What would Pontiac look like if they brought it back in this environment? Would it be worth it? Car companies have to have a valid business reason today to get cars to market.
As a long-time Camaro afficiando (second only to my love for Oldsmobile), I'm very glad they killed off the Camaro instead of converting it to battery power. Camaros weren't meant for that. Neither was Oldsmobile. This is why I'm glad to (hopefully) never see the names sullied by whatever Frankenstein-istic trash that gm could do to them. GM actually formed the 7th gen Camaro team around the same time they unleashed the 2016 Camaro on the market. But after the EV mandates, they disbanded the team. Camaro was dead.
Chevrolet's "rivals" died on the vine and the main reason was that Corvette is under the bowtie brand. If not for that, I think Chevy lineup would have suffered more greatly over the years. GM tends to cater to two brands, Cadillac and Corvette (chevy). Everything else is expendable. Including Chevys that aren't Corvettes.
Here's the HUGE conundrum IMO: With the unreal regulations of comic-book proportions on fuel economy getting stricter, car companies scrambling (uselessly) to try and make EVs out of everything, and dropping tried and true platforms to do it, and consumers wanting something ELSE than what the gubmint is pushing for, nobody has even TOUCHED the aftermarket. OEM's are reducing in-stock inventory of parts as ways to stop the bleeding of $$ for cars that are out of warranty so they can keep their stock prices afloat. It's amazing how many 5th gen Camaro parts are discontinued so fast. Unless it fits a recent or current car, GM is dropping it from their shelves. I recall still being able to get LOTS of G-body parts past 10 years of the last '88 G to roll off the assembly line. Not so anymore. Ironically, this is pushing prices for low-mile Camaros needing nothing upward.
But then, aftermarket companies are sitting on the sidelines wondering what's going to be more profitable for them. Which means they're hardly doing ANYTHING to support the aftermarket, leaving holes. So your car breaks, and if it's a "tweener" car, you gotta go search junkyards for a used part to fit because aftermarket doesn't make it (at least not yet) and you can't buy a new one at the dealer because they don't stock it any longer.
With the Olds, I'm used to it because they're pushing antique territory. With the Camaros, there's so many unique parts on those things you can't just buy a ton of crossover parts to fit. At least that's one thing that G-bodies have going for them. Plenty of opportunities to fit various makes/models.
It's going to be tougher to be a "motor head" over the next generation. So be glad you're in it while you can. We're the last of a dying breed. Little anectdote to drive the point home: Ran across a "Mustang" guy I hadn't worked with in a long time at a breakfast joint a few weeks ago. He was there with his 20-ish aged son, who was knee-high when I last saw him. The guy asked if I still had the 442s and Hurst/Oldses. I about fell over when his son asked "What's a 442?" And he was serious. Face it, it's over.
As a long-time Camaro afficiando (second only to my love for Oldsmobile), I'm very glad they killed off the Camaro instead of converting it to battery power. Camaros weren't meant for that. Neither was Oldsmobile. This is why I'm glad to (hopefully) never see the names sullied by whatever Frankenstein-istic trash that gm could do to them. GM actually formed the 7th gen Camaro team around the same time they unleashed the 2016 Camaro on the market. But after the EV mandates, they disbanded the team. Camaro was dead.
Chevrolet's "rivals" died on the vine and the main reason was that Corvette is under the bowtie brand. If not for that, I think Chevy lineup would have suffered more greatly over the years. GM tends to cater to two brands, Cadillac and Corvette (chevy). Everything else is expendable. Including Chevys that aren't Corvettes.
Here's the HUGE conundrum IMO: With the unreal regulations of comic-book proportions on fuel economy getting stricter, car companies scrambling (uselessly) to try and make EVs out of everything, and dropping tried and true platforms to do it, and consumers wanting something ELSE than what the gubmint is pushing for, nobody has even TOUCHED the aftermarket. OEM's are reducing in-stock inventory of parts as ways to stop the bleeding of $$ for cars that are out of warranty so they can keep their stock prices afloat. It's amazing how many 5th gen Camaro parts are discontinued so fast. Unless it fits a recent or current car, GM is dropping it from their shelves. I recall still being able to get LOTS of G-body parts past 10 years of the last '88 G to roll off the assembly line. Not so anymore. Ironically, this is pushing prices for low-mile Camaros needing nothing upward.
But then, aftermarket companies are sitting on the sidelines wondering what's going to be more profitable for them. Which means they're hardly doing ANYTHING to support the aftermarket, leaving holes. So your car breaks, and if it's a "tweener" car, you gotta go search junkyards for a used part to fit because aftermarket doesn't make it (at least not yet) and you can't buy a new one at the dealer because they don't stock it any longer.
With the Olds, I'm used to it because they're pushing antique territory. With the Camaros, there's so many unique parts on those things you can't just buy a ton of crossover parts to fit. At least that's one thing that G-bodies have going for them. Plenty of opportunities to fit various makes/models.
It's going to be tougher to be a "motor head" over the next generation. So be glad you're in it while you can. We're the last of a dying breed. Little anectdote to drive the point home: Ran across a "Mustang" guy I hadn't worked with in a long time at a breakfast joint a few weeks ago. He was there with his 20-ish aged son, who was knee-high when I last saw him. The guy asked if I still had the 442s and Hurst/Oldses. I about fell over when his son asked "What's a 442?" And he was serious. Face it, it's over.
