vipermike2002

iTrader: (3)

Simple question. Why did they stop making the F-Body in 2002?

robdawg13

I saw a thread showing production numbers on here recently and the answer is simple - sales were down. Apparently everyone didn't think these cars were as cool as we do.

MidnightStallion

it wasn't so much the V8 models with the sales problem....

performance cars for the most part live and die on their V6 counterparts.

There just weren't huge volumes of sales generated for V6 camaros // firebirds.

Look at the mustang - everyone and their brother has a V6 mustang.
And more likely their highschool aged sister who wants a "mustang" regardless of cylinders.

2_wacko

iTrader: (2)

Yup thats it.

Black Z/28

The plant (underutilization) + low fbody sales + CAW + Lack of commitment on GM's part = GM starved the fbody to death

Z28LS1camaroguy

iTrader: (3)

And they wanted to help boost Vette sales since people were figureing out that the V8 F-Body was the same as the V8 vette, except for the Z06 models of course. Why spend alot when you can spend much less for the same thing only different look, also i dont see how sales were down with the F-body as you see alot of them on the road today.

Chopstix

iTrader: (1)

the mustang outsold the F-body almost 3-1....

Sartobuilt

iTrader: (2)

The camaro was produced in a Canadaian plant. When sales were down Chevrolet wanted to move production to another location, but chevrolet had a contract. That they could only produce the camaro in Canada. The cotract was untill 2010.

This is what I heard.

I think this is why the GTO and new camaro is built down under. They have these type of powertrains in regular production.

Z2K_MrJ

#1 ReASON the car was doomed from the GETGO.. They DID not advertise it like they should have

PICNIC_GEORGE

iTrader: (3)

GM's marketing department does need an overhaul. And we all know the reason was poor sales. As stated earlier the sales of the v8s were not the problem. It was v6 sales. For every v6 camaro/firebird you see you will see 4 v8s which is exactly the opposite for the mustang. Seems the people buying the f-bodies were mostly performance enthusiasts. Meanwhile 1000s of women were buying v6 mustangs. Most of them saying it was the american muscle car and they wanted one. Ford did a lot better job marketing and selling thier product. And to top it off, most of younger generation out there was off buying hondas/mitsubishis to make race cars out of.

doodad

when the calculate and see that they cant make enough money on the car, they stop making those cars.. for example, thunderbird advertised good but then they couldnt make the money they wanted and they stopped and then they brought back thew thunderbird again and they still clouldnt make money on them and they stopped again..

mustangs will never die that is for sure..

Z28LS1camaroguy

iTrader: (3)

Neither will Corvettes

Silas2k

iTrader: (5)

...to let the stangs catch up

ChocoTaco369

they stuck a shitty 200hp motor in the V6 camaro's. they ran 16's! they should have had a 4.3L motor in there. those things should have been pushing 240hp and running low 15's off the floor. nobody wanted to buy a V6 and run 16's when for 4 grand more you can be running 13's and get the SAME GAS MILEAGE! gm did a terrible job building the V6 car. there is no reason why it should have been producing such low numbers. those things were dogs. the Y87 cars were the only decent cars (came with a posi and 3.42's). if they all came with 4.3L V6's, a posi and 3.42's, they would have sold a lot better.

300bhp/ton

Lots of reasons, sales, political, leagal and red tape are the most likely candidates.

Remember the Fbody is unique to N. America pretty much so it was only a small sacrifice for GM to make in terms of global car sales.

Also at the time the performance car market (pony/muslce cars) was falling fast. SUV's and pick ups where the order of the day, either that or small economical cars like the Ford Focus.

Also I believe the Fbody would have required extensive re-deisgn to pass the newer crash regulatoins, which is why the 4th Gen Mustang was ceased production.

~2000 GM must have decided that the Muscle car market simple was affluent enough. The Mustang had the market share so GM dirverted its attention else where.

A shame for us enthusiasts but probably the right thing to do, as GM didn't have much spare capital anyhow. And had the Fbody survived longer the market may have continued to be too small for two car makers and the Mustang and Fbody may both have dissappeared.

Ford nearly axed the Mustang back in 1993. And I'm sure they considered it again in the early 2000's.

As it happens people seem to have more money to spend on such things and the SUV/pick up market bubble has somewhat burst, thus the muscle car has made a triumphant return in popularity.

GM saw this "hole" in their product line up and the money which could be made in this once again profitable market. Hence we have the GTO. It really was a master peice of quick thinking by GM. Take an Australian Holden Monaro and rebadge it essentially. This means next to no R&D and very low costs to introduce the GTO. However I'm pretty certain the GTO was only ever intended as a "stop gap" solution until GM can come up with a more long term product.

Which appears to be quite evident in the form of the new Camaro concept.

camar0corey

iTrader: (22)

I don't have much evidence for this, but I blame damn fast and the furious alittle bit. Most idiots at my school decided driving a import was cool, while my 2.8 v6 5 speed 86 camaro that I drove in 2002 still took the idiots out. Oh yeah sales were poor as stated, I know I didn't like the 98-02 nose job myself.

black_knight

iTrader: (1)

ORLY? Mustangs had 140 hp V6's and outsold them. It wasn't a lack of power in the v6 models that did it...

Smoke Panther

iTrader: (10)

the truth is, performance cars live and die by their little siblings, and we all know you can't swing a cat w/o hitting 2 V6 mustangs.

Hammer231

True. This is a little known fact and probably the main reason you can't go into a dealership and drive away with a 400 hp LS2 F body car in 2006.

Latin-Man

I also heard somewhere it had to do with safety issues as well (even though the F-body has o.k. crash reviews)