Quote:
Originally Posted by LS1Hawk
Yes. But one could argue that 1) regardless of which car you buy, a sale of a Camaro or a Firebird is ultimately a sale for GM.That's like saying there should have never been a GTO, Chevelle, 442, GS, etc. because those could have been Camaro sales, and 2) GM has an advantage with offering you a Camaro or Firebird vs. a Mustang or a Camaro or Firebird vs. a Challenger.
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Costs go up because you need two assembly lines and paying to double up on a bunch of equipment, materials, and staff. You also have the half million or more to get another car certified through crash testing and everything else even though it is the same car. Then add more shipping locations since not all Chevy and Pontiac dealers share lots. The margin also gets much thinner once you account for re-engineering a new body and bumper supports and everything, come up with a second marketing plan, and do all of the other stuff related to bringing out a new model.
A-body and F-body were vastly different markets, so I dunno where you are trying to go with that.
GM's "Advantage" against the Mustang with two offerings is a myth. It confuses the market and doesn't have an end benefit for either line. Just look at the sales over the 35 years that the F-body went up against the Mustang, the Mustang was the sales leader moving more units than the Camaro and Firebird combined. Also as a single unit, the Mustang has a much better margin and spent many years right along side the F150 as the focus of Ford's profit driving.
GM's big problem has been overlapping model lines for years. There is a lack of image. If something could be done to create a real dividing line between the models, maybe they can make that work. If the difference is a few standard features and $1500 higher sticker price for the Pontiac model, that is just the same old song and dance and won't move enough units to justify the expense.
Either way, if GM doesn't get serious about advertising, none of it will sell anyway. GM has plenty of competitive products to market, just that the general public never hears about them.