Good riddance to all car dealers.

It's a flawed business model that brings out the worst aspects of human behavior.

Dealers should be replaced with factory owned outlets so the manufacturers have more control over prices and customer service.

In most businesses, the front line where the customer meets the product is designed to be an enjoyable satisfiying experience. Car dealerships are anything but that. The only reason people tolerate dealerships is because they have no alternative. I believe that redesigning the entire business model to be more customer friendly would increase sales and repeat business.

I realize this is not Ford's stated goal, but any mention of dealerships gets me fired up.

I find it interesting that Honda would photograph the car with the Hollywood sign visible in the background. As I understand it, the Hollywood sign is protected by copyright and it's image cannot be used without permission. Honda is either violating the rights of the copyright holder or they have made an odd decision to add an unnecessary cost to their marketing.

Richard Warren,

Sorry to hear that your grandparents got shafted on their color TV.

Profiteering DOES affect total sales. A person looking for a new Camaro might choose a Mustang instead because buyers are being raped at the Chevy dealership. People in the market for a new car are not always willing to wait for the prices to drop. They will just shop elsewhere.

"So then you've never been to an airport?" -hmm

Good observation. I had forgotten about that.

Of course, it's well known that franchises in airports are a operating in a bubble of extreme corruption in which huge bribes are required if you want to set up shop. They have no choice but to pass the cost on to the captive public. It does not represent true free-market capitalism.

AZMike,

I was not aware that factory direct car sales were illegal. Could you provide a link to something that confirms that?

The "monopoly" arguement doesn't make sense to me. Consumers can always buy from a different manufacturer. Unless there are some anti-trust issues, that would seem to eliminate the "monopoly" charges.

Also, the existence of a free-market dealer network is of no help to consumers from a cost perspective. Adding a middleman between the factory and the consumer only adds to the consumer's cost since the middleman will add some profit for himself.

I think the orginal logic behind dealer networks were convenience and transaction assistance for the consumer. Those "features" have long since disappeared and have been replaced with deception and trickery.

Imagine if all franchises chose to charge whatever the market will bear. A Big Mac might cost $1.50 in one neighborhood and $5.00 in another. McDonalds would not tolerate pricing like that. GM shouldn't either.

The problem with allowing car dealers to charge whatever the market will bear is that it affects the number of total sales for the manufacturer.

GM's target of 100,000 Camaro's sold per year is doable, but not if car dealers jack up their profit margin and continue to make buying a car one of the most unpleasant experiences known to man.

GM needs to offer factory direct ordering and pick-up for those who really want a Camaro but can't afford the $10K mark-up. Now that I think about it, having my Camaro shipped to me via UPS or FedEx would still be cheaper than going to a dealer.

I think the sketch looks a lot better than the actual car. I would consider buying the car in the sketch. The actual car is so boring that I wouldn't even notice it on the street.

I'm sure the Camaro was given the green light a long time ago. The timing of the announcement is a marketing decision.

I'm getting excited about having multiple choices for a powerful American style coupe. Powerful engines and styling will always be popular. Chrysler, Dodge, and Cadillac seem to be doing quite well with their 4-door muscle. 2-door muscle is the next logical step.

I'm sure fuel mileage concerns will be addressed by offering economy settings for the engine management computer. Displacement-on-demand is an obvious example. And lets not forget that there are many people who don't consider gas mileage as a top priority when choosing a car. It's a big world with 6 billion people. Plenty of them can afford the gas. I don't care about the enviroweenies driving around in their "political statement" hybrids. I'm going to enjoy gasoline until it runs out. Then I'll pick up an electric muscle car.

And regarding Pontiac dealers demanding a Firebird, I think the next GTO should shut them up. The next GTO is another car I'm excited about. The last one was just a sheetmetal tweak away from greatness.

The future is looking good concerning car choices. Now I've got to find a hot looking girlfriend for the passenger seat :)

Naggs,
It's been done already.

http://www.mytailgate.com/Gas-Powered-Blender.html

Looks like a staged photo to me.

What would a thief do with four Aston Martin wheels?

BTW, check out the license plate.