Fellow Camaro Lovers:

Following from Automotive News:

GM: New Camaro will be affordable, not a fire-breather

CHICAGO — General Motors will borrow some marketing savvy from the Ford Mustang to sell the Chevrolet Camaro.
The Mustang lesson: Low-priced V-6 models established the brand.

Troy Clarke, president of GM North America, said that the Mustang, launched in 1964, succeeded because it stayed true to its roots as "a very affordable car to a very broad base of people."

High-performance V-8 models, such as the Mustang Cobra and Shelby Mustang, create buzz and draw buyers to showrooms, he said.

The Camaro coupe goes on sale in February 2009. The convertible follows about nine months later.

Clarke expects most Camaros will be equipped with a V-6 engine. A Chevrolet source said the car will be offered with a 3.6-liter V-6, producing about 281 hp.

"We know that the mission with the Camaro isn't to create a specialty vehicle with a very narrow appeal that is very much subject to your wallet," Clarke said at the auto show here. "It is going to be a great base car that is going to have a very broad appeal.

"The concept of the car will evolve into a really fun-to-drive, stylish vehicle, as opposed to something that just breathes fire and has more cubic inches than the next guy."



More From Automotive News:

B-P-G: No Trans Am for Pontiac

Jamie LaReau
Automotive News
February 11, 2008 - 9:55 pm ET

Buick, Pontiac and GMC dealers will get 12 new or special-edition vehicles over the next 20 months — but they won't get a Pontiac Trans Am.

Pontiac had lobbied for a sibling vehicle to the Chevrolet Camaro, which is scheduled to arrive in February 2009.

General Motors' plan to make Pontiac a rear-wheel-drive performance car division is likely to be scaled back because of fuel economy regulations, GM leaders told dealers at the make meeting.

One dealer said the business case for the Trans Am didn't compute.

"It was an economic situation," said Lynn Thompson, owner of Thompson Motor Sales in Springfield, Mo. "It would cost $200 million to bring out the vehicle."

Pontiac will remain a car-only brand for the foreseeable future, dealers were told. But because of new legislation requiring vehicles to reach a fleet average of 35 mpg by 2020, Pontiac might not end up as GM's performance division, dealers said they were told.

"The plan is being tweaked because of the gas situation," Thompson said. "I hope they don't give up on performance because they don't have to. You can use four-cylinder engines to achieve incredible power."

B-P-G will give dealers six new or special-edition vehicles — such as the special-edition GMC Sierra pickup, called Pro Grade — this year. They will get another six next year, dealers who attended the meeting told Automotive News.

Executives also told dealers GM will build nearly 55,000 Buick Enclave crossovers this year. Dealers said Jim Bunnell, head of Buick-Pontiac-GMC, told them GM increased Enclave production by 41 percent from the initial production plan. A dealer said Bunnell told them Buick built 6,400 Enclaves in January, and then added, "But it's still not enough."

 

that is why the camaro died, and it is a good idea.. but now it wont be one of the fiercest cars on the road. that title will still be reserved for the LS1s, Goats and vettes, which kinda saddens me. i woulda loved to see the camaro reclaim it's crown as the king.

 

What makes you think it won't have V8 performance engines that will do well? Even if the article is accurate it says "most" will be equipped with V6 engines, not "all".
Clyde

 

ya, there will still be a v8.

what i find amusing is that the v6 has 281hp, thats 80hp over the 4.0 mustang, and only a little less than the GT. It may not be long before we have boltons V6 camaros outrunning stockish GT's. Its been a few years since that has happened

 

btw, boo for no trans ams. just make the damn thing, and then spend some more money researching a powertrain that makes the regulations. seriously how much money does it take to R&D a few body panels?

 

and i dont know what kind of GOOD gas mileage they expect to get out of a 281 hp 3.6L v6...if its putting out that much power then its not near that 35 mpg goal....even new civic 4 cylinders are getting by at 37 mpg with 125ish hp.

my 98 civicA4 w/OD1.6L 127horse gets an average of 28-30 mpg...

start researching towards decent power with this 35mpg goal, after that is met, then start building flashy new cars around those powertrains.

but for the next two-three years crank out as many v8 camaros as you can so that there can still be a few left over when i have the money to geta used one

 

yea, i know that, but they will most likely be few and far between. meaning it wont really be the kind of the road.

 

thats not nesecarily true. there's been many high output, small engine over the last 10-15 years getting close to 30 MPG, such as EVOs, STIs, 350Z's, Tiburon's, etc. and the 3.8 is a real good block to make alot of power on.

 

i agree. look at some of the luxury imports, there are cars that make really good power and fuel economy.

and no car has good fuel economy at WOT, so there will be ways around this, like the impala SS with its 4 dead cyl. Or the lexus hybrid with 400hp performance mode (im guessing there is no electricity running then).

 

hey, i get pretty good fuel economy(22 or so, rated for 30s) with WOT half the time