Without riling the GTO guys up, I would like to ask this question.
Being neutral about the new style (until I see one in person and sit in it) I have read the magazine articles and everybody's comments (pro and con) with an open mind.
The one bit of information that I do know is that GM discontinued the Camaro/Trans Am models due to a lack of sales.
Now, style-wise, I like the 2001 model Camaros and I guess that this goes for the last model year also. They have a pretty body line, it is RWD and it carried a potent motor if one desired to have one. People argue that it was not road worthy, can't handle the curves and all that. But the suspension could be tweaked to improve it (pardon me here because I'm talking more from what I read).
So, GM discontinues it.
Now, along comes the GTO which is a RWD and has a potent power plant. Aside from the styling, we're just going over old territory.
So, is the GTO supposed to be a car that will be sold for a few years then discontinued for a few years? Cycling in and out?
Is GM trying to play up to the baby boomers (like me) with a "Return of the goat. Get one for your mid-life crisis" marketing plan. If that is the case, they'll lose their shirts. Here, I'm betting that they're after the younger guys who want a GTO but one with the new technology and isn't tied to boyhood dreams.
The old goats were a warmed Tempest so it fit right into the manufacturing scheme. The GTO, now, is a stand alone product.
I cannot see GM being a niche player. A car like the Cavalier or a Honda Civic, which they can sell by the millions, is more of what they are after.
Being neutral about the new style (until I see one in person and sit in it) I have read the magazine articles and everybody's comments (pro and con) with an open mind.
The one bit of information that I do know is that GM discontinued the Camaro/Trans Am models due to a lack of sales.
Now, style-wise, I like the 2001 model Camaros and I guess that this goes for the last model year also. They have a pretty body line, it is RWD and it carried a potent motor if one desired to have one. People argue that it was not road worthy, can't handle the curves and all that. But the suspension could be tweaked to improve it (pardon me here because I'm talking more from what I read).
So, GM discontinues it.
Now, along comes the GTO which is a RWD and has a potent power plant. Aside from the styling, we're just going over old territory.
So, is the GTO supposed to be a car that will be sold for a few years then discontinued for a few years? Cycling in and out?
Is GM trying to play up to the baby boomers (like me) with a "Return of the goat. Get one for your mid-life crisis" marketing plan. If that is the case, they'll lose their shirts. Here, I'm betting that they're after the younger guys who want a GTO but one with the new technology and isn't tied to boyhood dreams.
The old goats were a warmed Tempest so it fit right into the manufacturing scheme. The GTO, now, is a stand alone product.
I cannot see GM being a niche player. A car like the Cavalier or a Honda Civic, which they can sell by the millions, is more of what they are after.