Does GM Need Another Muscle Car Right Now?

Being the pontificating prognosticator that I am, I just cant seem to forget about an off-hand comment made by a top-level General Motors executive while traveling in the back seat of a Chevrolet Cobalt that I was piloting during the vehicles launch program.

We were discussing the success Ford is having with its new Mustang, and the rumors being bantered about regarding a Chrysler/Dodge LX-based two-door sports coupe that might go by the name of Challenger or Cuda (rumors propagated by unscrupulous automotive journalists such as yours truly), when he asked us what we would think of GM bringing back the Camaro.

Pardon?! Yes, my ears were working properly. He wondered

I just cant seem to forget about an off-hand comment made by a top-level General Motors executive about the possibility of a new Camaro. (Photo: Artists Rendering)

Why

He wondered if my co-driver and I thought a new Camaro might experience the same success as the Mustang, or at least similar success. (Photo: Artists Rendering)

Lets just think about that for a minute. GM scrapped the Camaro in 2002 because the car wasnt capable of achieving six figure sales numbers. The less than ideal situation didnt make retooling

GM scrapped the Camaro in 2002 because the car wasnt capable of achieving six figure sales numbers. (Photo: Artists Rendering)

It makes sense that GM wants to show Ford how to build a muscle car. (Photo: Artists Rendering)

In the meantime, Ford trundled along with its archaic Fox-platform Mustang making a decent profit on each one sold; being that the tooling was paid for so long ago its been a gravy train for the last two decades. When everybody was about as sick of the previous generation pony-car as possible, voila, the 2005 model was born and is kicking muscle car dust in every competitors windshield.

So it makes sense that GM wants to show Ford how to build a muscle car. The problem the automaker faces, however, is the same one it did back when it discontinued the Camaro/Firebird duo, a lack of rear-drive platforms.

Bob Lutz has been quoted as saying, "Were going to take another look at high performance rear-wheel drive." (Photo: Artists Rendering)

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