[SIM Curly]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Isn't the engineer's hand on the shifter...?

Whoops your right I was looking at the little chrome outline a little further up

[SuperSound]

Originally Posted by atlcamaro1

And thats my point. Eventually, both ford and general motors, trying to keep up with each other in vehicle TECH, are gonna price these cars out into the middle of luxury car territory.

I looked at the 5th generation Camaro, and immediately, I feel BACK in love with pony cars. You know something else? I loved the fact they updated the Camaro, but kept a Camaro, pony car heritage. I love the fact that its not over engineered. It can be modified ( audio systems, engine upgrades, etc.) to my liking if i want to.

I say all this to say, when I said I want gm to keep the Camaro heritage, Im really talking about not over engineering the car with technical wizardry, to the point where its not a pony car, but a entry to mid level premium luxury sedan, along WITH the problems those cars bring to the table. I love the look of the new mustange interior. I was blown away by it when i saw one in person. As long as they dont go full German and Cadillac and start incorporating fiber optic systems, soft close doors, air suspensions, vehicle specific audio systems, ( fiber optics audio) etc. Im cool with them updating the looks of the cars.

1. I don't think there's anything to worry about. The things that make luxury cars expensive is not the tech gear. Electronics continue to fall in price at predictable rates. The things Ford and Dodge have added to their cars come from a global parts bins, there's no separate R&D therefore very little cost to bring them to other cars. We aren't talking adding "cutting edge" tech like autonomous parking and things just now making it into S-Class Mercedes. We are talking about items now becoming the norm in passenger vehicles. It's simple advancement of technology. Ten years ago cars in car was a top end luxury item, now you would be hard pressed to find even a basic car that doesn't have it as an option. Did that increase the cost of those cars? No.

2. Who says pony cars can't have technology that is on even terms with the majority of 2 door sports cars? Heritage has nothing to do with being stuck in the stone age. The cars heritage is sporty performance. There's nothing about not being comfortable, stylish, or having contemporary technology that would make it not a pony car as long as performance is maintained. Performance is the one thing we already know the car has, more power for both V8 and V6 models, lower curb weight than the outgoing model and better drivetrain (8spd auto/7spd stick). So exactly what is there to worry about?

I would agree about over-engineering to an extent. The things you worry about have more to do with aftermarket interest than design thought. Point in case, VW. They are built identical to Audi, and pretty much the same as BMW and Mercedes. But the VW aftermarket is 10x the other 3 combined. Why? interest. No one buys Audis or BMWs anymore to modify them. Therefore you see nobody with experience in working on them, and no parts to use. This has been my biggest regret about leasing my 328i, there is so little I can do to personalize it. Couple that with the few parts available cost $$$. The 5th gen aftermarket is very strong, and it will be just a strong for the 6th gen, regardless of how complex the car is built.

[Zapote21]

I would love it if the new Camaro had an interior like the new Malibu...

[mt3130]

I just want it to not look cheap. I don't need a leather dash, but I don't want hard, shiny plastic all over the doors and dash like the 5th gen had either.

If the interior quality and ergonomics are on par with the Challenger and Mustang, then the 6th gen Camaro will be fantastic. I would buy one even if it did look just like the 5th gen refresh.

[JoeYock]

Originally Posted by Number 3

But if you take a car and make it too retro and try to scream "Muscle" it isn't going to appeal to most people. And again that is the path to doom we have already seen with the Camaro.

Remember Bob Lutz's famous quote, "you can sell young mans car to an old man but you can't sell an old man's car to a young man". It kind of translates here.

This exactly. I'm 22, When I first saw the Gen5 in the first Transformers I loved it. It was a concept car and it looked different than any other car I'd seen before. At the time I was pretty young and didn't know much about GM or Chevy but I knew a cool car when I saw one and that car, was in fact, very cool. I see a lot of people complain about the refresh but I personally loved it.

I think it's really important that Chevy keeps up with the times to keep the camaro hot. Going backwards is not going to help any, especially from my perspective. Sure, I loved the Gen5 when it came out, but, now there's better stuff out there than it including the 15 Mustang!

As I am currently in the car market and looking to buy sometime over the next year, the only thing stopping me from going with a mustang is the C7 Corvette. When the C7 was unveiled it absolutely blew me away. It is still one of the best looking cars I've ever seen inside and out. Every time I see one my head turns. If I had the money, that would no doubt be the car I'd buy.

What I do see, however, in the Gen6 is an opportunity. An opportunity for Chevy to make a more affordable couple with similar styling and performance. Will they cease the opportunity and grab the young crowd's attention? That's still up in the air. I am very pleased with what I've seen so far and after seeing what Chevy was able to do with that Corvette, I have faith they'll be able to do the same with the Camaro.

[Angrybird 12]

If the interior and features are what we all hope for I bet on Camaro5 there will be hundreds of threads asking how to convert the Gen6 (X) to fit or work in their Gen5....

[ssrs396]

Let's not forget that design and quality are two different things, yet they can go hand in hand.. When I sat in a mustang the interior looked the part but the materials felt cheap and creaked. I know the new models are better. I am an old school guy and thought the 5th gens interior looked fine although my LS is pretty Spartan it has never bothered me.

I understand the "having to keep up with the competition" but I do not want to sit inside a family sedan I want it somewhat unique . Sharing components doesn't bother me like it bothers many others as long as it is done well. I think GM will bring it and I believe they stress over every detail but there always comes a time when cost and cosmetics clash. I want a v8 this time but I do not want to pay $40000 for it. I want a good looking car with great performance for a reasonable price .....this is the Camaro way!

[396ssrat]

The early Camaro's were comfortable to drive, the current generation not so much. Hopefully the 6th Gen will fix that part.

[shudder]

[ssrs396]

Originally Posted by shudder

Simple yet stylish!!!

[fradaj]

Originally Posted by Zapote21

I would love it if the new Camaro had an interior like the new Malibu...

The basic theme of the Volt and Malibu interiors would not be bad in the new Camaro, but I think they would need to maybe add a little more sportiness to it, more metal, make it more masculine. Also on the infotainment side I would not like it to overwhelm the dashboard. My sister rented a Spark last weekend and the system in it was simple, easy to use and I thought looked pretty good. Something like that would be perfect for me.

[fradaj]

Originally Posted by ssrs396

Simple yet stylish!!!

I would like a 21st century version of that.

[atlcamaro1]

Originally Posted by SuperSound

1. I don't think there's anything to worry about. The things that make luxury cars expensive is not the tech gear. Electronics continue to fall in price at predictable rates. The things Ford and Dodge have added to their cars come from a global parts bins, there's no separate R&D therefore very little cost to bring them to other cars. We aren't talking adding "cutting edge" tech like autonomous parking and things just now making it into S-Class Mercedes. We are talking about items now becoming the norm in passenger vehicles. It's simple advancement of technology. Ten years ago cars in car was a top end luxury item, now you would be hard pressed to find even a basic car that doesn't have it as an option. Did that increase the cost of those cars? No.

2. Who says pony cars can't have technology that is on even terms with the majority of 2 door sports cars? Heritage has nothing to do with being stuck in the stone age. The cars heritage is sporty performance. There's nothing about not being comfortable, stylish, or having contemporary technology that would make it not a pony car as long as performance is maintained. Performance is the one thing we already know the car has, more power for both V8 and V6 models, lower curb weight than the outgoing model and better drivetrain (8spd auto/7spd stick). So exactly what is there to worry about?

I would agree about over-engineering to an extent. The things you worry about have more to do with aftermarket interest than design thought. Point in case, VW. They are built identical to Audi, and pretty much the same as BMW and Mercedes. But the VW aftermarket is 10x the other 3 combined. Why? interest. No one buys Audis or BMWs anymore to modify them. Therefore you see nobody with experience in working on them, and no parts to use. This has been my biggest regret about leasing my 328i, there is so little I can do to personalize it. Couple that with the few parts available cost $$$. The 5th gen aftermarket is very strong, and it will be just a strong for the 6th gen, regardless of how complex the car is built.

Good write up. You are correct by saying that today's basic cars have items that were considered luxury at one time. I dont mind the Camaro having some of those goodies. As long as they are reliable and not over engineered, im cool with that. Also, its funny you mentioned volkswagen because im in the market for a jetta or passat down the road also as a daily driver.

[Number 3]

Somebody better explain what they mean by "over engineered".

As an engineer, I can only tell you that you can't over engineer. You just run out of time, money or both.