When I read Autoblog’s post on the one-month delay to production of the new Camaro, I decided not to blog it. AB said a notice had been sent to Bow Tie dealers pinning the delay on their desire to assure quality control. I manually lowered my arched eyebrow and got on with the other business of the day. But now, scanning Automotive News [AN, sub], it seems that the delay isn’t quite as straight forward as I thought it wasn’t. “It’s due to a variety of factors that I’m not going to get into, but it’s nothing to be concerned about,” [GM spinmeister Terrance “I’m not a Dickens character”] Rhadigan said. “We’re still going to build every one we can, and we’re excited to get them out.” In a strange turn of events, AN fingers a previous flagged supplier “issue”– despite GM’s denial. “Automotive News reported in late December that GM is suing Cadence Innovation, a supplier of interior parts that is liquidating, to get machines and parts needed to make the Camaro. GM provided equipment to the supplier to make the Camaro parts, a standard industry practice. GM has said if it didn’t get the production equipment back by Jan. 12, the start of Camaro production would be delayed. Rhadigan said the postponement isn’t connected to the Cadence dispute.” So why mention it? Is AN beginning to lose patience with GM?
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If GM is to hold their newly appointed supplier to the required process quality standards for release of these parts for production level approval, and they “don’t have the tooling by the 1-12-09 then that March timeframe is OUT the window. If GM does not have the tooling that means the new supplier does not have the tooling. All the key milestones that need to be met once the supplier has the tooling will take at the least 3 months and frankly . . . that is pushing it.
That supplier by GM’s standards will have to submit to manufacturing requirements demonstrating robust processes that require accelerated environmental and destructive tests as well as appearance testing for color and surface grain/texture. This ensures end user quality and satisfaction.
Let’s say GM allows that supplier to cut corners, now you have warranty issues for wear, durability and. appearance. Other results of corner cutting would be if the said vehicle was in an accident and the material that part is made from fractured or fragmented and injured that driver or passenger, now a discovery investigation is conducted to see if all the testing was preformed to qualify the material/part and process that allow the parts released for production.
I could be wrong but I don’t see March as realistic.
”It’s due to a variety of factors that I’m not going to get into, but it’s nothing to be concerned about,”
I love the transparency that our taxmoney is buying.
These will probably totally destroy demand for the G8, so GM might not be in that much of a hurry.
On the other hand, since demand for the G8 seems to be zero maybe GM should hurry and get the Camaro out.
Yeah, the G8 has no demand. GM and Pontiac fans wanted a new Firebird twin to the new Camaro, not another Aussie car (no matter how good it is).
The Camaro has it’s own loyal base and built in market like the Mustang. They’ve been waiting for years but they don’t seem to be too stressed about waiting one more month.
The Camaro has it’s own loyal base and built in market like the Mustang. They’ve been waiting for years but they don’t seem to be too stressed about waiting one more month.
They’re not going to be stressed to wait another year. Or 5.
If the Camaro ever does hit the showroom floor, and it does look like it might, GM will be lucky to sell 15-20K of them this year. I know there’s 10K who have to have them, and still have the readies. Everybody else will be an optional buyer. Which means when the Chevy dealer wants sticker +5K, they’ll walk.
The Camaro market is much closer to the Challenger than the Mustang.
If they are smart they will just delay this indefinitely. The market for this will be embarassingly tiny at first, and then nonexistent.
Is it just me, or does the one on the right look a lot better than the new one on the left??
There’s no way it will only be a month IMO. I feel sorry for all the fanboys who put down deposits and are waiting. Pop open a beer fellas, it’s going to be a while.
Does this mean I shouldn’t camp out at the Chevy dealers front door? I had my sleeping bag and thermal underwear all laid out. I also just got delivery of my Esteban limited edition Camaro guitar. Should I return it or put it on e-bay?
Unfortunately I am not kidding. I love Camaro’s and my first car was a 68 with a powerslide I mean glide. I do believe this car will do better then every one thinks. Especially if the gas prices are where they are now during launch and post launch!
SWComp: “Is it just me, or does the one on the right look a lot better than the new one on the left??”It’s not you.
OTOH, when comparing a new Mustang with a ’68 fastback and a new Challenger with a 1970 E-body, the new Camaro versus the 1969 version comes out looking the best of the three ‘retro-mobiles’.
Assuming that the Camaro depends on a big first-year “pop” (with a large proportion of expensive and profitable top-line models) to compensate for an expected sharp roll-off in sales over the remaining life of the vehicle, then GM may not be all that interested in rushing it into a market where it’s just about guaranteed to produce underwhelming sales.
Regardless, rumors out of Warren say that there are several issues being ironed out with Camaro. Seeing as how this is the first Zeta being built in N/A, this shouldn’t be a surprise.