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GM Shocked at Profitability of Camaro, 8 of 10 sold are V8 Powered


GM Shocked at Profitability of Camaro, 8 of 10 sold are V8 Powered

The 2010 Camaro is proving to be far more profitable for GM than they could have imagined, according to a story published by the Toronto Star. That paper managed to catch up with Bob Lutz at the North American International Auto Show and he told them that each sale was $8,000-$9,000 more lucrative for GM than expected.

Lutz also told the paper that more than 80 percent of Camaros sold have been equipped with a V8 engine. We think that totally rules, although the DI V6 seems to be a very capable motor in the power department. Their reliability has been called into question thought with Cadillacs having some teething problems with the DI engine.

The real irony is that GM initially marketed the Camaro to young, eco-concerned buyers who wanted a “green” sports car, not a muscle car. 

The pricing strategy described in the story kind of makes our skin crawl, “Lutz said one of the reasons for the strong profitability is, ironically, fuel economy. GM promoted the V-6, 300-horsepower, more fuel-efficient model with lower pricing and less profit to encourage sales. The company then overpriced the V-8, more powerful, less fuel-efficient model to keep its sales down.”

Keep the sales down? Yep. We’re guessing that was a thought to help CAFE and to hide the V8 from the government as much as possible. Oops. Turns out that Americans want horsepower. Who’d have thought?

LINK: Toronto Star Camaro Story


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