I don't think it was the styling that killed 4th gens, a lack of interest yes, but the Mustang was able to soldier on so there was still at least some interest in these types of cars. Any design of the 5th gen would have been a seller, regardless if it was retro, new, 4th gen, whatever; just the revival of the car brought interest back, not just the body style (also the fact that it was featured in a movie helped quite a bit).

 

the older folks that can afford a new camaro like or are drawn to the older style, i think thats why we see the current style. i would like to see a hatch back

 

I agree with Scooch entirely. The 4th gen, even in its last year was a very poor seller. It was lack of interest that killed the car the first time.

Dont forget that back in its last year, a fully optioned 2002 F-Body was so pricey that it was within striking range from a Corvette. So for obvious reasons people went for the Corvette for a few thousand more.

I remember seeing a fully optioned out 2002 WS6 Trans Am on the dealer floor for close to $38k back in 2001.

That completely nullified the car's purpose which always was performance on a budget, or the Poor Mans Corvette.

 

Poor selling because of poor marketing, pricing and whatnot but not because of its styling, which was the key point I was hitting on. Regardless of what the 5th gen looked like, it was going to sell, however I think a lot of people want to see advancement in the design of muscle cars.

 

I mean everyone will have their opinions on why the car was killed in 2002...I believe styling had ALOT to do with it..

I did a little research and found the production numbers broken down by year. I then retyped them and split them up by generation and added each generation up...by far the FOURTH GEN was the least produced...which translates to..the least ordered by dealers and the least SOLD. Even the First gen, a car in production for 1/3 of the time beats it. The numbers do not lie.


Here is the TOTAL PRODUCTION NUMBERS of Camaro since 1967.

1st Generation (1967-1969)

1967- 220,906
1968- 235,147
1969- 243,085
(Total Production 699,138)

2nd Generation (1970-1981)

1970- 124,901
1971- 114,630
1972- 68,651
1973- 96,751
1974- 151,008
1975- 145,770
1976- 182,959
1977- 218,853
1978- 272,631
1979- 282,582
1980- 152,005
1981- 126,138
(Total Production 1,936,879)

3rd Generation (1982-1992)

1982- 189,735
1983- 154,381
1984- 261,591
1985- 180,018
1986- 192,219
1987- 137,760
1988- 96,275
1989- 110,739
1990- 35,000
1991- 100,838
1992- 70,007
(Total Production 1,528,563)

4th Generation (1993-2002)

1993- 40,224
1994- 125,244
1995- 122,725
1996- 61,362
1997- 54,972
1998- 49,218
1999- 42,098
2000- 45,461
2001- 29,009
2002- 41,776
(Total Production 612,089)

 

Anyway, I'm glad the Camaro is back. I'm 100% sure the Stying played a huge part in its current success, and yea, the Yellow Robot helped a little too.

back to the 6th Gen... I would like to see more Color Options for the Interior offered. I think we should be able to order a Camaro EXACTLY how we want it. Options, options, options... like in the 60's.

 

Some more interior storage space would be nice. I realize it's not supposed to be a family car...but mine is my daily driver. It would be nice to have somewhere to put my phone, wallet...etc. The tiny console doesn't do the trick for me because I have wires all over in there. That reminds me...MOVE THE OUTLETS. I cant stand that I have to open the console to plug anything in. All in all, this is my first Camaro and I'm VERY happy with what I got.

 

I agree about the outlets Jay, The outlets in my wifes car are like that and I hate it.

 

Copo Options, That is actually a perfect time period when I'll be thinking about my next car. I want to be able to get a no options no frills base model with whatever motor and transmission I want
No radio < Check
No AC < Check
No hubcap black steelies < Checkaroo
Also fix the RS model, light weight no V8 for a true RS.
And gears ratios would be good, a better steering ratio would be wonderful, I myself prefer a 360 degree rotation from center to lock, if not a little faster.
A turbo or supercharged V6 would be cool, but only if it broke V8 performance territory. What else....
Optional functional brake cooling ducts and functional ram air hood. Digital readouts are kinda ehh but thats personal opinion. SMALLER WHEELS AND TIRES, goodness I dislike anything bigger than 18 and I Would prefer some sort of 15-16 option if you can fit good brakes under there.

 

Having driven a bunch of new 5th gens for my job, I think a few things could be improved (though I really love the new Camaros)
-TTops are a must
-Better visibility
-The interior needs to calm down a bit