Possible Shelby GT 500 comming 800HP

[ShelbyKR664]

I feel as long as Chevrolet and Chrysler put out potent V8's, so will Ford. A eco boost V6 ZL1 or Hellcat will not sell either. Buyers in this arena want power and bragging rights. Something has to be brewing.

[07gt500conv]

Perhaps we may want to consider an undeniable reality, most of the “Baby Boomers “…NO LONGER MATTER! (Unless, you are directly or indirectly involved in a business associated with the Health Care Industry). Reluctantly and at times unknowingly, anyone over 50 has practically passed the baton to the younger generations. Trace the money and you will get a reality check! The era of Muscle Cars and associated nostalgia will be less influential in the “world’s automotive markets”. Efficiency and performance continue to dictate the trends for R&D. All done within the marketing and financial departments’ dictated parameters. The little Focus RS is an example of a test variant. Cost almost as much as a loaded GT and yet, caters to the young generation of drivers growing-up watching the likes of “Fast and Furious” where “drifting” and highly personalized “street matches” appeal their sense of trills and high-performance.

Many of us project our frustrations based on outdated information, which leaves us with a perception founded on “denial” …yes, it is a hard transition …but we must adapt and try to give-up the reins. The sooner we accept that fact …the easier growing older becomes. Unless you are still influential (I do not mean AARP membership card) and share a fortune the likes of Warren Buffet …just be content that you are still alive! Lead …follow …our get the hell out of the way! About a mere 100 years ago, we (Baby Boomers) would have been irrelevant, 6 feet below the ground. If the new business model (short-term gains) discards the long-term concerns …then, what does “Loyalty” has to do with it? IMO

 

Nicely stated.

[mikeljgt500kr]

If Ford, or any other car company, thinks I don't matter and don't care what I want, that's fine, I just won't buy their products. The Baby Boomers number 75 million today (50 million in 2036), and of course in 100 years they won't matter, duh? Neither will any other group, and if Google gets it way, there won't even be cars we can drive anyway, so who cares. But, 75 million is still a large group buying cars, and if a car company decides to ignore them (and VooDoo thinks loyalty doesn't matter to car companies???), I think that company will see sales decline and profits tank, so that is not going to happen. So anyone that thinks Baby Boomers don't matter and will be ignored by car manufacturers in the next 20 years is delusional (and somehow they hate Baby Boomers?) and not facing facts as they are, not as they want them to be.

[Secondo]

Don't worry, I'm sure a V8 will be available for quite a while along with other performance options.

[Voodoo Child]

I'm Gen X, and I wouldn't say the Baby Boomers no longer matter. They still hold the majority of the disposable income. While my intent is not to start a generational discussion, Gen X has been greatly impact by the state of the economy. Wages are stagnant and Baby Boomers compose a large portion of the workforce and those that had their nest eggs depleted by the market will remain in the work force longer furthering the impact to Gen X. One could argue that it is Gen X who no longer matters as the economy and retail markets pass them over for Gen Y and beyond who have considerably greater upside. Which still supports your argument that the market is set to cater to the Fast and Furious crowd.

 

Excellent position …I would love to debate your point in depth; however, it would require too much effort and references/ material to defend either. Suffice to note that perhaps your references may be a little dated …circa 2010 -14? It is difficult to find current data, as it is what moves marketing decisions. Current actionable data is mostly proprietary in nature ($$$) until no longer relevant to their purpose/use and subsequently released. However, to put it into perspective …the census data made available to the masses reflects your position …but does not take into account the time lapse, representing 4-5 years’ worth of changes (deaths among the baby boomer’s bracket). If you intent to effect a product development that caters to a specific segment, one should consider future/projected numbers rather than current (much less 4-5 years back). In addition, the statistics do not tell the whole story. Directly or indirectly, many boomers are supporting your generation (my neighbor , deferred buying a GT350, because his daughter and her two kids moved back in ...a trend that seems to be increasingly affecting us) …also note that the baby boomer bracket (1946 – 1964) is the largest segment (18 years) with the largest number of individuals for any population bracket (dwindling fast); whereas, Y and X generations overlap (5 years). In reality, the population brackets represent 12 years for the Y and 18 for X respectively. If I were planning to design and develop a vehicle that will be available for the market in 3 – 5 years down the road, my market consideration would account for the projected attrition rate of baby boomers (the youngest boomer will be 57). Then determine if they still are a viable consumer segment that will support the minimum ROI necessary for the proposed product to get a green light. In the other hand, I should also determine projected gen-X individuals that will be graduating to the income levels vacated by the former. In 5 years, the majority of the baby boomers driving today will be at a retirement home/community, nursing home, or suffering from physical ailments preventing them from driving a high performance car (a recently retired colleague, sold his new Z06 because could not withstand the difficulty of having to climb in and out of such a low ride). Albeit in that context, we the baby boomers …do not matter. The life expectancy is not in our favor. Let us consider this, a production run of approximately 5000 units (drop in the bucket for Ford really …but relatively expensive for the average consumer) with specifications catering to a segment that do not matter, may be harder and harder to justify without compromises as the years pile-on. Like I said earlier …would love to properly debate the issue(s); however, I have milked the entertainment value of this post. By the way, you did miss the subtle intent of the previous posting (sort of the proverbial “missing the forest for the tree”)…but it is understandable, since you may not have the background regarding the underlining issue addressed in the post… One last thing ..."the good old days were not always that good and the future may not be all that bad" it is up to the younger generation(s) and so far, i am not impressed! ... regardless, be well my friend.

[EL SHELBY]

You have clearly put more consideration in to it than I have but I'm going to assume we can agree it's all a matter of perspective. With neither perspectives deing inaccurate. I have spent most of my career in Aerospace and Defense collecting, analyzing, interpreting data (although not much census data) and know that all data can and will be spun to fit any perspective; Is the glass half full or half empty? Agreed that the position of my generation will improve but I am at the tail end of Gen X and I'm closer to end if my career than the beginning.

 

The top end vehicles currently in production and those that will be in production over the next handful of years, I my opinion, are still marketed to the tail end of the Baby Boomers while giving the following generations something to look forward to, but still passing over Gen X. The current model Mustang is a prime example of this. I actually wonder if the Corvette can survive the next couple of generations.

 

I wouldn't be too critical of Gen Y and the Millennials, they do make up the majority of our Armed Forces. I blame the Kardasians for all of their less then admirable qualities.

[Voodoo Child]

You have clearly put more consideration in to it than I have but I'm going to assume we can agree it's all a matter of perspective. With neither perspectives deing inaccurate. I have spent most of my career in Aerospace and Defense collecting, analyzing, interpreting data (although not much census data) and know that all data can and will be spun to fit any perspective; Is the glass half full or half empty? Agreed that the position of my generation will improve but I am at the tail end of Gen X and I'm closer to end if my career than the beginning.

 

The top end vehicles currently in production and those that will be in production over the next handful of years, I my opinion, are still marketed to the tail end of the Baby Boomers while giving the following generations something to look forward to, but still passing over Gen X. The current model Mustang is a prime example of this. I actually wonder if the Corvette can survive the next couple of generations.

 

I wouldn't be too critical of Gen Y and the Millennials, they do make up the majority of our Armed Forces. I blame the Kardasians for all of their less then admirable qualities.

 

 

[goingpostal666]

I don't think anyone buying a 600, 700, or 800hp muscle car is trying to save the planet, be it a 6cyl. or V8. Furthermore, I don't think a few thousand of these cars are going to be our demise. You want to save the planet----- Pop. control. Cleanse the Gene pool.

[mhr1961]

I wouldn't be too critical of Gen Y and the Millennials, they do make up the majority of our Armed Forces. I blame the Kardasians for all of their less then admirable qualities.

You can’t really blame the Kardashians, they were smart enough to identify a very huge and very stupid market for their “brand”. It’s more accurate to blame the huge mass of uneducated and imbecilic people that are stupid enough to watch them, emulate them, and buy their products. Unfortunately this mass includes many Boomers, Millennials, and Gen X-Y. If enough people would just quit watching them and buying their products, then the whole vapid Kardashian Empire would crumble faster than Rosie O’ Donnell can polish off a 2 pound bag of Oreos……..