stars1010

Its not offical, but yeah sometime around then.

guionM

DISCLAIMER:The following is just educated guessing & speculation on my part (otherwise known as having really good reason to believe):

Other than GM "niche" vehicles (ie: SSR, Belair, & Nomad), all new GM RWD cars seem to destined be IRS.

Fact: The following is true, and has been announced by the company themselves, or found out through "other means":

GM's VE & "tubular" chassised cars will have IRS, and beyond Corvette, will be the only Rear drive components GM will make for volume RWD cars.

Conclusion:Unless GM is going to gerry-rig a chassis with a Trailblazer rear axle, Camaro will have IRS.

Final ugly fact: No one buys cheap cars in this segment. Most all Z28s went out loaded. Stripped Z28s sat on lots!!

The Camaro SS is the only Camaro model that saw no sales drop the final couple of years. The Mustang Cobra never had a problem in sales, even when the rest of the Mustang line dipped.

The final nail in the coffin of sub-$30K high performance cars is that the price of Z28s and Mustang GTs DROPPED in the 1990s when you factor in inflation & wage increases. Traditionally these types of cars should be selling in the low $30s.

BTW, Madwolf (love that picture), seems one of Chevy's big (if not top) goals is to get a Camaro out by it's 40th anniversary. That's 2007.

number77

i don't like the thought but it looks like it could become true, all i see is the vette becoming chevys high end car (like dodge's viper) and i guess they would probably come up with some 4 cyl to compete with the srt4 and new-age rice pattern, leaving the camaro void, middle class persons sports car. so i think we are guaranteed a camaro or someting similar, i hope

johnsocal

Supercharged 4cyl. Ecotecs on the Delta platforms are going to be GM's performance engines and platforms for cars under $25,000. The 2004 Saturn Ion Redline Quad-Coupe is on example of a sub $25,000 FWD performance car with over 200hp in a smaller and lighter car and Im sure Chevy and Pontic will have their own versions when the current Calvalier and Sunfire get replaced around 2005.

If your looking for a $25,000-$30,000 performance car I hope you like V6 six Impala's , Monte Carlos , and maybe a 2007 Camaro V6 because V8 versions of all these cars will be over $30,000 when 2006 or 2007 roles around.

Chevy could have their 2007 lineup look like the following:

$15,000 base 4cyl. ($20,000 with Supercharged option) 4 doorwith hatcback Calvalier repacement. The new Malibu and Malibu-Maxx with a V6 fits somewhere in here as well.

$25,000 base V6 ($30,000 with V8 option on all) 4-door Impala , 4-door (2 of those doors suicide style) Monte Carlo replacement and a 2-door Camaro (maybe with a hatchback or a traditional trunk).

I think all Chevy cars with either superchargers or V8 options will all have the "SS" designation on them and the "Z28" on the Camaro will be dropped.

Z284ever

johnsocal

Im starting to think that the next Impala will come in two body styles like Honda does with the Accord and Toyota does with the Camry. Having 2 body style using the same name makes it easier to advertise and help the automaker look like there are selling more of one car when they are actually selling 2 models using the same name. (note: Honda dropped the Prelude name and replaced it with the Accord coupe for marketing reasons)

GM could market the crap-out of the Impala name and use it in Nascar as well and then sell 2 different body styles to 2 different customers.

johnsocal

Has anyone else thought that GM might call the next Monte Carlo replacement the Impala Coupe?

Darth Xed

I don't see it happening.

If Chevy dropped Monte Carlo, I'd think they'd use the Chevelle name for the coupe.

Just my opinion, though.

99SilverSS

While I can't nor can anybody here really tell what the price of the C6 will be I can say it will have Viper-like performance if not more so, in the C6-Z06. But remember GM is very happy with the Vette and its sales. They now have some volume on their side and that will help bring more tech and performance to the car w/o really raising the sticker value. These arn't Caviliers where their existance depends on low profit margins and big sales. No the Vette will have a strong following and GM knows it will sell everyone.

Will the Camaro turn into the Vette??
Well we don't have a Camaro so I guess it already did!

johnsocal

Who knows maybe there wont be a new 07 Camaro or a new Monte Carlo and the only affordable Chevy RWD coupe will be the 2006 Impala Coupe ($25,000- V6 and $30,000-V8).

An Impala coupe would most likely spin-off a covertible version a year later and having 3 cars sharing the same name and advertising helps keep costs down.

I dont know if GM could justify have 2 Chevy RWD coupes priced within stricking distance from each other unless the 07 Camaro becomes a high-performance model "only" thats priced around $5,000 above the Impala V8 coupe and fills the void in price where the Vette used to be years ago.

guionM

I really don't see Camaro and Impala buyers intermingling, and the demographics of each car line bear this out.

Using existing demographics of say Camaro & Grand Prix GTP (the most likely group that will reflect V8 RWD Impala buyers), the Impy buyers will tend to be married more often than Camaro, have families far more often than Camaro, will have the Impy as their only car far more often than Camaro, and will tend to be older (comparing the performance versions) and ironically, almost as heavily male as Camaro.

Just because 2 fast cars are driven by the rear wheels doesn't mean they are in the same market. That's far worse than saying Monte Carlo & Impala battle each other for sales...and they are way closer to the same market than a 4 passenger sports car & a 5 passenger full sized coupe & sedan.

johnsocal

I agree that ther could be 2 different markets but I bet that most Loaded 4th-gen Z28's or SS's were not sold to young guys in their late teens or early 20's but guys in thier later 20's or 30's and early 40's who are married and some most likely even have kids.

Unless GM can bring the 5th gen Camaro at a price the Kids can afford then I think the next-gen Camaro and possibly a next gen Impala coupe would be going after the same cusomers ,as long as the Impala Coupe doesnt look like crappy grandpa car.

GM can just make the next Camaro a 400 hp beast with seating for 4 and price in in the mid $30,000 and really market it as an affordable alternative to the Vette since the next vette will most likely have 450 hp and 500hp and go up in price.

As long as GM sells every Vette they can make at an alarming rate they will continue to hike the price as high as the market can sustain , and I dont blame them a bit

95Zvert

haha, well I own a camaro and owned a 2002 impala until I recently traded it in on a Tahoe (and took it up the @ss on the trade in while I was at it)


I'm mariied with a family and still own a camaro. In fact, not too long ago both of us had camaro's.

If the impala was a rear drive V8 we would have kept it, and would have bought any RWD V8 sedan that GM would have made. In fact, we are on oreder for a GTO since that is the closest thing coming with a useable back seat. My wife is pretty much over GM at this point and is looking at other auto makers since GM simply doesnt make what she wants: a decent powered RWD sedan without the "yes I'm a mommy" look plastered all over it. The only one of those characteristics that GM can fulfill at this point is "sedan."

Not to nit pick you, but market reports are hardly the end all, and are the weapons of the bean counters. Didnt they build the Aztek on market reports? Then, they pushed it forward even after the market vomited at its appearance....because those market reports determined the market needed this car, and the actual people didnt really know that yet . At least they are starting to turn back in the right direction, rather than feverishly plummeting straight into hell.....using their market reports as a map.

johnsocal

I think the latest info posted on another thread really suggest that the 2007 Camaro will based on the same platform as the Pontiac Solstice. In 2006/2007 Solstice will most likely sell for around $29,000 with a supercharged 4 and there could be 2 other engine options such as a v6 and maybe even a v8 if permitted.

This would suggest that the next Camaro will most likely be considerably smaller then the 4-gen and be smaller then the GTO and the possible 06 Impala coupe (or whatever it gets called). The big uncertainty is if the next Camaro will come in 2 or 3 trim levels at different price points or will they only make a loaded V8 version price in the mid-to-high $30's.

GeneCamaro

what V6's are these? The 350Z started where the LT1 was 10 years ago. Add a couple of bolt ons and it's like a different car. There is no way an 3.5L Altima will even touch an LT1 or LS1. I've driven the 3.5L Maximas, they are quick but no where close to my LT1.