Quote:
Originally Posted by DGthe3
I've thought of something similar before. Slot something in under the Camaro (I'd call it the Nova). But then I realized how it probably isn't going to happen.
What you are basically describing is the Scion FRS & Subaru BRZ. Under 3000 lbs, 4 cylinder only, get low 30's highway, mid 20's city. Mediocre performance. I think the two of them combined for about 25k units last year. GM would probably consider themselves lucky to hit 20k if they made an entry into that segment, 15k cars feels more reasonable. A car with half the volume of the Corvette, at less than half the price would probably be a pretty tough sell to GM management.
As for getting young people into buying new cars ... I don't see it happening. Too much debt, not enough income. A 10k price-point is pretty high for someone still in university (or most recent grads). And even when you've got the money, cheap new cars face fierce competition from higher-positioned used cars (in the case of the car you described, it would be used Camaros). Afterall, the average car is now about 11 years old. Average. Anything newer than 5 years is usually still in pretty good condition. Its not like it was a few decades ago when a car that's a couple years old is probably a disaster waiting to happen.
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Yeah I don't see it. I think Chevy could build something faster than the BRZ/FR-S but the business case isn't there. Unemployment is too high, incomes too low, and the interest just isn't there anymore. A new car is an outrageous extravagance for most 20-somethings. Even a higher end used car is totally unaffordable too. Young people aren't into performance cars nowadays either, not like they used to be. So yeah, anything like the FR-S/BRZ would be very low volume, and Chevy isn't doing that unless it's a super premium model like the SS, Z/28, ZR1, etc. And a sporty four cylinder like the BRZ would decimate V6 Camaro sales.