Retro cars keep rolling
09-18-2005, 08:54 PM
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Retro cars keep rolling
<img src="https://www.chevyhhr.net/news/hhrwheel.jpg" align="left" border="0" hspace="5" vspace="2">Hope you aren't tired of retro. Although new models inspired by the past have shown little consistent, sustained appeal among consumers in recent years, automakers are likely to continue introducing them.
"You will see vehicles that capture the brand heritage, but they won't be exact knock-offs of previous models," said Jeff Brodoski, analyst at automotive researcher J.D. Power and Associates Inc. in Westlake Village, Calif.
For the 2006 model year, Chevrolet has a new retro vehicle called the HHR. The five-passenger, front-wheel-drive five door is designed to look something like a smaller, 1949 Chevy Suburban panel wagon.
Also for 2006, the Ford Mustang has an optional "Pony Package" that makes even the base, already-retro, V6-powered Mustang look and feel more like Steve McQueen's car from the 1968 movie "Bullitt."
And Dodge, which debuted a modern Charger for 2006, reportedly is looking at bringing out a two-door coupe in a couple of years, the Challenger, that evokes the carmaker's muscle-car era.
Not every recent retro vehicle is a success, however. Ford ended production of the Thunderbird in July. Sales of the current-generation two-seater had dwindled just a few years after the modern T-bird had been heralded at its 2002 model year introduction as a stylish remake of the 1950s classic roadster.
Peak annual sales for this Thunderbird totaled 19,085 cars in calendar 2002. The targeted annual volume of 25,000 never materialized. Starting price for the 2005 T-bird with V8 and automatic transmission was $38,985, high compared with other retro-styled vehicles.
Volkswagen's New Beetle, credited with starting the recent retro trend seven years ago, saw sales drop to 42,157 cars in calendar 2004, the last full year available. That's about half the peak 83,434 New Beetle sales posted the first full year the car was on the market, in calendar 1999.
And sales of Chevrolet's retro-looking SSR pickup truck are on track to be the smallest of any current retro model this calendar year, at around 10,000 units. Indeed, the SSR has never hit its original target of 13,000 annual sales. The 2006 SSR starts at $39,990 for a V8 model with automatic transmission, reduced from $43,180 in 2005.
Such disparate sales results have analysts wondering whether the retro trend is starting to run its course.
"That design doesn't strike a chord as much with younger buyers," said Power's Brodoski.
On more than a couple automotive discussion forums on the Internet, younger buyers have voiced frustration at what they see as "middle-age guys" at automakers producing retro vehicles to "relive their younger days." These new-generation buyers appear to be looking for something fresh and different.
Automakers have come to count on aging baby boomers to embrace many of the retro models that hark back to their youth.
For example, the first buyer of a New Beetle in the U.S. was a baby boomer from Michigan. The original, quirky-looking, German-built Beetles had been a hit with American youth in the 1960s and '70s.
The median age of buyers of the retro-styled Chrysler PT Cruiser is 51, and nearly two-thirds of them are married, the company said. Peak sales of the five-passenger, front-wheel-drive take-off of a 1930s delivery wagon were 144,717 in calendar 2001. They declined each year after that until, in calendar 2004, Chrysler officials lowered the PT Cruiser price substantially in what was termed a "repositioning."
Mini Cooper sales, which had held about even in the U.S. in calendar 2004 compared with the previous year, were up some 5,000 cars through the first seven months of this year after Mini added a convertible. But Mini officials said they weren't expecting a huge spurt in U.S. sales, since a lone British factory supplies Minis for countries around the world.
A spokesman said the average age of a Mini buyer "is getting younger" and now is about 45.
Phil Zak, designer for the HHR, said Chevy officials look to attract both young and old buyers. Young ones will like the car's look, he said, and the fact that it can be customized, a hot trend.
But at least one retro-styled model doesn't need price reductions or customizing to attract all kinds of buyers: the current-generation Ford Mustang, introduced for the 2005 model year. Sales through the first seven months of the year topped 100,000 and were up 31 percent from a year earlier.
The Mustang seems to have struck the right combination of bold style, performance and heritage, Brodoski said. Other industry officials point to its affordability and fun-to-drive image through the years. Still others note that unlike the Mini and Thunderbird, the Mustang never left the U.S. market. It has maintained a presence in showrooms for more than 40 years, and unlike the New Beetle, is not tied to a particular time and place.
Another key to the Mustang's success: an enthusiastic group of previous owners and the vocal advocacy of more than 250 Mustang clubs.
Clearly, retro vehicle success is about more than slapping an old-style look onto a modern chassis.
Source: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld...s/12677540.htm
"You will see vehicles that capture the brand heritage, but they won't be exact knock-offs of previous models," said Jeff Brodoski, analyst at automotive researcher J.D. Power and Associates Inc. in Westlake Village, Calif.
For the 2006 model year, Chevrolet has a new retro vehicle called the HHR. The five-passenger, front-wheel-drive five door is designed to look something like a smaller, 1949 Chevy Suburban panel wagon.
Also for 2006, the Ford Mustang has an optional "Pony Package" that makes even the base, already-retro, V6-powered Mustang look and feel more like Steve McQueen's car from the 1968 movie "Bullitt."
And Dodge, which debuted a modern Charger for 2006, reportedly is looking at bringing out a two-door coupe in a couple of years, the Challenger, that evokes the carmaker's muscle-car era.
Not every recent retro vehicle is a success, however. Ford ended production of the Thunderbird in July. Sales of the current-generation two-seater had dwindled just a few years after the modern T-bird had been heralded at its 2002 model year introduction as a stylish remake of the 1950s classic roadster.
Peak annual sales for this Thunderbird totaled 19,085 cars in calendar 2002. The targeted annual volume of 25,000 never materialized. Starting price for the 2005 T-bird with V8 and automatic transmission was $38,985, high compared with other retro-styled vehicles.
Volkswagen's New Beetle, credited with starting the recent retro trend seven years ago, saw sales drop to 42,157 cars in calendar 2004, the last full year available. That's about half the peak 83,434 New Beetle sales posted the first full year the car was on the market, in calendar 1999.
And sales of Chevrolet's retro-looking SSR pickup truck are on track to be the smallest of any current retro model this calendar year, at around 10,000 units. Indeed, the SSR has never hit its original target of 13,000 annual sales. The 2006 SSR starts at $39,990 for a V8 model with automatic transmission, reduced from $43,180 in 2005.
Such disparate sales results have analysts wondering whether the retro trend is starting to run its course.
"That design doesn't strike a chord as much with younger buyers," said Power's Brodoski.
On more than a couple automotive discussion forums on the Internet, younger buyers have voiced frustration at what they see as "middle-age guys" at automakers producing retro vehicles to "relive their younger days." These new-generation buyers appear to be looking for something fresh and different.
Automakers have come to count on aging baby boomers to embrace many of the retro models that hark back to their youth.
For example, the first buyer of a New Beetle in the U.S. was a baby boomer from Michigan. The original, quirky-looking, German-built Beetles had been a hit with American youth in the 1960s and '70s.
The median age of buyers of the retro-styled Chrysler PT Cruiser is 51, and nearly two-thirds of them are married, the company said. Peak sales of the five-passenger, front-wheel-drive take-off of a 1930s delivery wagon were 144,717 in calendar 2001. They declined each year after that until, in calendar 2004, Chrysler officials lowered the PT Cruiser price substantially in what was termed a "repositioning."
Mini Cooper sales, which had held about even in the U.S. in calendar 2004 compared with the previous year, were up some 5,000 cars through the first seven months of this year after Mini added a convertible. But Mini officials said they weren't expecting a huge spurt in U.S. sales, since a lone British factory supplies Minis for countries around the world.
A spokesman said the average age of a Mini buyer "is getting younger" and now is about 45.
Phil Zak, designer for the HHR, said Chevy officials look to attract both young and old buyers. Young ones will like the car's look, he said, and the fact that it can be customized, a hot trend.
But at least one retro-styled model doesn't need price reductions or customizing to attract all kinds of buyers: the current-generation Ford Mustang, introduced for the 2005 model year. Sales through the first seven months of the year topped 100,000 and were up 31 percent from a year earlier.
The Mustang seems to have struck the right combination of bold style, performance and heritage, Brodoski said. Other industry officials point to its affordability and fun-to-drive image through the years. Still others note that unlike the Mini and Thunderbird, the Mustang never left the U.S. market. It has maintained a presence in showrooms for more than 40 years, and unlike the New Beetle, is not tied to a particular time and place.
Another key to the Mustang's success: an enthusiastic group of previous owners and the vocal advocacy of more than 250 Mustang clubs.
Clearly, retro vehicle success is about more than slapping an old-style look onto a modern chassis.
Source: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld...s/12677540.htm
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