). Definitely the best all around performance pony car today.
2nd, I believe Chevy would of course love to outsell Mustang, but they'd rather make profit, so they chose price them higher to make a higher profit per vehicle than Ford. This is absolutely true as data proves it. That said, at this point the sales are probably lower than where Chevrolet would like to see them.
Next, price is still a factor (you can still get yourself into a V8 Mustang cheaper than a V8 Camaro) but its less of a factor with the 2018 models. Once you throw in a few features/performance options to match the Camaro, the Mustang is just as pricey, and in some cases even more expensive than Camaro when looking at MSRP.
For me, it comes down to several things (not in any order of importance):
1) Price. Said above. MSRP is irrelevant. Its what you pay at the dealer. Nobody should ever pay close to MSRP on these cars unless you're ordering some special model, but you can certainly get a V8 Mustang cheaper. If they still had an over-abundance of Camaros and were running red tag sales like at the close of the 2016 model year, I'd argue you can get a Camaro for just as cheap, but you don't see amazing deals like that as much right now.
2) Practicality. Camaro is the worst at this. Not a surprise the best sports car is also the least practical. Mustang isn't practical either, but its just a bit better in most ways the Camaro, so there's another issue. (By the way, arguing that these types of cars need to be more "family friendly" is a silly argument if you ask me, but its a real thing, so its relevant)
3) Looks. Now, I think my 2016 Camaro is BAD ASS looking. Holy crap I love the way it looks, and it gets attention too. But it was just an evolution of the 5th gen...that combined with the next point, I think hurts sales.
4) Advertising. I'm sorry nay-sayers, but GM has completely failed in advertising this car. I've seen at least three to four different Mustang commercials in the past year or two. There is a new one out right now of a young women driving an orange version and its a good commercial. She drops her child off at school (rolling through in touring mode in the school zone). Later, she comes to a stop light with some dude showing interest in her...she puts in in Sports, the exhaust gets loud and she peels off. Camaro has gotten nothing (on tv at least). They could have easily created an exciting TV ad showing off a little bad-assery all while touting its world class handling, power, and technology. Nope.
I hope for the best in the 7th gen. I honestly feel like if they do end up adding back in more space, making the car a bit more practical, improving visibility and keeping price the same or better...will the car actually perform as well as the 6th gen? That my friends, is a HUGE task. Lets hope that the Alpha 2 platform can add a little size without sacrificing weight or handling.
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Despite all the talk on this forum about fleet sales, ATPs, and not caring if they aren't selling as much, this article pretty much says the opposite. He basically came out and said it, that they are doing great with the high end models, but the low end models where the majority of sales are they are getting taken to school.
On to your points
1. MSRP I agree, but at the same time disagree. Sticker Shock can be a real thing.
2. Practicality. I agree. None of these cars are ideal but when you are clearly the worst at it behind your competition that can be the difference in a sale. I have said numerous times here lately. I am an active person during the summer. I do a lot things right after leaving the office. When I had my Mustang I could keep all my stuff in my trunk and still pick up friends and their stuff. Can't do that in the Camaro. And it just sucks, I would love to consider it but I cant.
3. I agree. The 6th gen is a good looking vehicle, but IMO it's look was just an evolution of the 5th Gen which that styling has been slammed into our faces since 2006.
4. I agree, it could help. I don't think it needs a full campaign for itself, but at least feature it in some ads.