Auto Industry News: Car Numbers Are Down But Things Look Up for the Face of the 2020 Chevrolet Camaro, FOX Makes a Big Move, and Could We See a VW Pickup Truck?

The 2020 Chevrolet Camaro sees a much-needed do-over for the new model year. Whispers about a VW pickup truck have turned into outright chatter. FOX makes a big acquisition—signaling big things for aftermarket suspension enthusiasts. NASCAR sees some policy changes in the hopes of livening things up. And despite significant industry growth, April numbers indicate car sales are down. So, what gives?

The 2020 Chevrolet Camaro Gets a Nose Job, New Base Trim

If you believed the internet last year, the 2019 Chevy Camaro SS was ill-received… to say the least. And the number one complaint flooding those online comment sections? That redesigned front end.

An updated style, featuring a polished black-finish grille, new lighting, and a mid-grille “flowtie” emblem, became a pressure point among loyal fans.

Credit to GM, though, as the people spoke and the automaker listened. The 2020 Chevrolet Camaro recently debuted, sporting a newly-designed front end—sans the much-maligned black bar splitting the front grille and repositioned bowtie logo.

The look is based on the Camaro Shock show car that debuted at SEMA 2018 where it was received openly and warmly by customers.

However, that new front aesthetic isn’t the only change-up to the 2020 Chevrolet Camaro.

A new and improved affordable V8 model joins the lineup, called the LT1. Coming in just under $35k (including destination changes), it sits about $3,000 cheaper than the current 1SS base V8 model.

Designed—and priced—to compete with its Big 3 competitors, the 2020 Camaro LT1 packs comparable power under the hood. A 6.2-liter V8 mated to your choice of a six-speed manual or 10-speed auto pushes out 455 horsepower and 455 lb.-ft. of torque. Another change for 2020 is that the available 3.6-liter V6 engine is now being paired to a 10-speed auto, replacing the former 8-speed auto.

Available in either coupe or convertible body styles, the 2020 Chevrolet Camaro LT1 will be one of the cheapest V8 options on the market. For comparison, the 2019 Mustang GT carries a 435-hp 5.0L V8 and the 2019 Challenger R/T has a 375-hp 5.7L V8. Both start between $35k-$36k.

Could a VW Pickup Truck be in the Works?

If you believe Volkswagen Group of America CEO Scott Keogh, the German automaker is looking to break into the hyper-competitive American pickup market.

For the second year in a row, VW brought a concept pickup to the New York Auto Show. This year’s, the Tarok, is a simple car-based, A-segment unibody truck built on the company’s MQB platform. Slated to go on sale next year in Brazil, the near-production model packs a tiny 1.4L four-cylinder turbocharged engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. For comparison, among available mid-sizers in America, the smallest engine is the 2.3L EcoBoost turbo four sitting in the new Ford Ranger.

However, the Tarok stands out from the crowd with permanent 4Motion AWD, 9.6 inches of ground clearance, and some seriously impressive cargo-carrying abilities. For comparison, the Toyota Tacoma—a solid little workhorse and off-roader’s delight—has 9.4 inches ground clearance.

According to Car and Driver, “Volkswagen claims a maximum payload rating of 2271 pounds, which compares favorably to the V-6–powered mid-size Chevrolet Colorado and is even better than some versions of the full-size Ford F-150.”

So the question lingers: Does a VW pickup truck have a place in America’s market?

While many experts are liable to say ‘No way,’ explaining that we just don’t do trucks that small in the States, others in the industry say that’s exactly why it could work. VW has the potential to carve out a niche for themselves by offering something entirely new in a crowded segment.

It’s also worth noting that last year’s concept from VW—the Tanoak—was a unibody mid-sizer built on the Atlas crossover’s platform. (A feature that would make such a truck relatively easy to produce in the U.S.) Plus, the German company is now in business with Ford, meaning we could see a little body-on-frame hauler, similar to the Ranger, emerge from that new partnership.

For the time being, we’ll just have to wait and see if a VW-badged pickup is in America’s future.

FOX Acquires RideTech

FOX, a trademarked brand of Fox Factory Holding Corp., announced last week that it is in the process of acquiring RideTech, one of the world’s largest aftermarket suspension companies. Serving a variety of applications from street to track, RideTech has built a big name for itself with a solid American-made product line, industry-leading warranty, and that sweet live-build of a Gen-2 Camaro in just 48 hours at Barret-Jackson’s 2018 inaugural auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.

“The strategic, accretive acquisition of Ridetech is well-aligned with our mission of improving vehicle performance, delivering best-in-class service, and entering into strategic adjacent markets,” said Mike Dennison, FOX’s Powered Vehicles Group President. “We believe the powered vehicles market remains an attractive, long-term growth opportunity for FOX and that Ridetech will continue on its path of growth as they leverage our global marketing, engineering, distribution, and supply chain resources.”

TL; DR: Performance juggernaut scoops up suspension kingpin. Expect great things.

But Wait… Aren’t Car Sales Down?

New models and design strategies are exciting, but worrying reports have been making headlines this week that the current market is more in favor of buyers than sellers. Automotive News Data Center reports that an estimated 4.2 million vehicles are currently sitting unsold on dealer lots.

While the media is painting a grim picture reminiscent of a Sarah McLachlan SPCA commercial, things aren’t quite as bad as they seem. Yes, car sales are down. And the number of unsold vehicles reported on April 1 was the highest reported since July 2017.

However, as Automotive News itself points out, “The situation is admittedly less dire than in the run-up to the last recession, with consumer confidence remaining healthy, automakers generating solid profits, and more flexible union contracts affording the Detroit 3 greater control over production today.”

We still have some clear obstacles, though. Vehicle prices are at an all-time high, according to Edmunds, with interest rates stubbornly remaining above 6%. And dealers are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain such expensive inventory. Throw in an ongoing tariff struggle, the slow demise of the sedan, and the overall self-torture that is vehicle-shopping—it’s no wonder car sales are down!

While the downward trend is important to watch, many in the industry are optimistic that second quarter sales will ramp up as tax refunds and warm weather start to roll in. Overall, J.D. Power predicts new vehicle sales to total 16.9 million for 2019—down 2.1% from 2018. However, it also expects record-breaking profits for automakers and dealers thanks to higher MSRPs and shoppers inclination to add bells and whistles at purchase.

Around the Circuit

NASCAR

Ahead of a massive three-race weekend at Dover International Speedway, many NASCAR fans were happy with a recent rule change returning the sport to single-car qualifying at all oval tracks.

While NASCAR officials say the change back was due to “a steep rise in qualifying gamesmanship through the first quarter of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season,” many fans are thrilled by the shift away from rules that they think “made the format a farce,” along with claiming drivers were willingly gaming the system.

Fans have even more to celebrate than just the return of the single-car qualifying format, though. On Friday, keeping up with his reputation as the Dover Dominator, Johnny Sauter won his third straight race at the Monster Mile for his first win of the season in the JEGS 200 Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

After his tumultuous split with GMS and return to ThorSport, Sauter was thrilled to finish ahead of newly signed GMS driver Brett Moffitt this weekend.

“When you get kicked to the curb, you feel like you have a lot to prove,” Sauter said in Victory Lane. “I have to thank (owners) Duke and Rhonda Thorson most importantly — a couple months ago I didn’t know if I’d be racing. To get three in a row here is extra special.”

Saturday’s Xfinity Series showed the closest race of the weekend.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell finished only a few feet ahead of Cole Custer, who led for the first 155 laps of the race. Thanks to Bell’s exceptional pit crew, the 24-year-old from Oklahoma pulled out his second straight win at Dover.

Sunday’s race was postponed, due to persistent rain. The race will run at noon today, airing on Fox Sports 1.