Ford Mustang Tweaked For 2019 Ahead Of Refreshed Chevrolet Camaro
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Ahead of Chevrolet’s refreshed 2019 Camaro, Ford has brought a few more tweaks to the table with its Mustang. Although it was thoroughly refreshed for the 2018 model year, Ford has added new paint color options and a Bang & Olufsen Play audio system option, Ford Authority detailed in a report on Monday.
Also on the table for the 2019 Mustang is unique equipment each for the Ecoboost and 5.0-liter V8-powered cars—the EcoBoost in the form of an available Active Valve Performance Exhaust borrowed from the 2018 Mustang GT, and the GT in the form of automatic rev-matching on manual-equipped Performance Pack models.
How will the refreshed 2019 Chevrolet Camaro respond to Ford’s updates? We think the Camaro team will tackle the affordability issue first and foremost. The lack of an affordable V8-powered Camaro has, we think, hurt the pony car in the sales race. We expect to see a de-contented Camaro SS trim with less tech and trimmings.
The design may either be a slight evolution of the current car, or something much more dramatic. Many critics have bashed the sixth-generation Camaro for looking too much like the previous-generation car. Don’t expect major changes inside, however.
Finally, we’ll likely see power bumps, especially for the 6.2-liter LT1 V8-powered Camaros. The Mustang now makes 5 horsepower more than the Camaro at 460 hp to 455 hp. We think the Camaro will take that lead back.
Look for the refreshed Camaro to debut in the next couple of months ahead of the 2019 model year.
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I find it ridiculous how many Mustang fans are boasting about having more horsepower than the Camaro now. There’s a 35lb-ft difference in torque between the GT and SS, and that’s about to increase with the Camaro refresh. I think that they should up the V6 by 20hp and use a Better turbocharger on the LTG. As for looks. The tail lights are going to be VERY controversial
The Mustang easily outsells the Camaro month after month.
So that’s not the only reason why people buy it.
Ford…ok maybe everyone but GM (save for Toyota) has an interesting color pallet for their cars. Challenger has that eye catching new Gray, Purple, etc. The mustang can be had in several cool, bright colors, and the Camaro already lost it’s one year only bright Green. Even if you are satisfied with “red” or “blue” on your Camaro and think strange colors are ugly, you have to admit that although not everyone likes a yellow mustang, or the bright Grabber Blue or Bullet Green, they at least offer someone a color pallet to put a unique touch on their car “image”. I REALLY hope they offer a wider range of colors on the Camaro. For goodness sakes, you can get a green or orange Equinox!
Exterior and interior color choices are a sore point at GM on many models. They had several very nice shades of green and then went and eliminated most of them for 2018 yet have 50 shades of grey. If anything the Camaro should offer a vivid color pallet with many choices. Reducing the price of the SS model would be very smart but do it in a way that doesn’t take away or cheapen the model. Another 20 HP or so on the 6.2 would be wise as would offering the Dynamic skip fire tech and better MPG figures. Offering the ten speed would help both power and mileage also.
They always do these really nice one-off colors for like 1 year and then cancel it. If you don’t happen to want that color in that particular year, you are stuck with black, grey, white, or one of three standard “bold” colors, typically bright red, yellow, or blue. The one exception in the 6th gen is they have consistently offered the garnet red tintcoat which is a great classy dark red. Why can’t they have an equivalent blue and green color? Blue velvet metallic, only 1 year and not very many produced. What about green? Krypton, sure, but not everyone wants neon colors. What about brown? There are lots of classic old muscle cars done in understated browns that are super cool. It’s like they can’t think outside the box.
Where’s GM going to find the extra horsepower? I don’t anticipate an improved head, nor an increase to the 11.5:1 compression. A better intake manifold? A slightly bigger cam? Exhaust manifolds from the LT4? A good combination of those last three items could net a number close to 500. That would make an impact. But…when was the last time a base Camaro SS made more power than a base Corvette? Since the ’19 Corvettes are already on the streets, and their base engine is unchanged, should we really expect more power in a Camaro? Or, will the ‘Vette get a mid-’19 upgrade? Thoughts?
Base C8 mid-engine corvette, engine will be over five-hundred horsepower/Torque.
Everyone has their take on this and wile many are a small part most miss the 600 pound gorilla in the room.
The problem is car sales are tanking and coupes are the worst.
The reality is adding a few token HP is not going to turn sales. Colors are not going to change sales. There is no real way you will get a $28k V8 and be happy with it.
Mustang sales are down too but the added over Camaro sales are still a direct result of smaller engine sales to women as most women have never been Camaro buyers.
Also the Mustang is selling more exports.
GM needs to find a way to get the car to appeal more to females and that will take new gen. They also need a better export model.
The core market is dying and getting older. To younger people either don’t care or can afford the car or insurance.
While you are at it even with the Camaro fans it is a car people want but really don’t need. Mose will look and dream and end up with a traverse.
The coming Bronco looks more Jeep like and has something different to offer and very likely could take Mustang sales and could be a bigger concern to GM who has considered such a model and never pulled the trigger.
Moving forward till trends change companies will have to find ways to sell these cars at lower volumes in each market and add markets.
GM is screwed no matter what they do. People complain if they change the car, people complain if they keep it the same. They deco tent the car yet no one buys and they make less return on a car that is not making a lot at lower volumes.
Just look at the Corvette they get the same thing there too. At least they have a more loyal base that is there as most are 3rd and 4th cars that do not defect to more practical cars.
The bottom line this segment is at risk due to market trends. The warning is we lost this car once and could lose it again. Nothing is sacred in the auto industry anymore.
It is not enough just to make money anymore it is important to get the max return on investment. Cars like the Camaro are cars they like to do but they do not have to have them to survive. Look at Toyota and Honda. Both make mostly boring cars but yet they lead the markets.
I do not see this change moving the needle much and till the market changes or this segment moves to a new formula it will remain in the present state or even more decline.
I don’t want to see this but it is what it is.
The sweet spot for Camaro and Mustang is 100,000 Cars a year and they no longer do this.
I think the Camaro is alive and well. The 6th gen saved it, for sure. The incredible performance will keep people coming back to this car. We may lose it for a few years but it will always come back.
Remember, the 5th gen came out just a couple years after a major recession. After the dust settled, people still wanted a Camaro and the 5th gen sold extremely well. The 6th gen is a much better car but, as you said, market trends are leading to a natural and expected downturn in sales. It doesn’t mean the sky is falling. It just means the next generation Camaro will be poised to be successful. As GM, you actually don’t want a ton of people out buying late 6th gen cars in the last few years of production because you want to get those people into the 7th gen car.
No, the market for pony cars is not as hot as it once was. But that doesn’t mean its going away completely.
Would GM put a Dynamic Skip Fire 6.2 in the Camaro before the Corvette? Historically, the Corvette gets everything (new tech) first (except AFM, in recent history).