The dealers ARE Chevy's customers. We are customers indirectly.

 

Personally, I am interested in the V6. People on this site assume that everyone wants V8's but I don;t think that is true. I already have an 11 second V8 Camaro, and I don't need two (for now at least). Also, I can't wait to see how the DI V6 responds to a mid-sized turbo...

-Geoff

 

Scott,
Thank you for the post. I really appreciate you taking time to explain some things.
I know your passion for this car is as much as anyone's and that is what will make
this launch a successfull one.

 

Thanks for posting this. There seems to be some myopia by a few members, some folks are just all ga-ga about the V8 cars. I love V8's myself and currently that's all I own. But the new V6 Camaro is going to be a game-changing design and is going to change a lot of minds when buyers go to sign for a 2010 Camaro. I believe the V6 Camaro's performance is going to delight and amaze a lot of buyers! The V6 variant will offer better fuel economy, an important fact nowadays with buyers, dealers and our government (which is emerging as a critically important stakeholder in all this). The V6 cars will also have cheaper insurance, not to mention window sticker... so it's crucial the V6 cars get out there quickly and shape the public image of the car. Some members here seem to forget... not all the new Camaros can be V8... and the V6 Camaros are essential for the whole business model to succeed.

 

BINGO !

Obviously I (we) don't like the idea of a whole bunch of V6s being made first so each dealer can have one on their floor. Unfortunately IMO it makes perfect marketing sense and doesn't surprise me in the least. Exposure is required for a successful launch. Having an actual vehicle at each dealer gives much more exposure 24/7 than we would give driving ours around. It's just the plain and simple truth. That being said, it makes no sense at all that our pre-orders wouldn't immediately be the next thing in line to be built. They don't want to alienate the 10,000+ customers already in line. Putting a round of V6s out doesn't alienate me. Not putting ours out next definitely would.

 

 

I think Scott just moved the date back to so it would be closer to his birthday!! It's getting to be that time of year again big guy

 

Uh no. The dealers are the retail distributor for the manufacturer. The end customer is the true customer. A Kawasaki dealer isn't a Kawaski customer. They are a retailer of the product to the customer (us).

Everyone can debate and complain about building dealer models before orders but at the end of the day the market will do what it will do. This is a special vehicle and people are a million times more critical of every facet of the process than they would ever be if they where buying a Honda.

I'm torn with picking a side here, because the enthusiasts have kept the car alive for GM to leverage. Quality delays are understandable and holding those are the correct thing to do IMHO. But if dealer display distribution trumps order builds then the end consumer has a right to be upset, as they have surely been the most patient lot this side of Ferrari!

Either way Scott's just doing his job and we all owe him a debt of grattitude for fighing for our interest. We shouldn't be lobbing rounds his way due to our frustrations with his employer.

GM Stock Holder and Fbody Lover

 

In the end I have to disagree. I don't know about you but all the cars I've ever purchased come with a bill of sale from the dealer, not GM. The vehicles are invoiced from GM to them. They buy from GM, not us.

 

While it is a bit upsetting, I for one am glad to see GM throttling back and taking care of quality control problems (if this is indeed a quality control issue) before their product hits the streets.

It will be better for all of us in the long run if GM figures out whatever issues are present with the Camaro (and there will be issues, it's a completely new car).

The impatient consumer in me wants to be upset because of the pushback, but the quality assurance representative in me knows the importance of double, and triple checking your product before releasing it to the end consumer.

Be patient folks, I know it's already been a long wait, but it's almost here. One more month won't hurt.

 

I wasn't very happy to learn of the production delay, but I would much rather GM get the car right before selling it to me. I've had more than my fair share of post production blues with GM products in the past. This may be my last GM product, so hopefully they do as FbodFather has repeatedly told us, they are going to get this one right from the start.

 

I don't want to hijack this thread over this debate, but automaker's customers are consumers, not dealers. They didn't invite Chevy dealers to focus groups, they invited customers. Business 101 teaches you that there are manufacturers (Sony), distributors (Walmart) and customers (the consumer). Chevy dealers are distributors of the wholesale goods (Camaros) that they sell to the end customer (US).

 

I do not understand why everyone is getting bent out of shape over a one month delay? Originally the convertible was going to be released sometime in December of 09. Now I have to wait one more year for it's release. It tee's me off but I am not going to be spouting off about it. I have waited this long I can wait some more. Gives the markets time to rebound and my stock price to go up so I can pay cash for my IOM 1SS Vert.

 

I don't think the one month month production delay bothered me (and others) as much as some other delay information that was out there. It was the info (that now seems not to be accurate) that GM was going to concentrate on V6 models in the beginning to get products to dealers. The info also stated that if your dealer has a low allocation then your order may not get even get filled this year. The stock units the dealers received came out of their allocation so their customer ordered vehicles were not primary importance. Some other info that was out there was that GM was going to produce 80% V6 and 20% V8 once production began. Since the pre-orders were 80% V8 and 20% V6 It would take a long time to fill the pre-ordered V8 models (possibly not until October). If the one month delay in production is the only part of the new info out there that is true, then I am fine with it.

 

you didnt read that here.