The VE Monaro

[Calaber]

Well each to their own... I like it, but you may think it's ugly.

You drive a VE SV6 and call the Camaro a POS? LOL!!! That's funny. The Camaro is on based on the Zeta platform, same as the VE. So dynamically and as far as it's engineering goes, it's far from a POS!!! Unless of course you think your car is also a POS.

Any thinking behind the Camaro coming to Australia will be based on economics. There is no room for two totally different looking coupes on our market and GM won't be interested in developing the VE coupe for sale in the US as they would be competing with the Camaro and therefore, both would suffer in the sales.

The problem for us is that our market is too small to develop an expensive, Commodore based coupe. The last Monaro demonstrated that. Sales over four to five years in Australia only totalled about 15,000, whilst in the US, despite their generally apathetic approach to the GTO, they sold about three times as many. Another issue is the decline in sales of the Commodore/Falcon sized cars out here. If you can't flog enough Commodores to make the car as profitable as you want, the coupe would only sell to a much smaller section of the market and couldn't be available at an affordable price.

As for manufacturing the Coupe 60 rather than the Camaro, the biggest problem there is the yanks insistence on the retro look. At present, it is huge over there. Look at the Dodge Charger, the 300C, Mustang, ...all modern interpretations of 50's and 60's body styles. They love it! The coupe 60 might sell in sufficient numbers, but GM won't produce them because they would not be sufficiently profitable to do so.

The stories I have read indicate that if there is ever another Monaro, it will be manufactured in the US purely because of the economics.

 

[CSP]

This is the OFFICIAL bottom line from Holden.

Australia will import the Zeta based Camaro.
Australia will not get a new Monaro.

 

[BOY1236]

2.5 MILLION !!! **** ! is this like (2.5 million + one billion(VE))

or the car is ACTUALY 2.5 MILLION ??!

 

[1991_Vn2nV]

Well its based off the VE obviously, but development and build costs for the Coupe 60 alone are 2.5 million dollars.

 

[Cursed CX8]

if the car was 2.5million to buy there would be none on the road coz all the people with that money would buy a veyron. I know i would

 

[Sabbath']

Coupe60 will never be going into production. If there was a new Monaro, it wouldnt look like that. They didnt just get a VT-VX and chop out the rear door.

A properley proportioned one could look nice, but not just deleting the rear door:thumbsup:

 

[1991_Vn2nV]

Coupe60 will never be going into production. If there was a new Monaro, it wouldnt look like that. They didnt just get a VT-VX and chop out the rear door.

A properley proportioned one could look nice, but not just deleting the rear door:thumbsup:

Errr yeah... Cause it cost them 2.5 million just to delete the rear door..Have you actually seen the car in person? Or in decent pics? It looks more different than the last Monaro to my eyes...

Take a look again buddy.

 

[simon.w]

I think those that don't like the Camaro are problem younger guys who don't get the retro-look similarities with the 67-69 models.

Personally, I absolutely love the look of it... but mind you... I'm in looking at a weekend cruiser at the moment... Big Block 67 RS-SS Camaro, so I'm biased.

Saw the Coupe 60 in the flesh at the Adelaide motorshow... a brilliant piece of work by the designers.

Keep in mind that concepts cars are purely a way of exposing and measuring the market feedback... and it can be on all sorts of things... from the trim to the exhaust pipes.

A great example was the Torana that was showcased a few years ago.... take a look at how many styles cues made their way onto the VE.

And then you have efijy.. no way was that ever going to make it onto the production line... despite it's show-stopping effect even at the detroit motor show.

In many cases, this type of visual excitement is designed to show the public that the manufacturer LOVES cars the way that we do... and pours their heart and soul into them.... which in turn manifests itself into our obsession and passion.

It also provides inspiration and pride for the industrial designers... who can sometimes lose their motivation at the hands of accountant-driven penny pinchers.

Maybe if Mitsubishi Australia were allowed the luxury of some concepts they would still be alive today. The 380 is a perfect example of a car designed purely by bean counters... without so much as a drop of innovation or creativity. I'm sure their industrial designers were excellent... problem was, they were never given the opportunity to throw caution to the wind and shine... But then again... that happens when you carry the weight on your shoulders of a do or die altermatum... you think too much and dream too little.

Even the new Ford looks "current" not "new". Think about it. When the VE came out... everyone went "wow... that looks so cutting edge and completely different from the last generation". Mazda got the same response when it launched the Mazda6 in 2002, Ad did even Toyota with the Hilux.

But then there are the cars that come out that look like they "evolved" from the last model, the new falcon, the 380, the camry... and then there are those that look like they just stole their designs off existing cars... the new Imprezza & WRX (cross a Corolla with a BMW120i).. or even the new Mercedes C Class (dare I say... the Koreans used to steal there cues from the Germans.... now it looks like the tables have turned).

Oh you wouldn't be dead for quids... cars and everything associated with them are just so damned fun to discuss and debate.

Here endeth the sermon for the day.

 

[minux]

The interior on the coupe 60 is sweeet. The outside of the car makes me feel sick though.

 

[vicarious]

I think those that don't like the Camaro are problem younger guys who don't get the retro-look similarities with the 67-69 models.



im 31 and i dont like the camaro, i dont mind retro cars but i just dont see it selling well in AUS. as it realy doesnt have the heritage behind it for AUS., had it been replaced buy a new version of the torana that would be a different story. I would buy one of those in a heartbeat, something midsized with the powerplant of the VE:thumbsup: