2010 Camaro is a Hit for GM

[via NYTimes.com] G.M.’s new Chevrolet Camaro muscle car is winning over consumers looking for a little excitement in a bland landscape of look-alike sedans and watered-down sport utilities.

G.M. sold 9,300 Camaros during the month of June — more than either its entire Buick or Cadillac divisions could muster on their own.

G.M.’s chief executive, Fritz Henderson, and new chairman, Edward Whitacre, plan to offer the Camaro as proof that a comeback is under way.

A product renaissance, of course, cannot be led solely by a retro-styled sports car that harks back to the horsepower hysteria of the 1960s. But in its short time on the market, the Camaro has brought some much-needed buzz to G.M. showrooms. The latest edition of the Camaro is tapping into nostalgia some drivers have for the glory days of the American auto industry.

Its long hood, rakish grille and brawny fenders echo the powerful look of the Camaro in its heyday, when G.M., Ford and Chrysler turned out tire-squealing cars that defined Detroit.

“The cars are coming into the dealerships, getting cleaned up and then delivered to customers almost immediately,” said Karen K. Rafferty, a Chevrolet marketing executive.

She said that G.M. had a six-day supply of Camaros nationally; 60 days is considered the norm in the industry.
That level of demand is rare these days, as automakers choke on unsold inventories in the worst market for new vehicles in the United States in more than 25 years.

“Interest has been phenomenal,” said Paul W. Doddridge, owner of Connell Chevrolet in Costa Mesa, Calif. “It’s the best car they have come out with in years.”

One of his first customers was Scott Wilbur, a 40-year-old elementary school principal who bought a silver V-8 Camaro in June.

Mr. Wilbur had not purchased a G.M. vehicle in a decade, and traded in his Honda Civic hybrid to buy the Camaro.
He even gave up his California-issued sticker to drive in hybrid-only carpool lanes to get behind the wheel of his new muscle car.

“I might not be as environmentally friendly, but at this point I don’t mind waiting in traffic to drive this,” he said.

Mr. Wilbur said the Camaro has improved his impression of G.M. to the point where he has put a deposit down on a Chevrolet Volt, the hybrid-electric model due out next year.