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Rising from the Ashes
A new Camaro will be reborn in 2007, but getting there won't be easy.
By Guy McCoy , JOHNNY HUNKINS
Photography: Kris Horton , Martine Gingras , General Motors
Photography: Kris Horton , Martine Gingras , General Motors

On August 29, 2002, a bright red Chevrolet Camaro Z28 rolled down the assembly line at General Motor's Ste. Therese plant outside Montreal, Quebec, ending 35 years of automotive history. When this car rolled off the assembly line, GM handed the pony car market over to its archrival, the Ford Mustang. Since that time, not only has Ford had the pony car market to itself, almost as if to spit on the grave of GM's F-bodies, Ford displayed a concept version of the next new Mustang a matter of months later.

This picture says it all--the Ste.Therese,
Montreal plant which made the Camaro and
Firebird is being demolished. Under terms of
a Canadian Auto Workers union contract,
the 2.1 million square foot facility (Quebec's
only auto plant) is the only location allowed
to build Camaro and Firebird.
Montreal plant which made the Camaro and
Firebird is being demolished. Under terms of
a Canadian Auto Workers union contract,
the 2.1 million square foot facility (Quebec's
only auto plant) is the only location allowed
to build Camaro and Firebird.
From the time the Camaro and Firebird were introduced in September 1966, they developed a cult following. While GM's F-body had its ups and downs, it became a mainstay at Chevrolet and Pontiac showrooms. Over the years it was everything from a limited-production big-block muscle car to an underpowered 4-cylinder economy car, much like the vehicle GM's F-bodies were a response to, the Ford Mustang. With that kind of history, it almost seems unthinkable GM would discontinue it, yet they did.

An interest-free $220 million loan from the
Canadian government and $100 million in
tax breaks were supposed to keep the
plant open until 2017. We can see why GM
doesn't want to talk about Camaro--it's a
sore spot with Quebec's seven million taxpayers.
Canadian government and $100 million in
tax breaks were supposed to keep the
plant open until 2017. We can see why GM
doesn't want to talk about Camaro--it's a
sore spot with Quebec's seven million taxpayers.
The Cover Story
Publicly, GM blamed slow sales, a deteriorated sports coupe market, and plant overcapacity. John G. Middlebrook, GM vice president and general manager vehicle brand marketing and corporate advertising pointed out at the time that the sport coupe market combined with the increasing popularity of trucks and excess manufacturing capacity made the decision to discontinue the Camaro and Firebird unavoidable. Yet the crosstown rival Mustang was selling extremely well, at roughly 150,000-plus cars per year. Still, even up to the very end, Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird comprised the second-best selling car body in its class. Chevrolet's Camaro--which will be the primary focus of this article--is also one of GM's best-known names, right up with Corvette, and as easily recognizable as the Mustang name. Seems Camaro could have continued with simply a new model. What happened?
With Camaro's rich heritage, it's hard to
imagine it being gone after 35 years.
There's a lot of equity in the name and
there's even a brand new platform to build
it on, so the big question is, can GM afford
to bring the name back and risk the legal
wrath of the CAW and the Canadian
government? A good-faith effort on the part
of GM to cover Quebec's lost jobs would go a
long way toward making the Camaro name return.
imagine it being gone after 35 years.
There's a lot of equity in the name and
there's even a brand new platform to build
it on, so the big question is, can GM afford
to bring the name back and risk the legal
wrath of the CAW and the Canadian
government? A good-faith effort on the part
of GM to cover Quebec's lost jobs would go a
long way toward making the Camaro name return.
GM isn't willingly giving out information on this, but there's been a lot of speculation over the past couple of years, ranging from the pretty logical to the somewhat bizarre. On various internet sites, disgruntled fans post everything from "GM wanted to make trucks instead" to "GM didn't care about the car" or that GM's Brand Management from outside the auto industry had little to no experience.

The late '90s brought hard times on the Camaro,
but you wouldn't know it from the many Camaro
and Firebird concepts rolled out at the SEMA show
year after year. Here GM CEO Rick Wagoner reveals
one of the later LT1-powered concepts circa 1996.
He's smiling, but the writing is already
on the wall for the F-body.
but you wouldn't know it from the many Camaro
and Firebird concepts rolled out at the SEMA show
year after year. Here GM CEO Rick Wagoner reveals
one of the later LT1-powered concepts circa 1996.
He's smiling, but the writing is already
on the wall for the F-body.
It would seem the lack of commitment from GM management would be the most plausable. Next to the Mustang, the F-body seemed stuck in time. In the fourth-gen F-body's lifetime (which ran from 1993 to 2002) Ford saw fit to give the Mustang two body revisions and three special editions that were more than a paint and trim job (the Cobra, Bullitt and Mach 1).

Camaro fans will remember that GM touted
the new-for-'93 Camaro as the best-built
Camaro ever. The Ste. Therese plant was
updated for the 1993 model year with
state-of-the-art manufacturing technology
which improved build quality, fit and finish,
and paint quality measurably over
the previous third-gen model.
the new-for-'93 Camaro as the best-built
Camaro ever. The Ste. Therese plant was
updated for the 1993 model year with
state-of-the-art manufacturing technology
which improved build quality, fit and finish,
and paint quality measurably over
the previous third-gen model.
There is a lot of frustration in trying to get an accurate picture of the Camaro and Firebird's future. GM has refused to discuss it in the way they have discussed future Cadillacs, the recently introduced Corvette, or their move towards rear-wheel drive in many of their future cars such as Buick, Pontiac or Saturn. Ask about GTO, and you'll hear that it's going to be a part of Pontiac's line-up for some years to come. Ask about Camaro, and you get the feeling the GM reps want to run for the door.

The fourth-gen Camaro was given the
highest crash rating due to its excellent
occupant protection. The upgraded
manufacturing technology at Ste. Therese
allowed for Camaro (and Firebird) to offer
class-leading safety at a bargain price due
to it being a derivative of the previous
third-gen model. Nevertheless, the F-body
was too dated and couldn't be updated to
satisfy future safety standards for any
reasonable amount of money.
highest crash rating due to its excellent
occupant protection. The upgraded
manufacturing technology at Ste. Therese
allowed for Camaro (and Firebird) to offer
class-leading safety at a bargain price due
to it being a derivative of the previous
third-gen model. Nevertheless, the F-body
was too dated and couldn't be updated to
satisfy future safety standards for any
reasonable amount of money.
The Plot Thickens...
In the late '90s, GM was moving headlong into front-wheel drive passenger cars, save Cadillac's future carline and the Corvette. GM put more of its resources into trucks and SUVs at the expense of cars. All of which most likely played a role in the demise of the F-body. Amidst this trend away from RWD, there was unusual secrecy involving the Camaro name, and the future role of GM's Ste. Therese plant. It's virtually impossible to know all the forces that were in play, but searching through tidbits in news stories and putting the pieces together points to a difficult future for the next Camaro, possibly even causing problems with using the name again.
Finally, in 2002 the Camaro went out
not with a bang, but a whimper. The
35th Anniversary Edition was nothing
more than an overpriced wheel/stripe
package with an embroidered
"trophy mat" in the trunk.
not with a bang, but a whimper. The
35th Anniversary Edition was nothing
more than an overpriced wheel/stripe
package with an embroidered
"trophy mat" in the trunk.
Back in 1987, GM initially planned on closing its Ste. Therese assembly plant, which would've put thousands of employees out of work. Opened in 1965, Ste. Therese was Quebec's only automotive assembly plant, and was a key contributor to Quebec's economy. The Quebec government was willing to go the extra mile to keep it open. Both the government of Quebec and the government of Canada along with the local Canadian Auto Workers union stepped in with an almost irresistible package for GM. The governments granted GM a 220 million dollar (Canadian) interest-free loan, payable in 30 years. Both the Quebec and Ottawa governments each contributed 110 million each. GM also was awarded over 100 million dollars in tax breaks to keep the plant open.
This basic agreement helped the Ste. Therese plant win the exclusive mandate from GM to produce the Camaro and Firebird. There has been a lot of speculation on this in various F-body enthusiasts circles, but in a statement regarding labor relations, this arrangement is stated clearly on GM Canada's own media information website: "GM of Canada's Ste. Therese, Quebec plant has the exclusive General Motors mandate to assemble Chevrolet Camaros and Pontiac Firebirds."

The Camaro's stablemate, the Pontiac
Firebird, suffered a similar fate to the
Camaro. In 2002 it was ignominiously
buried with a wheel/stripe package.
Early engineering prototypes of the TA
anniversary package had an LS6 engine
which we even drove, but which
never made production.
Firebird, suffered a similar fate to the
Camaro. In 2002 it was ignominiously
buried with a wheel/stripe package.
Early engineering prototypes of the TA
anniversary package had an LS6 engine
which we even drove, but which
never made production.
At first blush, it could be assumed that GM--through interest-free loans--was paid to keep the plant at Ste Therese open. The plant was initially scheduled to close down around 1990, however, if GM had closed the Ste. Therese plant back then, it would've hit the provincial economy hard. It would've also hit the Quebec government hard which would be faced with large unemployment compensations, a sizable idle workforce and a departing major employer at a time it was trying to attract new jobs to the area. It's very likely that had GM's plant closing gone through back in 1990, it would have cost the Canadian government far more than the cost of the loans.

You wouldn't think a Buick would be
the jumping off point for a Camaro,
but GM's new Zeta platform will be
just that. The Velite will be Buick's
first important rear-wheel drive car
since the turbocharged and intercooled
Grand National went out of production
in 1987. Could we see a hotted-up
version of Velite hit showrooms?
It's a distinct possibility.
the jumping off point for a Camaro,
but GM's new Zeta platform will be
just that. The Velite will be Buick's
first important rear-wheel drive car
since the turbocharged and intercooled
Grand National went out of production
in 1987. Could we see a hotted-up
version of Velite hit showrooms?
It's a distinct possibility.
This loan agreement came with the obligation that GM would continue to make the F-body at this plant until at least 2001, unless the vehicles made there were no longer profitable and had to be discontinued. There apparently was also the belief on the part of many rank and file union members and those that live in the area of the plant, that the factory would continue operations the entire length of the loan (until 2017), even with other vehicles if necessary.

GM's product boss Bob Lutz says, "Firebird's
day is gone." Nevertheless, look for Lutz
to endow Pontiac with performance models
such as GTO and Solstice in the coming years.
The coming Zeta platform which will underpin
future Camaros will also be the basis for the GTO.
day is gone." Nevertheless, look for Lutz
to endow Pontiac with performance models
such as GTO and Solstice in the coming years.
The coming Zeta platform which will underpin
future Camaros will also be the basis for the GTO.