My opinion on our main competitor.

[Blue Maro Demon]

Well at this point after being outsold by the 5th GEN Camaro for 2 & a half years now Ford has BUT one choice and one choice only. They can either get their design team to actually build a good looking car from a design standpoint with their new 6th Gen Mustang or they are doomed. As we all know the performance of a vehicle is great and all but it doesnt translate as well as a cars design when it comes to actual sales and getting people to part with their money in their wallet. The 4th Gen Camaro and previous Camaros taught us that lesson the Mustang sold because of its design but yet more times than not it got spanked by the Camaro performance wise up until the current gen heavy Camaro.

But Ford wont have ANY advantages this next round of Pony/Muscle car sales wars. The performance differences between the two cars will be closer than ever more than likely this next generation with Ford more than likely not having its significant weight advantage to make it a bit faster like it currently has. More than likely both cars will weigh as close to identical in a looong time with the 6th Gen Camaro being on the alpha platform plus things recently in the news about GM buying more in the way of carbon fiber for other vehicles. And lets face it neither of these cars will probably go down in weight to 2,900lbs we are probably talking lower 3,400 to 3,200 weights of the cars. Plus the Gen 5 V8 from next years C7 Corvette unveil will likely be one of the many engines for the 6th gen Camaro with a rumored 440 to 470hp rating from a lighter 5.5 liter & lets not forget the likely mpg fightings from a Mustang SHO & Camaro turbo 4-cylinder. Basically Camaro has Ford backed into a corner either build an incredibly designed Mustang that looks better than Chevrolets 6th Gen Camaro or they are done for maybe forever from a sales standpoint & if the new Lincoln MKZ are ANY indication Ford has a long way to go when it comes to design. Yeah the new Fusion looks alright but we will see. Also another advantage Chevrolet will have is the Mustang will come out first a year in advance it could give Chevrolet an opportunity to make the Camaro lighter than the Mustang from the get go. Add in the fact that EVERY kid off the block thinks the Camaro is the coolest car on the road thanks to the Transformers movies they will more than likely signal any new Camaro in that way now which translates to future Camaro sales. Ford has an uphill battle now and its going to be interesting to see the effect the 6th gen Camaro has on the market when it is released.

[rayhawk]

I don't think the Mustang is really in any danger, Ford only has one performance car in all of its lineup to maintain. GM has the Corvette, the Camaro, the CTS-V, and eventually a Cruze SS. I would be more afraid of the Camaro losing its appeal on the eventual redesign. They have a fine line to walk to maintain the look on a smaller platform, but also give the 6th gen its own identity.

[VenomInside]

Ford is not worried.

[DarkneSS]

I think all car companies are realizing how important looks are in selling cars now. Many new cars coming out look really nice. Camaro outsold Mustang because of looks, plain and simple. Expect the next Mustang to have a lot of money put into its looks, if their smart.

[Silverlsinva]

I dont think ford is worried about the sales of the mustang cause as long as they are making a profit from it, it really doesnt matter to them im sure

[VenomInside]

IMO, the performance game is only a small percentage of their total sales. Look at the rest of the lineup.

[FenwickHockey65]

Ford isn't worried at all. Trust me on that one.

[Scrappy Doo]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Ford isn't worried at all. Trust me on that one.

THIS

(Now if we were talking half -ton trucks, we would have a conversation. LOL)

[Stew]

Originally Posted by Blue Maro Demon

Well at this point after being outsold by the 5th GEN Camaro for 2 & a half years now Ford has BUT one choice and one choice only. They can either get their design team to actually build a good looking car from a design standpoint with their new 6th Gen Mustang or they are doomed. As we all know the performance of a vehicle is great and all but it doesnt translate as well as a cars design when it comes to actual sales and getting people to part with their money in their wallet. The 4th Gen Camaro and previous Camaros taught us that lesson the Mustang sold because of its design but yet more times than not it got spanked by the Camaro performance wise up until the current gen heavy Camaro.

But Ford wont have ANY advantages this next round of Pony/Muscle car sales wars. The performance differences between the two cars will be closer than ever more than likely this next generation with Ford more than likely not having its significant weight advantage to make it a bit faster like it currently has. More than likely both cars will weigh as close to identical in a looong time with the 6th Gen Camaro being on the alpha platform plus things recently in the news about GM buying more in the way of carbon fiber for other vehicles. And lets face it neither of these cars will probably go down in weight to 2,900lbs we are probably talking lower 3,400 to 3,200 weights of the cars. Plus the Gen 5 V8 from next years C7 Corvette unveil will likely be one of the many engines for the 6th gen Camaro with a rumored 440 to 470hp rating from a lighter 5.5 liter & lets not forget the likely mpg fightings from a Mustang SHO & Camaro turbo 4-cylinder. Basically Camaro has Ford backed into a corner either build an incredibly designed Mustang that looks better than Chevrolets 6th Gen Camaro or they are done for maybe forever from a sales standpoint & if the new Lincoln MKZ are ANY indication Ford has a long way to go when it comes to design. Yeah the new Fusion looks alright but we will see. Also another advantage Chevrolet will have is the Mustang will come out first a year in advance it could give Chevrolet an opportunity to make the Camaro lighter than the Mustang from the get go. Add in the fact that EVERY kid off the block thinks the Camaro is the coolest car on the road thanks to the Transformers movies they will more than likely signal any new Camaro in that way now which translates to future Camaro sales. Ford has an uphill battle now and its going to be interesting to see the effect the 6th gen Camaro has on the market when it is released.

I disagree here. the mustang is not in danger and isn't about to go anywhere. If cars sol on looks alone, the Camry certainly would not be the best selling car around. The Camaro just had factors in it's favor, mainly a pent up demand of 8 years out of prouction. It is also basically the only affordable performance car in GMs portfolio. No G8, no Trans Am, not even a Cobalt come Cruze SS. Saleswise they are really close, it is not like the Camaro is Selling 100k more units than the Mustang a year.

[y2k king]

there's always gonna be ford guys, chevy guys and dodge guys.
doesn't even matter if they make a muscle car or not.


oh, and girls.

[Russo]

i would say that the coupe market is second to last in order of model importance.. for all manufacturers.. sedans and trucks are the top two

[cab2g]

Well you forget that Chevy could totally mess up the 6th gen redesign... I am not a fan of most of Chevy's offerings, so if the same designers that made the Cruze are going to touch the Camaro design, I'd probably be disappointed with the final car. The Cruze is loaded with features, but to me I think it looks bland everywhere except the interior, which is very nice. But I don't think people are buying the Cruze for its awesome looks. But people definitely chose 2-door coupes based on looks.

Ford definitely has a history of making good looking Mustangs, they can do it again. But you're right, the Camaro is winning the sales battle because of its looks, because there are a lot more Mustang loyalists out there than Camaro loyalists, and it appears that the vast majority of non loyalists are choosing the Camaro over the Mustang, and performance-wise (by a very slight margin), and option wise the 2011+ Camaro has been behind the Mustang...

[VenomInside]

Originally Posted by cab2g

Well you forget that Chevy could totally mess up the 6th gen redesign... I am not a fan of most of Chevy's offerings, so if the same designers that made the Cruze are going to touch the Camaro design, I'd probably be disappointed with the final car. The Cruze is loaded with features, but to me I think it looks bland everywhere except the interior, which is very nice. But I don't think people are buying the Cruze for its awesome looks. But people definitely chose 2-door coupes based on looks.

Ford definitely has a history of making good looking Mustangs, they can do it again. But you're right, the Camaro is winning the sales battle because of its looks, because there are a lot more Mustang loyalists out there than Camaro loyalists...

+1.

When I was ready to purchase, I looked at all three (Challanger, Camaro, 5.0). I just could not get over how awesome the new camaro SS looked and the color combo I got with my vert made me fall in love with it. Plus I love the LS motor platform. I am not a brand loyalist. If it looks good and is fast, then I will like it.

[ffrcobra_65]

Ford doomed? You're funny.