"HOLDEN" CAMARO FOR '09 --- IT'S OFFICIAL!

We were right again! Just yesterday we told you that it looked VERY POSITIVE for the all-new 2009 Camaro getting the production green-light go-ahead. Today, we find out a lot more, including news about V6 and V8 variants, when production will begin and even when the Camaro will go on-sale --- But with a LOT of "engineering help" from Holden, GM's Australian Division. However, in spite of the "Down Under" connection, Chevy Division chief Ed Peper said Camaro will be "assembled" in North America (the last Camaro/Firebird models were built in Canada). Sadder news? No Firebird or GTO in the works (yet) from Pontiac. But wait a second --- Hasn't GM been talking-up their Pontiac Division as their "performance" arena for the 21st century? Finally, if the most recent Pontiac GTO, engineered and built in Oz, was a sales failure, why go the same route with the new Camaro? At least Camaro will get the IRS which Mustang owners crave --- And we ain't talking about paying taxes! In any event, here's some of the story from today's AUTOMOTIVE NEWS:

The reborn Chevrolet Camaro, due in early 2009, will be a muscle car tailored to an era of expensive gasoline, Chevrolet's top marketer said today, August 10, 2006. (Photos above: GM CEO Rick Wagoner with the Camaro concept shown at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January, 2006. LA got the red one, Detroit the silver one).

Speaking at a press event, Chevrolet General Manager Ed Peper said: "We will offer V-6 and V-8 engine variants. We think we'll be able to have really strong gas mileage, certainly on the V-6 model and the V-8, too."

General Motors uses cylinder deactivation, which it markets as Active Fuel Management, to boost mileage on its new crop of full-sized SUVs. Peper said that technology could be used on the Camaro.

Despite rising gasoline prices, the Camaro gives GM an entry into the growing muscle-car revival that includes cars such as Ford's Mustang-based Shelby GT500 and the Dodge Challenger, scheduled to reach showrooms in 2008 with a Hemi engine.

GM has big plans for the Camaro. CEO Rick Wagoner said today that the car will go into production in late 2008 and will go on sale in early 2009. The production Camaro will closely resemble the concept car unveiled in January at the Detroit and Los Angeles auto shows, he said.

Wagoner said the sports coupe will be available with a variety of engines and transmissions. He hinted that a convertible version might also be in the works. (Photo: Concept drawing for 2009 Camaro convertible).

The car will be engineered by GM's Holden subsidiary in Australia but built in North America, Wagoner said today at the Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, Mich.

GM will announce the car's production site later, Wagoner said. He made no comment on the potential for a Pontiac Firebird version of the car.

Before GM killed both cars in 2002, the Firebird was a sibling vehicle of the old Camaro. But giving Pontiac a new Firebird appears to be a subject of debate within GM.

John Larson, GM's general manager of Pontiac-Buick-GMC, says he intends to push for a Chevrolet Camaro-type product for Pontiac, possibly to replace the GTO. Pontiac will kill the GTO at the end of this model year. But company insiders have said Pontiac will not get a Firebird.

Wagoner did not offer many technical details, but he did say the new Camaro would have an independent rear suspension system to improve handling. That is a feature that Mustang fans clamored for but did not get.

High-performance variants of the Camaro will likely be powered by a version of GM's classic small block V-8 engine -- such as the one used in the outgoing GTO, which developed 400 hp.

The 2009 Camaro will share some styling cues with the 1969 model, but GM does not view it as a retro car, Wagoner said. The goal of the new car's styling was to appeal to those who like the '69 model, along with younger buyers, he said.

Since showing the concept version of the Camaro at the Detroit auto show, GM has been flooded with requests to build the car and has been offered deposits by enthusiasts. (Photo: Camaro concept shown at Detroit Auto Show).

It took GM about eight months to make a business case for the Camaro. Wagoner said today that he agreed with GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz's assessment that the company could sell 100,000 Camaros a year. Ford Motor Co. sold 100,995 Mustangs through July of this year.

GM was widely expected to approve the car for production. In April, a Detroit area GM dealer even started advertising the car for sale.

Comments

[david battersby]

Hi, my name is David and i am looking forward to Holden changing there mind re bringing the Camaro into Aus, why can't they bring them in LHD & convert to RHD, if Performax can do it why not Holden...i am on my second Monaro, what now?? a Camaro SS - I need one , TA David