2009
Jan 14, 2008 14:42:48
The 2009 Chevrolet Camaro is a response to the success of the retro-flavored Ford Mustang and the buzz surrounding the pending 2008 Dodge Challenger.
Chevy mothballed the Camaro name after it discontinued production of the sporty coupe and convertible after the 2002 model year. Camaro had been in production for 40 years before slow sales killed it.
The reincarnated 2009 Chevrolet Camaro would be the fifth-generation Camaro. It'll appear first as a coupe, with a convertible to follow for the 2010 model year. The cars have been displayed in concept-car form at several auto shows.
Styling of the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro is inspired by the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, a one-year body style valued today by collectors. The 2009 Chevrolet Camaro coupe and 2010 Chevrolet Camaro convertible concept cars employed key elements of the 1969 Camaro design, including the general look of the grille and the slats in front of the rear wheels.
The new Camaro is otherwise more modern in appearance than the current Ford Mustang, which celebrates its late-1960s ancestor, and the 2008 Dodge Challenger, which is a quite literal interpretation of the 1970 Challenger.
Chevrolet has not confirmed the dimensions of the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro coupe and 2010 Chevrolet Camaro convertible, but the cars look to be slightly larger than the 2002 Camaro while still retaining the long-hood, short-deck, low-roof profile and small rear seat that are the hallmarks of the true pony car.
Chevy also is mum about model and trim designations, but both coupe and convertible have been shown as auto show concept cars. Both were equipped with a 400-horsepower version of the 6.0-liter V-8 from the Chevrolet Corvette.
Unlike the 2008 Dodge Challenger, which is planned with just a high-horsepower Hemi V-8 engine, Chevy intends to offer several engines on the new Camaro.
Look for a price-leader model with a V-6 engine, perhaps a 3.9-liter with about 250 horsepower. There also could be a midline version with a V-8 of somewhat less horsepower than the Corvette-derived 6.0. This follows Ford's practice with the Mustang, which offers a V-6 and several V-8s.
The 2009 Chevrolet Camaro will offer manual and automatic transmissions, both with six speeds.
All these modern-day pony cars have rear-wheel drive. The 2009 Chevrolet Camaro coupe and 2010 Chevrolet Camaro convertible will be built on General Motors' Zeta architecture, a design first developed for GM's Holden Australian subsidiary.
A version of same architecture hosts the 2008 Pontiac G8 sedan and could be used on a late-decade resurrection of the Pontiac GTO.
The 2009 Chevrolet Camaro coupe and 2010 Chevrolet Camaro convertible will be assembled in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, where the most-recent Camaros were built.
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