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GM to Focus on Chevrolet, and the Camaro, for Superbowl Marketing

admin — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:57:45 +0000

Typically GM buys a few Superbowl ad spots and distributes them amongst their various vehicle lines(even though they took a 2-year hiatus during the economic recession while they rebuilt their company's economic standings), but this year the Chevrolet will be their only focus. Chevrolet has purchased five 30-second commercial spots during the big game (and an additional 30 second post-game spot), and will use that time to advertise their Cruze, Volt, Silverado HD pick-up truck, and their new Camaro Convertible. As for what these commercials will be is still a mystery, as Chevrolet has not followed the suit of some competitors who have begun sharing their Super Bowl ads on websites like Youtube. Being the biggest marketing stage in the country (and, arguably, the globe), you can be certain that new advertisements are being made for each of the vehicles to highlight their most desirable aspects. In addition to these commercials, Chevrolet has also put together a deal with the Super Bowl itself, and will be handing over the keys to a brand new Camaro Convertible to the MVP of the big game.

This specific advertisement spot, the Super Bowl MVP gift, may be an even bigger deal than the commercials, honestly. The commercials have to be fantastic to really stand out from the Super Bowl crowd--which will be littered with other vehicles, as well snack foods, paper products, website services, and other items--but by giving the keys to the Super Bowl MVP, Chevrolet is allowing the Camaro Convertible to stand alone, separate from the crowd, and be judged less on the commercial and more on the beauty of the vehicle. Also, knowing that the Super Bowl MVP will be driving a Camaro will certainly raise interest towards it among that team's fanbase, who will undoubtedly view either that Steeler or Packer as a bit of a hero.

Of course, the decision to advertise Chevy products only (and ignore Cadillac, Buick, and GM) is the most interesting aspect of this entire deal. It makes business sense, as Chevrolet makes up over 70% of GM sales, but also leaves some of the company's most desirable vehicles (most notably, for me at least, the Cadillac CTS-V) out of the lurch. While the majority of the Cadillac, Buick, and GM line-up lacks the press and popularity that really necessitate a Super Bowl ad spot, a few of their vehicles could really benefit from such, especially again the CTS-V which has gotten lots of press for its style, luxury, and incredible performance. Whatever the case, GM is approaching the Super Bowl with a renewed excitement after their hiatus away from it (a hiatus that broke up a 15-year run of Super Bowl advertisement), and you should expect the Camaro Convertible to compete against the Budweiser Clydesdales, Doritos snack explosions, Hyundai sheep, GoDaddy's half naked women, and others for being amongst the big events most memorable commercials.

Camaro Officially Outsells The Mustang in 2010- Ends Ford’s 24 Year Reign Atop the Pony Car Market

admin — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:04:43 +0000

For close to a quarter-century Ford has maintained a stronghold on the American Pony Car market with its Mustang, but 2010 was the year that all changed. In the first full year of sales for the Camaro revival, the Mustang was unseated from its throne.

In 2010, the Camaro sold 81,299 to the Mustang's 73,716. That, ladies and gentlemen, is not only a victory, but a solid one at that. Of course, neither vehicle was ultimately hurting, as each saw their sales increase from the year prior. The Camaro by an impressive 32%, and the Mustang by 11%. This should not come as any news, however, as the Pony Car race has bolstered, and even been a large part of the revitalization of the American automotive industry. This is surprising, as it comes at a time when lawmakers are trying to push the American public towards the antithesis of the Pony Car-smaller, more fuel efficient, less powerful vehicles, like the Chevy Volt.

Of course, Ford contributes their loss in the sales race to the fact that this was the first full year of sales for the Camaro. This accreditation lacks the foresight of the fact that the Camaro performed this impressive feat with basically only two models on sale. The Mustang, however, had 7 vehicle models in its line-up. With the release of the Camaro and Camaro SS Convertibles this year, as well as the Z28 in the near future, one might speculate (with relative safety) that the Camaro will begin a new reign atop the vehicles sales race in their class. Further proof towards this are the numerous accolades and awards that have been bestowed upon the Camaro since its release. Whatever the case may be, 2010 was a great year not just for the Camaro, but for American Pony Cars in general, and the future only looks like it will be even brighter.

Camaro Convertible Release Information

admin — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 20:03:06 +0000

Chevrolet is planning on publicly unveiling the 2011 Camaro Convertible at the LA Auto Show next month. The high profile event should provide a lot of press for the vehicle and make pre-ordering it an easy, albeit slow going, task. I imagine there will be a pretty long wait-list for a while with the vehicle as, already, its profile is pretty big.

Before the show, though, Chevrolet has released some pertinent information concerning the vehicle:

The Camaro Convertible will arrive at dealerships in February of 2011
The starting price for the Camaro Convertible will be $30,000
On top of the $30,000 cost there will also be an $850 delivery charge
The Convertible will be available in both RS and SS versions

Stevenson Camaros Take 1st and 2nd at Final Grand-Am GT Race of Year

admin — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 21:11:51 +0000

The Stevenson Camaro racing team had slowly improved all season. Race by race their performances improved, including a couple top 3 finishes and a pole in early races. All season though, a victory had eluded the premiere Camaro racing team. All season, until Saturday that is. On Saturday, 9/11, Stevenson Camaro showed just how much promise the 5th Generation Camaro has a racing-performance car by taking both 1st and 2nd place at the Grand-Am Rolex Utah Race.

Taking first is always impressive and taking second is never something to scoff at, but for a team to take both first and second with two of the same car, that's simply incredible. A great high-note to end the Grand-Am GT season, and a huge boost for the Stevenson Camaro team looking forward to next year's race season. Congrats Stevenson and congrats Camaro, this is a great sign of things to come.

SpeedTV even posted the last lap of the race online, so you can watch these two Stevenson Camaros in all of their glory:

Eric Berry Camaro and More Z28 Test Photos

admin — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 20:48:56 +0000

The first bit of news concerns the twin-supercharged 1200 HP Camaro that Eric Berry, the new Kansas City safety out of Tennessee, had built for himself. When originally selected by the Chiefs, Berry was ushered to a press conference. There he was asked what he wanted to do. His response was, very coolly, "I really just want to get the 2010 Camaro. I love Chevy." Now, I imagine Eric was probably paid a little something to say this, but he later rang true on this promise. Eric recently received his own custom, $139,000 Camaro, to add him to the growing list of celebrities driving around in America's favorite muscle car. And now, you too can have an Eric Berry Camaro for just $139,000. At his newly created website, www.eb29.com, Eric Berry goes in to great detail about what it took to create his custom Camaro from start to finish, and the process is pretty impressive. At the end of the Camaro page, he is asked why he loves Camaros, and writes:

"On the field, I like for my game to speak for itself. I think Camaros and I share similar qualities...they are fast, powerful, stylish and tough without trying too hard. That's my style. I've always loved Camaros and I'm excited to be a part of this project with National Speed, Inc. I'm especially proud that proceeds from the sale of the NZ-1200EB will benefit my foundation so that kids can have safe places to play and compete. Check back for progress on the NZ1200-EB, I'm excited to show you the finished product."

So see, you can put some $$ in Eric's pockets and help the kids at the same time! In all honesty, Eric's Camaro is pretty awesome and worth a look.

Moving past that, a Camaro5 Forum member recently found himself the beneficiary of a "right place, right time" situation when, driving through the streets of Coronado, he came across a pack of Camaro test mules. Leading the pack were two Z28 mules with camo hoods that appear to be hiding some sort of massive hood cowl. The vehicles look great (as is to be expected) and definitely do a good job of showing off how great the Camaro can look. I just can't wait until the Z28 is out and available to the public.

Camaro Gets Sales Revenge on the Mustang

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:40:28 +0000

Well, the Mustang sales incentives for the 2010 models are dwindling, and the Camaro not only reclaimed it's spot at the top of the sales heap, and it did so with bravado. Last month Mustang outpaced the Camaro in sales by a grand total of 3 units. That was the third month in a row (and, only the third month period since the Camaro release) that the Mustang had outsold the Chevroley monster. A total of 3 units is a small small victory. A total of 751 units is a large victory though, and that's the margin by which the Camaro outsold the Mustang in August.

Chevrolet had official sales numbers of 6,321 Camaros. Of course, they produced 10,252 units in August, which means they're preparing for the more busy months ahead with the 2011 gaining reputation quickly as an improvement on the unanimous best new car on the road. Ford did move an impressive 5,570 units in August though. This number was a 26% drop off from the month prior, but was still solid for the generally slow month of August. In all, this is great news for both Ford and Chevrolet and speaks highly of the product being built and sold by these American Automotive companies right now. Hopefully, they'll continue to innovate and excite with their work in to the near future.

Ultimate Factories Camaro Episode

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:09:49 +0000

If you get the National Geographic channel, you may have seen this already. If you don't get it, or don't watch it, this is definitely worth a watch. Their show "Ultimate Factories", which highlights advanced and impressive factories around the world, recently did an episode on the Chevy factory where the Camaro is produced. It's incredibly informational, and a great and interesting watch, to see how the Camaro is built. I actually learned a lot about my Camaro by watching this, and enjoyed it the entire way. It's a long watch, but totally worth it. Enjoy!

More GM Marketing News

admin — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 19:16:49 +0000

In business it is typically understood that when profits drop, marketing allotments are one of the first things to follow. So, the recent news that GM is ramping their marketing budget back up to pre-deficit numbers must be a good thing! This year GM will see a rise in their marketing budget of 5%. That number is also, surely, a testament to the faith that the company has in their new head of marketing, Joel Ewanick. Ewanick has been with GM right around 3 months now, and in that time has begun to make large strides forward. The first major sign of his progress was the recent Corvette ZR1 national ad campaign which began, but that is just the beginning. This year will also mark the beginning of a new, full-scale, Camaro marketing campaign. This campaign presents faith in both Ewanick and the Camaro, and is a positive sign for GM moving forward. Ewanick has also announced that GM, and specifically the Chevrolet brand, will be returning to the Super Bowl. Last year, during their financial troubles, GM sat out the Super Bowl marketing blitz completely. The return this year presents more positive news for the company's economic outlook. Rounding out Ewanick's big moves is his new Cadillac marketing scheme which will begin this year. Cadillac is being given a new brand slogan, and with this new slogan will come a national marketing campaign as well. The slogan, "The new standard for the world" is catchy, but a little long-winded. I am no marketing genius, mind you, but I can't help but wonder if simply "The new standard" isn't a catchier slogan. It seems to me that adding the "for the world" at the end of it creates a little redundancy. Of course, the second part may be included to highlight Cadillac's high-end performance battle with companies like BMW and Mercedes. Their CTS-V, which puts of 556 HP stock and provides an incredible combination of luxury and performance, and definitely put a little fear in the eyes of BMW and MB as it outperforms equivalent priced vehicles from those competitors line-ups (see BMW M3, 5 Series, and MB S-Class). All in all, this set of news coming from GM and their new head of marketing is incredibly positive and points towards fairer pastures ahead. Here's to you, Mr. Ewanick, and the bright future you bring.

Someone Knows No Moderation

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:05:17 +0000

In a truly beautiful exercise of excess, someone (with way too much money) has put hundreds of man hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars (you read that right) in to their Camaro. No, this Camaro is not made of gold (but that might be cool). This Camaro has every modification imaginable on it, puts out 1400RWHP and 900+ Lbs Torque, and is an entertainment system on 4 wheels. It's an excessive amount of money, but it comes out to an awesome result. The Camaro's gorgeous (as always) even if the wing on the back is as excessive as the price tag. A very cool Camaro, with very cool mods. Below is a complete mod list as well as photos, click the small thumbs for larger images:

$320,000 Camaro
Power: 1400whp with 900lb-ft (est.)

ENGINE
GM 6.0L LSX V8

ENGINE MODIFICATIONS
Turbonetics hybrid 91mm
Twin Turbonetics Duo 35 Blow-off Valves
Twin Turbonetics RG 45 Wastegates
Twin Spearco cores with custom end tanks
Vibrant Piping used was all 304 stainless
Custom 5-inch downpipe
Custom 3-inch dual exhaust
Custom aluminum sheet metal intake manifold
Custom exhaust manifolds
Custom charge piping
Flex-A-Lite radiator and fan combo
Custom stainless coolant piping
Custom transmission and oil cooling radiators and lines
Injectors 2150cc Fuel injector clinic
Aeromotive A1000 (x2)
Aeromotive pro series EFI FPR
Aeromotive fuel controller
Earl’s SS lines
custom fab fuel rail
custom built aluminum fuel cell with scavenger built in

DRIVELINE
TCI custom built 4l80e Transmission and stall torque converter
custom back half Carbon Fiber tub
custom made 4 link trailing arms
factory unibody rails extended and strengthened
Moser 9-inch rear end fabricated to accommodate rear suspension parts
Moser axles
custom driveshaft
shaved holes and smoothed undercarriage ...all painted
QA1 coilovers

WHEELS, TIRES, BRAKES
STRUT 22x10-inch front with 3-inch
STRUT 24x15-inch rear with 7-inch
Pirelli P Zero 265/35R22 front
Pirelli P Zero 405/25R24 rear
Baer 6-piston 355mm all around

INTERIOR
Custom fabricated and reupholstered front seats
Custom fabricated rear seats
Reshaped door panels for speakers
Custom headliner
Custom rear inner quarter panels
Redesigned dash and center console (relocated factory heater and controls)
Auto Meter gauges: fuel, boost, wideband, oil pressure
Imported Italian leather with custom hand stitched (baseball stitch) interior
Custom integrated roll cage with seat belt inserts
Sparco 5-point front harnesses
Sparco 4-point rear seat belt
Carbon by design hood
Carbon by design trunk
Carbon by design radiator cover
Custom carbon panels in trunk, floor, rear tubs etc.
Custom carbon wing (pro stock style)
Custom carbon rear bumper diffuser
Custom Carbon Rear Tub

EXTERIOR
Custom side skirts dropped 1 1/2 front 3 1/2 rear (to accommodate difference in tire height)
Channelled rocker and floor to accommodate side exhaust
Redesigned custom front bumper
Redesigned custom rear bumper
STRUT Carbon fiber Camaro Front Grille
Shaved side markers front and back
Custom PPG Nexa water based black cherry paint

AUDIO & MULTIMEDIA
Pioneer AVIC-Z110BT - Flagship In-Dash Navigation AV Receiver with DVD Playback and Built-In Bluetooth
Pioneer Premier:
TS-C720PRS 6.75-inch Component Speaker Package
PRS-A900 4-Channel Bridgeable Amplifier
PRS-D2000SPL Competition-Level SPL Class D Mono Amplifier
TS-SW1201S2|S4 12-inch Shallow-Mount Subwoofer (x4)
ND-BC20PA Rear View Camera with Visual DSP
Apple Mac Mini with 3G and WiFi

Maybe this Z28 Thing is Real this time…

admin — Mon, 31 May 2010 15:11:42 +0000

Well, according to the usually reliable MotorTrend, when interviewing the GM VP of Global Engineering he recently divulged that the Camaro Z28 would be a real thing. It seems that Karl Stracke is filling in the shoes of the old Bob Lutz and giving up GM's secrets to the media. Stracke's a pretty interesting character himself, as he drives a Corvette Grand Sport as his daily driver and rides a Harley, and is by no means afraid to speak his mind. He recently spoke out against the Cobalt, calling it "horrible" and questioning how it ever passed multiple departments and was considered a good idea.

Well, Stracke also spoke his mind in a number of other ways recently. He claimed that the Camaro Z28, and Next-Gen Camaro as well, would be utilizing the new GM Alpha-Platform. Having his confirmation of the definitive nature of the Z28's future is definitely a good thing for all of us Camaro fans, as anything less than that up to now could reasonably be considered ridiculous postulating from less than informed sources (I've been very very skeptical of all the various Z28 reports up to now, as they tend to be various forum members from one website or another claiming they know a guy who knows a guy who saw a tester, or something similar). Going beyond this, Stracke also talked about how Cadillac is gunning directly for BMW, saying that they don't want to settle for being anything less than the top-dog. He said that in reaching for this, they're making moves across the entirety of GM to improve their interior style and design, and to take cues from the Audi line of vehicles in that department. Stracke also stated that engineers were currently discussing a potential Hybrid Diesel or Rotary for the next-generation Chevy Volt.

All in all, pretty interesting information from an interesting character, and a seemingly solid admission of proof to the future of the Camaro and the Z28.