The Chevrolet Camaro
The Camaro was introduced in the 1960's as a way for General Motors to compete with Ford's Mustang. When Ford introduced the Mustang they created a whole new class of cars, the pony car. This was a car that was similar to a muscle car in design but had lower performance and therefore a lower price tag. Initially most other manufacturers didn't believe that there was a market for this type of car but the massive success of the Mustang showed otherwise. Eventually all of the other manufacturers jumped into the category with General Motors offering the Camaro. The Camaro was a big seller from the start and turned out to be one of the most popular pony cars available.
The original Camaro was introduced for the 1967 model year and would remain in production until 2002. Over the years the car would go through a number of design changes, mainly to meet the demands of the new marketplace. The new cars tended to get smaller and less powerful as the years went by, this was a reflection of the consumer demand for more fuel efficient cars. Unfortunately sales slowed and the car was eventually taken out of production after thirty five years.
A big part of the reason that the Camaro and most other pony cars were taken out of production was that it was that they were so different from the other cars in the companies' lineup. Generally auto makers like to use the same platform for a variety of different models in order to reduce the cost of production. The problem was that almost all of the other cars that were being produced that were of the appropriate size were front wheel drive cars with small engines, hardly the ideal platform for a pony car. This is a big part of why pony cars started to disappear in the nineties, declining sales combined with high production costs because they were so different from everything else available eventually killed off most pony cars including the Camaro.
General Motors decided to re-introduce the Camaro starting with the 2010 model year. The new car was an instant hit with both consumers and critics. The new Camaro received many positive reviews and one most of the major automotive awards including the World Car of the Year. Sales were also brisk as the new Camaro quickly established that there was still a market for pony cars and they soon where a major player in the market. Of course a major redesign of the Mustang by Ford has made the competition more fierce but the Camaro has definitely held its own. Whether the revival in the pony car market is just a passing fad or a shift in the marketplace remains to be seen but for now the Chevrolet Camaro is back on the market where it is one of the finest cars currently available.