Transformers 4 Camaro

[thePill]

I like some aspects of the car. The lower grille definitely looks better and the side skirts look good. The stance is really strange, it's got a crazy staggered look.

Anyhow, this is just a movie car. And transformers at that. They're not exactly going for realistic. It is based on a cartoon afterall.

Here's the thing though bud that we all have to keep in mind...

Chevy won't miss an opportunity to advertise. Initially, Chevy paid $20 million dollars to bump the Saleen S281 Mustang from the "Bumblebee" spot (I'm actually glad they did). Those panels were designed by Chevrolet and, they have every intention on offering the car from the movie to customers SOON. Let's look back on the other movies and see what went into the movie and what happened to the production version.

In July 2007, Transformers was released and used a GTO based Camaro built by Steve Saleen (even had Saleen seats). The 2007 Bumblebee was based on the 2006 Camaro concept. The following year, the production 2010 Camaro was revealed in July '08 and had some minor changes with the exception of the chassis. The T2 Bumblebee had a ZL1 like front fascia with the fog light/brake ducts and that followed up with the T3 Bumblebee using more of a Z28 fascia. T2 came out in Summer '09, two years before the ZL1 and, T3 came out in Summer '11... again, about two years before the Z28 was shown. Although, the T3 bumblebee had more of a '14 refresh feel in the fascia, at least from the bumper down. The grill and headlights were still '10-'13.

Now, moving on to the T4 Bumblebee... It uses the '14 rear end and the side splitters. The front fascia is still unaccounted for. It's too late to advertise the '14 refresh or Z28. T4 is due out July 2013...

That means... Model year 2015 and 2016 will be the T4 Bumblebee. I know most won't agree that they will change anything before a major redesign BUT, Ford did it... and the refresh the Mustang went through was due to falling sales. Where is the 5th Gen right now in sales? Not doing very well at all.

Chevy had just released a statement back when the '14 was shown stating that they are doing more refreshes to keep the product up to speed. Put yourself in Chevy's shoes. The '14 was just released with major negative criticism. Chevy did accomplish the rear end refresh with the front end. That said, the current fascia won't be around very long. Now... Chevy has the 6th Gen coming out in September 2016 (year edited to '16). This gradual direction Chevy is taking the Camaro is merely a pre-stage for the 6th Gen. Look at all the criticism they got for the '14 and now this T4 Bumblebee. Now imagine that harsh feedback in 2016 over the 6th Gen because Chevy stuck with the original, boxy, muscle car look and didn't lube up it's customers... All of the sudden, Chevy's new car is being torn to shreds because the reduction in size, weight, muscle to sport and the 5th Gen's styling has become aged and obsolete... All those changes are too much for the base to handle at once. They risk alienating it's customers in one swoop. The new Camaro carries a heavy task... one in which I believe Chevy cannot pull off.

We all know the '14 refresh was just a bridge to perhaps the '15-'16 or 6th Gen in general. Who here actually thinks Chevy wants the '14 to represent the brand when the new Mustang comes out. They will absolutely need something to defend themselves in the styling department. They are about to get bulldozed...

The jump from '14 to '15 won't be nearly as bad (or costly) as the '13 to '14 was. The only change they are really paying for is the front fascia. OEM crash test standards are expensive AND required when a fascia is swapped. This fascia has already been approved for production if indeed they are changing again before the 5th Gen dies. In my honest opinion (I speak for only myself and none of my affiliates), this T4 Bumblebee is a far better design than the '14 is. This refresh will have greater success at holding on to some of their customers when the S550 comes out.

Does anyone think it's wise to put the current '14 styling against the upcoming S550? If they were indeed serious about the refresh and confident IT would help attract some buyers, they would have released it around the time the S550 is shown. A release almost two years before the S550 is shown will have surely shown a decrease in sales by then (if not already). The Mustang will be NEW and HOT.... and DOPE. The 5th Gen needs to protect itself and the only way to do that is to style the Camaro so people want it again.

Screw the weight, horsepower and anything else you Camaro fans hold dear. The next round is about styling... Because Ford says so... and you see Chevy following the leader as God intended.

Edit: In all seriousness, and this is directly intended for Camaro fans... The Camaro absolutely has to make some changes to the current car or the impact of sales (or lack of) will be devastating to the research, development and production of the next car. I'm not screwing around on this... it's life or death.

Sponsored

 

[Deroxas2.0]

I think I like that. But it's not the "oh my God that's stunning" reaction when I first saw the grainy spyshot of the 5th Gen on Supercars.net all those years ago.

I do like this angle, that's for sure. But it's bugging me.............I have a feeling there's a rendering out there with a similar front end............edited to say...found it! Not identical, but along the same lines

I think I like it better too if only because it has a more rounded, dare I say, more mustang front fascia... I'm talking general shape and curves not the grill. I'm not sure how the camaro fans will react to this but I have a feeling they will react very differently than we as mustang fans are. For me, this looks like a camaro concept with some wild Hot Wheels like looks. A production version would tone it down.

It looks better than the below render at least..

BTW the head lights here are similar as the Transformers one.

 

[thePill]

I think I like it better too if only because it has a more rounded, dare I say, more mustang front fascia... I'm talking general shape and curves not the grill. I'm not sure how the camaro fans will react to this but I have a feeling they will react very differently than we as mustang fans are. For me, this looks like a camaro concept with some wild Hot Wheels like looks. A production version would tone it down.

It looks better than the below render at least..

BTW the head lights here are similar as the Transformers one.

I think the one you posted is 60% of what sees production. 30% will be changed to accommodate the Mustang's direction. The last 10% of changes to that concept will be integration of required or improved equipment.

The Bumblebee reminds me of this 6th Gen concept. Maybe mesh the two together and you could have the 6thGen. The grill is too big in this concept...

 

[evilrazor]

I think its a nice looking car, and is much better than the current gen. The consensus over on the Camaro forums is that it looks terrible.

 

[thePill]

I think its a nice looking car, and is much better than the current gen. The consensus over on the Camaro forums is that it looks terrible.

My concensus is that it looks a lot like Rob Jensen's S197 concept sketches.

Bumblebee Tuna????

 

[Beastie]

I think its a nice looking car, and is much better than the current gen. The consensus over on the Camaro forums is that it looks terrible.

No surprise really. Current owners always hate on redesigns of their car. Outsiders can be much more objective.

I remember when the S197 came out, even then '04 buyers some people complained and hated on it. Obviously some buyers remorse there.

 

[Jarstang]

No surprise really. Current owners always hate on redesigns of their car. Outsiders can be much more objective.

I remember when the S197 came out, even then '04 buyers some people complained and hated on it. Obviously some buyers remorse there.

And same will happen when s550 comes out.:thumbdown: Rinse and repeat

 

[zerot]

The Pill, I just dont see Chevy doing another refresh before their next redesign. They could just package it differently and give it a few more options. Not worth it for just one year and I think regardless they know no refresh will drum up enough enthusiasm to put up a fight against the S550.

Think they'll try to show the 6th generation in Transformers 5? 6?

Ford gonna be in 2 more movies soon. how many is that now?

 

[thePill]

The Pill, I just dont see Chevy doing another refresh before their next redesign. They could just package it differently and give it a few more options. Not worth it for just one year and I think regardless they know no refresh will drum up enough enthusiasm to put up a fight against the S550.

Think they'll try to show the 6th generation in Transformers 5? 6?

Ford gonna be in 2 more movies soon. how many is that now?

It all depends on the amount of sales the '14 accumulates this year. Right now, they are down about 15% from last year with 49,697 in the first half of 2012 vs. 2013 (Jan-June) with 42,312. The last time the first half sales dipped that low (percentage wise) was back in 2011 when sales dropped 14.2%. I heard about the refresh in May 2011 and posted it on Camaro5 http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146772 to try and get some feedback to Chevy before the design was locked down. You will probably see (if you read the thread) I was basically called a liar and an idiot for assuming Chevy would even consider changing the 5th Gen AT ALL. I was initially told the refresh would be out in 2013. The original contingency plan called for three refreshes, each being a two year run. However, I believe the Z28 may have caused the refresh to be delayed or perhaps a spike in sales made them hold off. I believe the Z28 held the '14 refresh back from its original '13 model year debut. Simple reason being that Wixom may have not been able to sustain both Z06 and Z28 production. Another thing to keep in mind is maybe they wanted to see the production 2013 Mustang before they gave it the green light.

That's all behind us now. The fact is, SALES dictate the direction the model goes and how quickly changes are made. Like I said, sales had dropped 14.2% in the first half of 2011 and plans to change the Camaro were put into action immediately. Fast forward to today (almost the exact same time the '14 decision was made May/June), first half sales have dropped 15% and plans of another refresh were drawn up immediately... It's just good business to have a back up plan. Here is the chart of sales broken down by first and second halves.

You will also notice the drop in Mustang sales the same time in 2010... The drop from '10 to '11 was 25% so... the '13 was planned. Even though there was a HUGE spike in sales, the same period previously discussed, plans of the '13 were worked. Due to the production numbers of the Mustang and Camaro, the percentages scale accordingly. So, 25% decrease in Mustang sales are similar to 15% of total Camaro's. The total number of Camaro's is larger overall but, 15% of total Camaro's built and 25% of total Mustang's built are almost equally devastating. So, I believe an equal amount of panic was displayed.

Example: 25% of 75,000 Mustang's produced is 18,750. 15% of 129,000 Camaro's produced is 19,350 (600 car difference). So, percentages do matter but the impact has to be weighed against the total number produced. In this case, both the Mustang and Camaro experienced a similar number of units left unsold. Even though the percentages were different.

Don't believe a word you hear over there. There are even some people claiming to be with the company but had no idea most of the previous events were about to occur... In fact, never believe anything you hear on the internet. I expect people to fact check me just as they should anyone else...

I hope this helps solidify my point and who knows, maybe Chevy thinks the '14 can hold its own for 3 full model years... It will be difficult, this I assure you.

Edit: It's either another 5th Gen refresh (and I suggest they go ahead and make the changes) OR, Michael Bay/Chevrolet didn't want a regular 2014 Camaro used as Bumblebee due to the massive amount negative criticism. In other words, even they don't like the looks of the new car.

 

[Melino]

I find it hard to believe that Ford or Chevy doesn't plan these things years in advance regardless of the sales numbers. Did the '10/'11 sales drop of 25% really bring about the '13 refresh.... it wasn't planned as part of their product roadmap years in advance?

For this transformers camaro, these kinds of changes would really make it somewhere between a refresh and a redesign. Definitely a lot more changes than their last refresh or even a typical refresh. and doing it for just one more model year is really unlikely. I could understand if they did this for '14 and rode it out for the remaining years of the generation. At least then they could get some bang for their buck.

 

[thePill]

I find it hard to believe that Ford or Chevy doesn't plan these things years in advance regardless of the sales numbers. Did the '10/'11 sales drop of 25% really bring about the '13 refresh.... it wasn't planned as part of their product roadmap years in advance?

For this transformers camaro, these kinds of changes would really make it somewhere between a refresh and a redesign. Definitely a lot more changes than their last refresh or even a typical refresh. and doing it for just one more model year is really unlikely. I could understand if they did this for '14 and rode it out for the remaining years of the generation. At least then they could get some bang for their buck.

You are correct... The entire model's life span is drawn out prior to the first year of sales (usually). For example, Rob Jensen had sketched all of the '05-'14 Mustang's prior to 2004 (see sketch art above). The redesigns are probably pre-approved before they are implemented. There needs to be an event though that gets the ball rolling such as a decrease in sales (for styling) and powertrain upgrades are set aside as well.

You are correct though, these "body kits" are done waaaaaay in advanced. However, once a downward trend begins, they green light those changes. This allows them a full year of testing and usually the first year is parts changeover. In this case (and most refreshes) it's just new SMC (sheet molded compound). SMC parts (the front fascia and rear) are contracted separately from the body. The sheet metal comes from a different comany than the SMC does. Therefore, any changes are made at the SMC production level and NOT the manufacturer. This is why the front and rear are always the first to be redesigned... Hardly any re-tooling.

 

[Vickstang]

Doubt we'll be seeing another refresh for the Camaro before the next generation comes out. 6th gen Camaro prototypes should be hitting the roads for testing early next year.

 

[Beastie]

A final year refresh would reek of desperation. The last year of a platform should be about winding down production and going out gracefuly not more sheet metal (and SMC) changes.

And imagine being a 2014 camaro buyer and owning the red headed stepchild design that they basically admitted was a mistake and decided to change after a single year.

 

[MustangMarine]

Just read that this Camaro design is actually a rejected concept design from earlier.

 

[GTsquid]

Just read that this Camaro design is actually a rejected concept design from earlier.

Which one? A concept they showed to the public or just an internal design study type thing?

Sponsored