Chevrolet News:Chevy updates the Camaro for 2020

[Drew Dowdell]

Chevrolet has updated the Camaro for 2020 with some new styling updates and packaging changes.  Most notable is the updated front fascia which received much criticism.

The new front end appearance comes for the SS model based on the Camaro Shock show vehicle that debuted at the SEMA show last fall. The Bowtie emblem is now higher on the grille, and the bar between the upper and lower grilles is now body color.

Also new is a new LT1 model that takes the Camaro LT trim and adds the 455 horsepower LT1 engine.  This makes the LT1 trim the most affordable V8 Camaro with a starting price of $34,995 including destination charges.  The LT1 will be offered in both hardtop and convertible configurations.

Other additions to the LT1 are the vented hood from the SS, black bowtie badges, 20-inch SS style wheels, and an available technology package.

Buyers of the V6 will also see a boost as the engine is now mated to the 10-speed automatic from the SS and ZL1.

Chevrolet has struggled with sales of the Camaro in recent years, often coming in third place in sales behind the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger.

The 2020 Camaro with all of these updates will go on sale in Fall 2019.

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[surreal1272]

Must mean a completely new one is in the pipeline since these are just appearance updates (save for the addition of the 10spd to the V6). Chevrolet needs to do something drastic with the Camaro or it might end up back in the grave like in ‘03. 

[Drew Dowdell]

7 minutes ago, surreal1272 said:

Must mean a completely new one is in the pipeline since these are just appearance updates (save for the addition of the 10spd to the V6). Chevrolet needs to do something drastic with the Camaro or it might end up back in the grave like in ‘03. 

It really depends on what happens with the Alpha platform.  I do wish they'd make the Camaro larger inside.  If Alpha can support a car as big as the CTS, they can make the Camaro somewhat bigger.  That the Challenger is outselling it really says something.

The V6 with the 10-speed is probably a really sweet ride.  I drove the V6 + 8-speed convertible and I found it to be plenty fast.  The V8 is good, but very few people would be disappointed with the V6.

[smk4565]

Cheaper V8 and 10 speed with the V6 are nice updates.  Styling tweaks don’t fix that this was never very good looking any way or that you can’t see out of it.

[Robert Hall]

Not sure what the difference between the new LT1 trim and SS are, other than badges and the front end.   I like that dark red. 

[Drew Dowdell]

6 minutes ago, smk4565 said:

Cheaper V8 and 10 speed with the V6 are nice updates.  Styling tweaks don’t fix that this was never very good looking any way or that you can’t see out of it.

Drove one for a week... I could see out of it just fine. It's actually a very comfortable car to drive once you get into it... it's the getting in and getting out that is an issue. Americans aren't as young as they use to be. 

[smk4565]

5 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Drove one for a week... I could see out of it just fine. It's actually a very comfortable car to drive once you get into it... it's the getting in and getting out that is an issue. Americans aren't as young as they use to be. 

Wouldn’t surprise me if the median buyer age for a Camaro was over 60 either.

[balthazar]

I'm seeing via google that it's 52 for the Camaro, and the average buyer age for all cars is now 53.

[Robert Hall]

Yeah, 2 door sports coupes aren't for 20 somethings like they once were. 

[Drew Dowdell]

6 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Yeah, $35,000 cars aren't for 20 somethings like they once were. 

Fixed that for you.

I think that 20 somethings would buy them if they could afford them. 

[balthazar]

8 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Yeah, 2 door sports coupes aren't for 20 somethings like they once were. 

* new vehicles *

[ccap41]

Chevy needed this so bad on this car. It looked like such a freakin mess before. 

The small changes made a world of a difference. 

[surreal1272]

3 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Drove one for a week... I could see out of it just fine. It's actually a very comfortable car to drive once you get into it... it's the getting in and getting out that is an issue. Americans aren't as young as they use to be. 

I second that. I got a lot of time behind the wheel of them when I worked at a Chevy dealership last year. They are a pain to get in and out of (which is still better than trying to climb in or out of a Vette) but they do sit comfortably and I also had no more of a problem seeing out of one as any number of cars out there. 

3 hours ago, smk4565 said:

Wouldn’t surprise me if the median buyer age for a Camaro was over 60 either.

Not even close. Those folks tend to go for the Corvette which is baffling given that my 46 year old ass has a hard time with entry and exit. To each their own I guess. 

4 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

It really depends on what happens with the Alpha platform.  I do wish they'd make the Camaro larger inside.  If Alpha can support a car as big as the CTS, they can make the Camaro somewhat bigger.  That the Challenger is outselling it really says something.

The V6 with the 10-speed is probably a really sweet ride.  I drove the V6 + 8-speed convertible and I found it to be plenty fast.  The V8 is good, but very few people would be disappointed with the V6.

I was under the impression that Alpha is on the way out. What would that leave for the Camaro if it’s gone?

[Robert Hall]

31 minutes ago, surreal1272 said:

IThose folks tend to go for the Corvette which is baffling given that my 46 year old ass has a hard time with entry and exit. To each their own I guess.  

There were so many older drivers in Arizona w/ Corvettes..such a stereotype...true here in NE Ohio also.   One sight I'll never forget from a few years ago was in Scottsdale...I was sitting at a carwash while my Jeep was going through, see this yellow Corvette C7 Z06 convertible roll up.  A guy that looked to be around 80 opens the door, lifts his walker out of the passenger seat, puts it own the ground then drags himself out of the car into a semi standing position w/ the walker...  I've sat in C7s at car shows, find them hard to get in and out of at 48.  

Edited May 3, 2019 by Robert Hall

[surreal1272]

26 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

There were so many older drivers in Arizona w/ Corvettes..such a stereotype...true here in NE Ohio also.   One sight I'll never forget from a few years ago was in Scottsdale...I was sitting at a carwash while my Jeep was going through, see this yellow Corvette C7 Z06 convertible roll up.  A guy that looked to be around 80 opens the door, lifts his walker out of the passenger seat, puts it own the ground then drags himself out of the car into a semi standing position w/ the walker...  I've sat in C7s at car shows, find them hard to get in and out of at 48.  

LMAO! I witnessed a few of those folks at Sands Chevrolet. I simply don’t get it but I guess 80 year old men need to get laid too. 

[smk4565]

Corvette average buyer is fore sure over 60.

[G. David Felt]

26 minutes ago, smk4565 said:

Corvette average buyer is fore sure over 60.

Probably inline with the average age of the SLR buyer. I have yet to see any of the top end AMG auto's owned by anything less than seniors.

[Robert Hall]

41 minutes ago, surreal1272 said:

LMAO! I witnessed a few of those folks at Sands Chevrolet. I simply don’t get it but I guess 80 year old men need to get laid too. 

Heh-heh...I remember the Sands dealers.. my neighborhood one was Courtesy Chevrolet on Camelback--like their cool signs.. was within walking distance from my house in cool weather.  I remember in the winter walking down there and to the Cadillac dealer across the street looking at cars. 

Edited May 3, 2019 by Robert Hall

[riviera74]

Face it: there is no reason anyone under 35 can afford to buy ANY NEW CAR whatsoever.  The median price of a new car is already north of $37K.  That is ridiculous!  Basically all automakers could stand to build a $12K new car just so that Gen Y and Gen Z will actually buy new cars.  Do automakers not realize that a rising median age for a new car buyer means that they are throwing away an entire generation for at least the next decade?!  Or do they only care about the next quarter's P&L statements?

[oldshurst442]

1 hour ago, surreal1272 said:

LMAO! I witnessed a few of those folks at Sands Chevrolet. I simply don’t get it but I guess 80 year old men need to get laid too. 

What?

They need a Corvette for that?

I thought all they had to do was grab them by the...um...sugar wall?  

 

"You can't fight passion when passion is hot
Temperatures rise inside my sugar walls

 

Let me take you somewhere you've never beeeeeen
I can show you things you've never seeeeeeeeeeeeen
I can make you never want to faallll in love againnnnnn
Come spend the night inside my sugar walls

 

Take advantage, it's alright

I feeel so alive when I'm with yououou
Come and feel my presence, it's raining toniightt
Heaven on earth inside my sugar walls

Let me take you somewhere you've never beeeeeen
I can show you things you've never seeeeeeeeeeeeen
I can make you never want to faallll in love againnnnnn
Come spend the night inside my sugar walls"

 THANK-YOU PRINCE!!!!

AND LET US NOT FORGET ABOUT SHEENA!!! 

 

 

 

[surreal1272]

1 hour ago, Robert Hall said:

Heh-heh...I remember the Sands dealers.. my neighborhood one was Courtesy Chevrolet on Camelback--like their cool signs.. was within walking distance from my house in cool weather.  I remember in the winter walking down there and to the Cadillac dealer across the street looking at cars. 

Used to work up the road from there for years. These days I avoid that area. Too many idiot drivers and too much construction. 

[Robert Hall]

9 minutes ago, surreal1272 said:

Used to work up the road from there for years. These days I avoid that area. Too many idiot drivers and too much construction. 

Yeah, when I left there 2 years ago I was commuting on Camelback to Scottsdale every day...mornings weren’t bad, but the afternoon drive home was awful..45-60 min to go 12 miles. 

[ocnblu]

I would sooo take an LT1 in green with stick if I could swing an older pickup in addition for commuting.

[regfootball]

On 5/3/2019 at 11:02 AM, Drew Dowdell said:

It really depends on what happens with the Alpha platform.  I do wish they'd make the Camaro larger inside.  If Alpha can support a car as big as the CTS, they can make the Camaro somewhat bigger.  That the Challenger is outselling it really says something.

The V6 with the 10-speed is probably a really sweet ride.  I drove the V6 + 8-speed convertible and I found it to be plenty fast.  The V8 is good, but very few people would be disappointed with the V6.

sat in challenger when i was getting oil chaged on the van last weekend.  The challenger is a usable car.  People can sit in the back, you can see in and out of the car, and it has a decent trunk.

Plus, the challenger is AWD available, which helps too.

In short, the recipe for fixing the camaro to help SALES, is

make it usable for people

and add AWD on the options list.  at least for the v6.

[regfootball]

19 hours ago, riviera74 said:

Face it: there is no reason anyone under 35 can afford to buy ANY NEW CAR whatsoever.  The median price of a new car is already north of $37K.  That is ridiculous!  Basically all automakers could stand to build a $12K new car just so that Gen Y and Gen Z will actually buy new cars.  Do automakers not realize that a rising median age for a new car buyer means that they are throwing away an entire generation for at least the next decade?!  Or do they only care about the next quarter's P&L statements?

there are cars available under 20 grand new.  The Cruze was one of them.  But to get further into your point, no one that age will have cash on hand to buy so it comes down to financing.  And if credit arms could make auto loans and believe that the buyers would reliably pay them back, then you would have more available credit.  I had a young coworker a few years ago that ended up buying a new Nissan Versa as his first car rather than a used car.  Nissan had a good first time buyer credit program and the Versa was the right car.  And the guy probably saved a lot of money with a new car under warranty and cheap gas compared to buying a used car he's have to stick a few grand into right away.  Point is, he had a job (he was making 13 bucks an hour) and was still able to make that 230-250 payment.  There does need to be more cars you can get into for that 300 bucks or so a month and so manufacturers do need to get more cars like that to market.  But that i think is where Hyundai / Kia is successful.  At the end of the day, the banks won't give credit to high risk buyers.  So a young buyer has to learn to figure out how to get credit and not ruin it.  It's called adulting.

THere are still quite a few cheap cars available on the market.  Also, lots of 2-3 year old CPO's.  Current body style Cruzes are selling DIRT CHEAP as Cpo's on the market right now.  those would be good cars for that 250-300 a month first  time buyer.  People rip the Cruze but the latest Cruze is a DAMN NICE CAR for anyone looking for a small cheap car, especially a first time buyer.  If you grew up with Chevettes you will understand how nice the Cruzes are by comparison.  

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=512602314&zip=55379&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fsearchresults.xhtml%3Fzip%3D55379%26listingTypes%3DUSED%26maxMileage%3D30000%26sortBy%3DderivedpriceASC%26incremental%3Dall%26firstRecord%3D0%26marketExtension%3Don%26modelCodeList%3DCRUZE%26makeCodeList%3DCHEV%26searchRadius%3D100&listingTypes=USED&numRecords=25&firstRecord=0&modelCodeList=CRUZE&makeCodeList=CHEV&searchRadius=100&makeCode1=CHEV&modelCode1=CRUZE&clickType=listing

 

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=503332117&zip=55379&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fsearchresults.xhtml%3Fzip%3D55379%26listingTypes%3DUSED%26maxMileage%3D30000%26sortBy%3DderivedpriceASC%26incremental%3Dall%26firstRecord%3D0%26marketExtension%3Don%26modelCodeList%3DCRUZE%26makeCodeList%3DCHEV%26searchRadius%3D100&listingTypes=USED&numRecords=25&firstRecord=0&modelCodeList=CRUZE&makeCodeList=CHEV&searchRadius=100&makeCode1=CHEV&modelCode1=CRUZE&clickType=listing

 

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=506614089&zip=55379&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fsearchresults.xhtml%3Fzip%3D55379%26listingTypes%3DUSED%26maxMileage%3D30000%26sortBy%3DderivedpriceASC%26incremental%3Dall%26firstRecord%3D0%26marketExtension%3Don%26modelCodeList%3DCRUZE%26makeCodeList%3DCHEV%26searchRadius%3D100&listingTypes=USED&numRecords=25&firstRecord=0&modelCodeList=CRUZE&makeCodeList=CHEV&searchRadius=100&makeCode1=CHEV&modelCode1=CRUZE&clickType=listing

 

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=513200902&zip=55379&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fsearchresults.xhtml%3Fzip%3D55379%26listingTypes%3DUSED%26maxMileage%3D30000%26sortBy%3DderivedpriceASC%26incremental%3Dall%26firstRecord%3D0%26marketExtension%3Don%26modelCodeList%3DCRUZE%26makeCodeList%3DCHEV%26searchRadius%3D100&listingTypes=USED&numRecords=25&firstRecord=0&modelCodeList=CRUZE&makeCodeList=CHEV&searchRadius=100&makeCode1=CHEV&modelCode1=CRUZE&clickType=listing

 

Civics, Fits, Sentras, Versas are other phenomenal choices for young buyers.

Automakers are shy about leasing to young buyers because they are afraid they will trash the cars.

Edited May 4, 2019 by regfootball

[Frisky Dingo]

I love the idea of this new LT1 model. I've been saying forever they need to do this. This car with a manual would be an awesome fun daily.