Originally Posted by Doc
Every time one of these threads gets started, it always goes through the "if only GM would make a new older model" etc. Isn't going to happen, nor should it. Manufacturing techniques and crash safety regulations make it impossible for a mass manufacturer today to make the old style cars again.
If the Camaro as a model and brand is going to survive and go forward, it has to go forward in every way, including design and style. No more retro. An ICE version will have an impact on how the front is designed because of the engine, radiator, etc.. An all electric EV version can have a completely different style front because it doesn't have those things up there.
Don't start by thinking of a 1/4 mile car; think of it as a successful mass-market car that performance can be added to, but the base car is the one that sells to the biggest segment of the market. I know some of you don't want that; you don't want anybody driving in a car that looks like yours, but that's not a mass manufactured car; that's a custom specialty model. That's not a Camaro, nor was it ever a Camaro. Pony cars were mass market cars that owners could customize afterwards, which was part of the reason why they were so popular. You didn't have to be rich to buy or own one, and every weekend garage mechanic could modify their car to their heart's content.
That's no longer the case with today's performance cars. You DO have to be affluent to buy and own one, and they're not easy or cheap to modify anymore. Of course they do far more than any previous generation which manufacturers thought owners would want, and some do, but the vast majority were never that kind of owner. I believe this has a lot to do with the steady decline in sales.
If we can go back to the basics (not an old design) of what the mass market responds to, it would be number 1, looks. Number 2, what it looks and feels like to sit inside one. Exciting? Cool? or cramped and confusing... Number 3, cost; can I afford it? Am I willing to even stretch to get one because it's so cool looking and I REALLY REALLY want one?
Notice that none of those three have anything to do with Nurburgring times, 1/4 mile times, g-forces, track features, etc. Not even horsepower or 0-60 times. The first thing that's going to grab them is looks; pure and simple. If performance was the most important feature, the current Camaro would be selling like hot cakes, but it isn't. Let's learn from that and adjust accordingly. If we come up with a modern pony car, it just simply has to look totally bitchen; period. As Number 3 said, it has to be something we've never seen before. The rest is a matter of parts selection.
Think new; think in terms of what would appeal to the mass market, not gun-slit bunker windows with 30 inch wheels like you see every artist draw in their concept drawings. It has to look and be practical to some degree. People make fun of being able to put a bag of golf clubs inside, but that's a genuinely legitimate feature; especially for someone who has a big truck or SUV and would rather take something smaller and easier to navigate and park.
Think new, think simple. It's not going to be easy, otherwise somebody would have come up with it by now, so this is a real challenge. I like the feedback we've been getting so far, so keep the ideas coming!
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