Quote:
Originally Posted by L99SS
Camaro is relatively impractical from a general perspective - it's all sport. But, it certainly has the fan base, winning style, and the marketing to keep it going. Price is not factored in so much. I believe Neiman Marcus' 100 editions sold out before they were even built - at $75k per copy!
But would you not agree that winning the consumer base, as it stands now, has more to do with style and marketing more than price? Sure the economy is rough, but people are getting tired of pinching pennies and still driving Smart Cars. Eventually they will spend the money to move into something better, but not if it makes them look out of place. Americans still have a strong ideal and spirit regarding what moves them. The current economy might be breaking this country into a new shoe as it were. Australians and Europeans have a more practical outlook on what they expect from their vehicles, and have had so for a while. But it will take us Americans a bit longer before we start to embrace that same perspective.
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The Camaro isn't impractical from the standpoint of what it's marketed as. It's a sports car, it does what it's supposed to, look good and go fast.
The SSR ended up being a weird mash-up of niche markets, nobody was sure if it was trying to be a sports car, a roadster, a pickup truck, or a convertible.
If the Ute was sold here, it could be marketed as an alternative to traditional pickup trucks for folks who really don't need a traditional BOF truck. Something that still had a useable, easy-to-access cargo bed, suitable for hauling small to medium sized loads on a daily basis, while still achieving decent fuel economy and car-like ride and handling. Think of it as the crossover of the pickup truck world.
I don't doubt that it traditional trucks would still outsell it, but it does open up an untapped market here in the US.
In any case, any discussion of the VE-based cars is irrelevant. The VFs are on the way.