Since the sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro debuted, the car has failed to capture the same audience the fifth-generation model did for five straight years. The Camaro outsold the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger from 2010 to 2014, but today, the Mustang is top dog.
That’s something Chevrolet Camaro chief engineer Al Oppenheiser wants to change. The lead engineer told Automotive News (subscription required) the Mustang has “been eating our lunch.” This year, the Camaro now sits in third place, even behind the Dodge Challenger, in the sales race.
“The low [transaction prices] of a four-cylinder … that’s where the bulk of the sales are and that’s where our pricing strategy needed improvement. We plan to go head to head — and win,” Oppenheiser said.
Part of the correction plan is a refreshed 2019 Chevrolet Camaro with a new face and a Camaro Turbo 1LE model. The 1LE gains track-focused equipment from the previously offered Camaro V6 1LE. Performance and other cosmetic enhancements include suspension and chassis tweaks courtesy of the Camaro V6 1LE, 20-inch wheels, a suede steering wheel and optional Recaro seats. A six-speed manual transmission handles shifting duties.
Under the hood sits a familiar 2.0-liter LTG turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 275 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Chevy hopes the Camaro Turbo 1LE will appeal to those shopping hot hatchbacks like the Honda Civic Type R and even cars like the Kia Stinger.
Chevy has also slashed pricing at the bottom of the spectrum for a Camaro 1LS by $1,000 to start at $25,995 including destination. Similar price cuts are present for the 1LT and 2LT models, though V8-powered Camaros soldier on without price drops. The brand has held steady on higher profit margins for its Camaro SS despite lower sales.
Karl Brauer, executive publisher of Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, said the sales woes may have more to do with rivals channeling the past.
“It just doesn’t have the personality that the other two cars offer,” he said.
Comments
I have driven two versions of each (Camaro and Mustang) and the Camaro is better but more expensive. I don’t believe that a true sportscar customer would choose price over performance as many of them add third party performance parts which increases the total cost of ownership. So trying to sell better by reducing prices and quality isn’t worth the effort., since the imported sportscars don’t drop prices yet get many customers. BTW, Camaro do last longer and tend to reduce total sales due to longer ownership.
Race the Camaro in Races! Real Camaro’s, not NASCAR ghosts. Ford is cleaning up in IMSA’s Conti series with multiple teams and cars, winning the GT4 class several races in a row, making a name for Kyle Marcelli, and Trent Hindman. Ford is also road-blooding their young Nascar talent in the GT4 teams, with much entertainment coming from them as well. The Camaro6? A couple of races last year before Stevenson to tragically closed, now one more, possibly two next year. The Camaro should be on track regularly beating Merc AMG GT’s, Audi R8’s, M4’s and Caymans. The Camaro can do it, it should be out there! In Force!
Mustang 4 cyl T has 310 hp. Camaro must do better if it’s counting on 2.0T equipped models to outsell mustang. At least the Camaro is 200+# lighter, but still I would want 315-325hp out of the 4 banger.
Intake, DP, and tune. You’ll be well over 325hp.
Simple solution, Al. Build the next gen as a car that people can live with in the real world. You can’t see out of the current car, you can’t see out the back, and you can’t see out of the sides. You sit deep down in the “bathtub”. Stop with the “Transformers” car styling. Just stupid to build something that people can’t live with.
I’m a track instructor, and the Camaro is outright dangerous there when you are doing high speed with cars mere feet or less from you. Especially for newbies on track. And, yes, the Camaro is the superior track car over the Mustang, in terms of capability and dynamics. I’d have an SS 1LE if I could actually live with it on track (or off). The Cadillac-funded platform is superior… but the styling is it’s downfall. High windows, low roof (too low for many people in helmets) = dumb.
And the Challenger? A huge >4300 pound car on track? It’s absurd, and we almost never see them. It’s a fat tub and you can’t beat the laws of physics.
And, yes I’ve been driving my own cars and students on track for 30 years. That’s what makes the Camaro fatal flaw even more aggravating.
This guy Oppenheiser is some kind of joker. First thing off is that the 6th gen was designed too similar to the 5th gen, people didnt see any major difference between the two. Then they didnt package it properly, cramped interior and still having old legacy problems from 5th gen with high window sill and poor viewing angles. Now because of the superior chassis dynamics and engineering of the 6th gen Camaro, the car is expensive to many people and many 5th gen owners seeing they arent getting anything much different decide to keep their Camaro or switch to a cheaper V8 Mustang.
And Al Oppenheiser didnt see the problem from early? He essentially built a 5th gen with better engineering and driving performance. Not good enough. And to add insult to injury this joker springs a horrid looking 2019 Camaro SS refresh, and when we call GM out on it he behaves like a petulant diva. No wonder Mustang AND Challenger is kicking Camaro’s ass in sales.
I’ve put thousands of miles on each. Saying the 5th Gen is too similar to the 6th indicates you haven’t driven both for weeks at a time.
The 6th is a much more competent daily driver. I loved the 5th gen, but even in my late 20s it left my back aching after driving it long distances. It was practically frightening to change lanes in. I would only buy the convertible 5th Gen to replace my Sky Red Line. And only if I got a good deal.
The 6th Gen however, if it was offered in a true shooting brake, I’d buy and drive daily – eschewing the fact I have a FCA car that is faster, with a lifetime warranty. Gen 6 is a terrific world-beating improvement over a G8 which had two doors cut off rapidly.
Evo wasn’t talking about the driving and even mentioned that it had better chassis dynamics. Read it again. It’s about the similar looks and outward vision that she was critical of.
Styling between last and current gen Mustangs was preserved too. So that’s not a valid argument either.
And diving deeper (on what I said in my original reply), the visibility in the 6th Gen is wonderful compared to the 5th Gen. I would not daily drive a 5th Gen coupe because the rear visibility is terrible… I’d only drive it with the top down on a convertible (with a rollcage, since GM just doesn’t get the importance of that – only reason I don’t have one in my Sky is it would compromise seat length).
The 6th Gen *appears* to have the same outward visibility, but both mirror and rear pillar design was dramatically improved. Centimeters count there, and they put in the right ones. Not to mention the addition of blind spot tech, which I did not use in my long term loaner (thanks GM).
I have to agree with you on the “visibility” angle. I have driven the 5th gen, 6th gen, and S550 Mustang, and frankly the visibility thing is not an issue at all for me (5’11”) although the roof is further forward than I’d like. But the only thing it limits is how late I can stop at a stop light.
In fact vs the Mustang the visibility is pretty much the same between the two. I believe it’s a case of the difference in dash design as well as the intentional bunker appearance of the Camaro exterior, and ‘in the car’ ergonomics of the interior that gives that “impression” of limited outward vision. Add that to the fact that 90% of those on the road don’t have their mirrors set up properly – nevermind their driving position – and I am not surprised people can’t see out of the car…or any car.
GM refuses to offer the same Stage 2 performance tune that won our hearts in the last decade for the LNF. It is bizarre.
And you can say it will cannibalize V6 sales all day long, but at the end of the day, a Challenger with Lifetime Mopar Max Care… is a customer lost for life. Speaking personally here.
Get GMEPP to offer lifetime extended warranties, get Stage 2 warranty-preserving tunes, and stop losing.
First off Al has nothing to do with styling or ergonomics. So if you have complaints on styling find the right person to speak to.
The same applies to price.
Al is a performance engineer. His job is to make it go stop and turn.
As for price Al was given the Alpha platform that is better but more expensive. No5 much he can do in price accept cut so much out you would complain it did not handle or go fast enough.
I know they want to increase Turbo 4 sales. I ponder if this is a prelude to the V6 going away.
Add more pwer to the 2.0 by adding port injection or put a turbo to the 2.4 or 2.5 4 cylinders GM use to other cars.
25-30 years ago if you had better lap times, time slips and overall superior performance in the sports coupe segment you had a sales success. Things like ergonomics, trunk space and even styling didn’t matter as much? Times have changed. The Camaro is currently GM’s “do-it all” performance car? It is expected to compete with it’s typical rivals the Mustang and Challenger, but also Civic, GTI, etc… at lower price points? It’s a tall order in a market moving more and more to CUV’s and trucks. Everyday I see more and more of the audience that used to drive these types of cars clamoring for the lifted trucks, jeeps, etc…Those vehicles are far from cheap, but they sell.
The last sentence is the real problem. People aren’t willing to own two or three vehicles as much as before the Great Recession. Labor costs are much higher today.
In four years of owning a Sky Red Line, I’ve racked up $8,000 in repair bills. You read that right, eight grand – in four years. I would be toast but for the foresight of buying a CNA extended warranty – literally doing the warranty inspection before I bought the car.
This is why I can’t stress enough the importance of offering lifetime warranty extensions. The Challenger has this. People can buy the car and not worry about maintenance. They can have a fun, second car, or third car, without worrying about it becoming a boat anchor on their finances.
That wasn’t the case with the previous F-Body Camaro & Firebird. They were being outsold 2 to 1 against the Mustang even though they outperformed it in every way.
Why do you think it went away for a years before it came back as a movie prop? Performance isn’t everything, it can’t override overall practicality, especially if it’s likely your only car.
If the Camaro is your only car and your require it to be useable for people or cargo then you purchased the wrong car.
Why is this so difficult for people to understand? They think GM needs to change to what they want. It’s the other way around you need to buy a car that fits your lifestyle. So buy a bigger car and stop trying to change the Camaro
The article is complaining about a lack in sales, which is important because if not enough sales, then they stop making the car.
You noticed I mentioned the F-bodies? They stop making new Camaros because they were bad sellers compared to the Mustang. That can happen again, especially with the slowdown in US Muscle car sales. The Mustang is protected from that because they sell so many internationally, which the Camaro doesn’t have the luxury of international sales to support production.
The Camaro was meant to be an affordable performance car that can be used daily, it wasn’t meant to be a Corvette, that’s what the Corvette is for.
The Camaro needs to sell a certain number to be profitable, and in order to do that they need regular folks to be able to afford and want them. To do that, they need to be practical enough to be their only car. The Camaro isn’t doing enough of that.
Camaro sales go down because GM has to spoon feed customers to get them to buy. Making them feel comfortable with buying the Camaro, so there family feels comfortable, customers can haul a truck load, have the Camaro get 50 mpgs, and cost 20k
No one is saying they need to become 2 door Malibus, just more livable for people paying $35,000 – $45,000 for a new car that needs to be their main car.
The Mustang is able to do it, even that old dinosaurs the Dodge Challengersaurus is doing it.
And neither one of those cars can keep up or out perform the Camaro! You can have your grocery getter, kid hauler, I’ll take the performance minded Camaro!
Great, we just need more of you than what is currently out there buying muscle cars.
Like I said, the Camaro & Firebird disappeared after it couldn’t pay for itself even though it outperformed the Mustang, it was still outsold 2-1 against the Mustang.
When the newest muscle car platform is being outsold by the oldest (Dodge), you have issues. If this keeps up, the Camaro may go away like it did before.
One can not compare pre bankruptcy GM to today’s GM in issues. Cars like the Kappa models were built on nothing and hence all the issues they suffered. To be honest it is amazing they were ever built.
As for the FCA cars they sell because they are cheap and have very good marketing. The cars are old, over weight and not real impressive unless you go to the limited High end models.
The federal epa mandated warranty is all thst is needed.
“The federal epa mandated warranty is all thst is needed.”
That’s great. You go try and sell a pony car with only the Clean Air Act warranty on the emissions system. Good luck with that.
This is why people are shocked that GM passenger car sales tanked after the warranty was cut from 100,000 miles to 60,000 miles. We left. I left. I’m glad I did. I’m also not going to stay silent just because GM is not competitive today.
Challenger uptake on the Mopar lifetime is a lot higher than you might think. As someone who has probably talked with Mopar more than anyone not working for/with FCA, I can tell you that performance cars occupy a lot of their time with that Lifetime policy – they had to make a litany of rules for stuff like Scat Pack – but they know it is a powerful winback tool for people on the brink of a decision.
If Alpha is so great and stable, the maintenance costs should be so low that it wouldn’t hurt GM to offer Lifetime GMEPP.
The first thing many who buy these cars do is look for ways to open up the computer to get more power which disables the emissions or tricks them into thinking it is running stock.
Few Camaro and Mustang owners are staying up late at night worried about their emissions.
The O2 simulators were some of the best selling items till the goverment shut them down selling them.
Many of the companies offering 100,000 warranties are companies that have histories of flawed cars like Hyundai and Chrysler.
Sadly when lee added the 100,000 warranty you needed it.
Performance cars occupy the time at Mopar as that is all the cars they have left. Jeeps and truck take even more time.
As for he Alpha it is a great platform but it is expensive. It was not a old hand me down from Benz and is very advanced. This is why there are no Hellcat Lap Times compared to the ZR1 1LE.
When you have good you do not need to smear warranty on it to get the people to play with it.
I am glad you like your Mopar. I have several co workers happy with there’s. The key with all is they got a better deal on it with big incentives. They could not afford the Mustang or Camaro but they could afford the cheaper than a Malibu priced Dodge.
I will agree it is a lot of car for the money as long as you are willing to accept the old platform, weight and recalls.
No one to blame except for Chevrolet itself because the Camaro fails the eye test as the Mustang looks more aerodynamic than the Camaro and this will continue as the 2019 Camaro doesn’t look as aerodynamic as the Mustang counterpart not to mention that the Mustang has a a stronger base engine; these were things that the 2019 Camaro refresh were supposed to address and yet nothing has changed.
That’s a weak angle. in the 80s and 90s no Mustang looked more ” aerodynamic” than the Camaro…and they still sold better…sooooo?
How to outsell the Mustang before the 7th gen: replace the 2.0T with the 2.7T, offer it with the 10-speed, and fix the base model wheel gap/tiny wheel problem.
How to outsell the Mustang with the 7th gen: packaging, ergonomics, and features.
-larger trunk opening
-larger trunk
-larger windows
-lower dash
-lower hoodline
-higher roofline above rear seats
-longer wheelbase with the same body length
–use the extra space to increase rear leg room
-More storage space up front for phone, keys, wallet, etc.
–Put it behind the screen like the Corvette, and a small cubby beside the screen like in my Sonic
-digital dash option, like Mustang
–C8 Corvette is getting a very nice one, as standard…
-wireless charger in front of cabin
-better ambient lighting with more color options
-LED everything!
-lastly, they need to have a single front end design for the SS, LT, and LS. It’s cheaper and makes the car more recognizable. Just, for the love of all things Camaro, don’t make it worse than the new SS front end.
It isn’t easy to do all of this, but it would really pay off in terms of sales and ratings/reviews. Drop the profit margins but increase sales volume. They don’t need more profit, just more sales.
Why are people still trying to force the Camaro to be something that it’s not?
Why can’t people just leave the God dam Camaro alone?
It’s a sports car, muscle car, performance car! That’s it, people who have families, or need cargo space please pick a different car.
Why do people still want a Camaro if it does fit their lifestyle?
The visibility issue that people keep bringing up everytime a article about the Camaro comes up is ridiculous. Maybe GM should hold a class at each dealer to teach drivers how to setup the mirrors on the Camaro so blindspots are not a issue.
If the mirrors are setup correctly then the Camaro drives like any other car.
Make the Camaro lighter, faster, louder and the rest will take care of itself.
They have the best performing car, they chose the right gen (1st) to style it after, the complaints about 5th/6th gen looking too similar are from the know nothings…
The problem, is the “refresh” sabotage team. Ruined the 5th gen after second year, and now the 6th.
Wholesale style changing the front end of a car doesn’t work. GM, with the Camaro especially, would have been well served to learn the meaning of design evolution, IE – Porsche 911. The current SS and base front ends are gorgeous. A little tweaking, sharpening would have sufficed.
I don’t see gluing on polarizing, transformer front ends helping sales. Hurting most likely.
And Al might be the performance engineer, but does anyone believe he doesn’t have any say/pull on the design?? He’s been downright insulting to some die-hard Camaro fans about the refresh.
In reality the sales numbers are being dictated by the cost of the car. The other two performance cars are cheaper, so guess what the cheaper car has more sales.
I disagree, the Mustang is gorgeous. The Challenger, albeit an ill handling outdated chassis… looks the part. Its all muscle car. Both are good examples of refining. I saw, I think it was an Acura? the other day coming down the road, basically the new Camaro front end. What a shame.
Although I have to hand it to GM, they managed to come up with a front end that simultaneously looks futuristic and dated.