GM will bring back the El Camino... IF...

[MikeMike]

http://jalopnik.com/5798792/gm-will-bring-back-the-el-camino-if-100000-people-comment-on-this-post

GM will bring back the El Camino if 100,000 people comment on this post


Ray Wert — Joel Ewanick, General Motors' new Chief Marketing Officer, said on Twitter tonight that GM will bring back the El Camino if 100,000 people say they want it. We'll call that bluff.

This all started when I noticed Joel Ewanick, the brains behind Hyundai's wildly successful "Hyundai Guarantee" program, joined Twitter earlier today. I tweeted out a welcome to Ewanick, urging others to follow him.
As you can see, I also playfully suggested my followers — and Jalopnik followers — tell Ewanick they want him, and by extension, GM, to bring back everyone's favorite truck-car, the Chevrolet El Camino.

While many tweets whipped across the twittersphere, one Twitter user, @chevalanche, elicited a response from GM's new Mad Man on a topic other than openly mocking Scott "Montey"(sic), Ford Motor Co.'s chief twatterer. sex tapes.

Well fine then. We'll call your ridiculous bluff, Ewanick. We'll keep track here — in the comments section of this very post — and see just how close we can get to 100,000 people raising their hands to say they'd be willing to buy a new El Camino. I mean, how hard can it be, right? We've already got some practice in trying to bring back the El Camino. Although the Carpocalypse — and a Pontiac marketing twerp — killed that one, what's the harm in once more heading into the breach? That time we had 80,000 fans interested. This is just that plus another 20,000.

Hey, I figure if the Nissan Leaf can get 250,000 hand raisers, we should be able to get 100,000 for the most awesome form factor of any vehicle ever!

Let's find out. Start by raising your hands in the comments below, then drop it into the forums you visit, send it out to your Facebook friends and Twitter followers, and let's see if we can make this dream — no matter how ridiculous it is — a reality.

This will be intriguing...

 

[dug777]

Easy enough one would have thought, since Holden probably have oodles of spare capacity going begging at the moment

If it takes off, do you think Ford would bring the Falcon ute over as well?

Imo utes are a far more sensible option for tradesmen types than your gargantuan pickups are (or even 'light' 2WD/4WD utes like Hilux/Ranger/Colorado/D-Max/BT-50/Amarok), and both Holden and Ford offer 1-tonners so they carry plenty for most people's use. Clearly they aren't going to replace use where people need 4WD or massive carrying capacity, but that should still leave a pretty vast potential market I'd guess.

I digress, because I suspect you'll just get the shiny shiny quick ones Great for circlework

Falcon or FPV ute with Ford's new SC V8 for anyone?

Here's the FPV one:

http://www.fpv.com.au/fpv-range/gs-ute/overview.aspx

Turbo 6 (More torque than the SC V8 and only 5kW less!): http://www.fpv.com.au/fpv-range/f6-ute/overview.aspx

This is the Ford range:

http://www.ford.com.au/servlet/Satellite?c=DFYPage&cid=1248884753665&pagename=wrapper&site=FOA

Holden range:

http://www.holden.com.au/vehicles/ute#/overview

HSV site (warning: worst website evar): www.HSV.com.au

 

[vi edit]

Didn't holden have a "Ute" version of the G8? Gimme RWD, V8, car like handling and a bed and I'd consider it.

 

[dug777]

Didn't holden have a "Ute" version of the G8? Gimme RWD, V8, car like handling and a bed and I'd consider it.

Apologies for the delayed links above

That's exactly what you'd get as the El Camino, I'd wager almost anything Although they would find a way to mess the nose up some more

 

[vi edit]

Dug,

What do most "ute" buyers use them for down there in Kangaroo land? And who are most ute buyers? City dwellers running to home improvement stores on the weekend? Country/Rancher cowboy types?

Do they have any tow ratings/ability? And how useful are the actual beds in them compared to a true truck?

 

[dug777]

Dug,

What do most "ute" buyers use them for down there in Kangaroo land? And who are most ute buyers? City dwellers running to home improvement stores on the weekend? Country/Rancher cowboy types?

Do they have any tow ratings/ability? And how useful are the actual beds in them compared to a true truck?

I'd hazard a guess that volume sales would be the commercial versions with a flat tray (cab chassis) rather than the 'styleside box' (Ford lingo for bed with the sidepanels that match the cab)- much more practical as you have a vast flat loadspace with no intrusion from wheel arches. Those usually have relatively shallow sides that fold open to leave a completely flat 'tray'. All types of tradesmen type businesses use them (often with integrated locking toolboxes or a hard canopy over the tray) - they are the Aussie equivalent of a Transit in the UK

They also appear to sell a boatload of the shiny shiny fast V8 and V6 models with the 'styleside box' - cashed up blue-collar tradesman with boat-loads of cash often from the mining industry but more generally too (a stereotypical but very real group) - love them as you can fit a couple of dirt-bikes, a quad-bike or a jetski in the tray, even on the shiny shiny ones

Towing is pretty capable (again, not massive 4WD replacement, but fine for a considerable proportion of of people and businesses I would imagine - remember we require ALL trailers over 750kg to be braked, regardless of the towing vehicle, so vehicle mass is a bit less important in stopping a big load than otherwise) - the Fords are rated up to 2300kg, the Holdens from what I can see 1600kg...but then I can't see any more commercial type options so it may be higher, they usually match Ford

Ford specs:

http://www.ford.com.au/servlet/Satellite?c=DFYPage&cid=1248884763315&pagename=wrapper&site=FOA

Country folk like them too - but farmers will usually have 4WD utes for work - Landcruiser utes, Hiluxes, etc etc. The V8s Holdens and Fords are popular with young blokes generally, as you'd imagine, however.

EDIT: Also the cops use them: you can fit a small paddy-wagon encolsure (no idea what you'd call it in the US, drunk-tank maybe?) on the back, and the highway cops have them as unmarked cars (usually in extra-extravagant coloured V8 flavours) You see them everywhere, doing just about anything

 

[herm0016]

jalps website is so bad i bet they dont even get the numbers of last time. I cant figure out how to comment!!! worst webdesign ever!

edit: it apears that half the buttons on the site will not work in IE ( at work)

 

[hanoverphist]

i had to look it up a long time ago, but i still think of this every time i see people talk about them.

 

[Zargon]

do want.....

 

[JulesMaximus]

I never cared for them.

Do not want.

 

[punjabiplaya]

Didn't holden have a "Ute" version of the G8? Gimme RWD, V8, car like handling and a bed and I'd consider it.

Maloo

 

[Howard]

i had to look it up a long time ago, but i still think of this every time i see people talk about them.

hahahaha

 

[dug777]

I never cared for them.

Do not want.

Eh, you may not personally want one, but I would have thought they'd be right up your SUV-hatin' alley

The form factor inherently lends itself to being more economical, more pedestrian and cyclist friendly in a collision (as well as almost certainly safer for the occupants - 5 Star ANCAP rated here), with a lower centre of gravity than pickups...what's not to like?

 

[JulesMaximus]

Eh, you may not personally want one, but I would have thought they'd be right up your SUV-hatin' alley

The form factor inherently lends itself to being more economical, more pedestrian and cyclist friendly in a collision (as well as almost certainly safer for the occupants - 5 Star ANCAP rated here), with a lower centre of gravity than pickups...what's not to like?

I just think they're ugly and if I wanted a 2-seater I'd buy a Lotus Elise (I do want one actually-trouble is, it's about as practical as a motorcycle).

Hrm, you're inspiring me to revive the 'President of the Anti-SUV Brigade' sig.

 

[Zargon]

I just think they're ugly and if I wanted a 2-seater I'd buy a Lotus Elise (I do want one actually-trouble is, it's about as practical as a motorcycle).

Hrm, you're inspiring me to revive the 'President of the Anti-SUV Brigade' sig.

so all 2 seaters that arent the elise are worthless just because you don't want one D:

 

[herm0016]

I just think they're ugly and if I wanted a 2-seater I'd buy a Lotus Elise (I do want one actually-trouble is, it's about as practical as a motorcycle).

Hrm, you're inspiring me to revive the 'President of the Anti-SUV Brigade' sig.

if it said nissan on the front he would have a different tune also.

it seems like these would be a great, more effecient replacement for small trucks used in the city. you should be all over this jules.

 

[DietDrThunder]

And of course you can't forget the 1963 Chevrolet air cooled flat 6, rear engined El Corvino

 

[JulesMaximus]

so all 2 seaters that arent the elise are worthless just because you don't want one D:

Why does everyone care what I like or don't like?

 

[Zargon]

you just seem to dismiss stuff you arent that interested in as crap. which is silly.

 

[JulesMaximus]

you just seem to dismiss stuff you arent that interested in as crap. which is silly.

I didn't say it was crap. Just that I didn't care for the design. I think they're kind of ugly and I wouldn't buy one.

 

[Zargon]

sorry i read more into your post than was there

 

[HAL9000]

Well they wont get any support from me, it's fugly.

 

[ThatsABigOne]

Your english opinion does not count.

 

[IcePickFreak]

Why does everyone care what I like or don't like?

It's the internet, you will like what I like or else.

 

[Doppel]

Won't sell well, which is why there are no such vehicles in the US now. Australia isn't the US so what they want there is of little relevance to this market.

A car with a bed is really a silly idea. You don't end up with a large bed, you have no truck-towing capacity, so it's only helpful for those on the weekend bringing back a few bags of mulch, something they could do in a trailer or rent a $20/hour truck from lowes for. And the rest of the time they've got this silly looking thing that can only seat two.

Its market would be tiny.