Exclusive Camaro Concept test drive
05-17-2006, 09:43 PM
#7
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Originally Posted by WECIV
They need to make the car light and have a four cylinder for 15 thousandish if they plan on selling that many of these cars.
W
W
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05-17-2006, 10:23 PM
#8
Originally Posted by WECIV
They need to make the car light and have a four cylinder for 15 thousandish if they plan on selling that many of these cars.
W
W
05-18-2006, 12:21 AM
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Y'all are retarded if you think that a four cylinder camaro will water the breed down. The Stang and camaro have had plenty of four cylinder versions. I do not hear anyone pooing on the possibility of an LS7 camaro or the new GT500 because there used to be a four cylinder. If you lower the price for a base camaro to 15 thousand bucks and give it a 150-200 hp inline four. Then have a 3.9 V6 camaro with 250 HP and call it a GT for 19000 bucks. Give the 5.3 with 300 HP an RS tag and the LS2 with 400 HP an SS tag. Give the LS7 a Z28 tag and make it a trackish/hardcore model. With such cheap models, spot on looks, and all with dual exhaust (ppl hate the single exhaust on the V6's) you can and will sell 100k. GM needs this car and it can spotlight all of the engines available in GM vehicles. However, this car must be light and affordable by highschoolers to professionals. The camaro must be light and small to sell so many units, and make all of the engines perform well (power to weight ppl!!!).
Then expand the line.
Build the line off of the same chasis
Small camaro with four cylinder to LS7
Larger coupe called a Chevelle
Four door Impala
Station Wagon four door called a Malibu
Offer the engine choices above and give them impecible style and good build quality. In short make lustible cars.
Still build your FWD cars
Small Coupe...Bellaire
Larger Coupe...Monte Carlo
Four Door...Caprice
Four Door Station Wagon...Nomad
Corvette of course
Give the Solistice Chevy car a Nova label and call it a day
Use all of the good heritage names and make cars that are gorgeous.
Most ppl do not know the performance of a car for anything...but they know if it is hot
Race the cars
Put the cars in movies
Put the cars in TV shows
Commercials, radio, and internet ads like nuts
Then expand the line.
Build the line off of the same chasis
Small camaro with four cylinder to LS7
Larger coupe called a Chevelle
Four door Impala
Station Wagon four door called a Malibu
Offer the engine choices above and give them impecible style and good build quality. In short make lustible cars.
Still build your FWD cars
Small Coupe...Bellaire
Larger Coupe...Monte Carlo
Four Door...Caprice
Four Door Station Wagon...Nomad
Corvette of course
Give the Solistice Chevy car a Nova label and call it a day
Use all of the good heritage names and make cars that are gorgeous.
Most ppl do not know the performance of a car for anything...but they know if it is hot
Race the cars
Put the cars in movies
Put the cars in TV shows
Commercials, radio, and internet ads like nuts
05-19-2006, 05:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Josh2006
mine wont open up will someone post the actual artical so i can read it
-Josh
-Josh
MARK PHELAN: Exclusive Camaro test drive
GM needs this car to pump up excitement, sales
May 16, 2006
BY MARK PHELAN
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
photo
zoom
Mark Phelan drove this concept Chevrolet Camaro for 40 minutes Monday at GM Proving Grounds in Milford. His verdict? It's fabulous. (Photos by MANDI WRIGHT/Detroit Free Press)
Related articles:
*
• MAILBAG: Readers give reactions on Camaro
Related links:
*
• VIDEO: Phelan gets behind the wheel
Photo galleries:
*
More Photos Camaro
Chevrolet Camaro concept
*
Rear-wheel-drive, four-passenger sport coupe
Engine: 400-horsepower, 6.0-liter V8 with cylinder deactivation
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Projected highway fuel economy: 30-plus miles per gallon
Styling influences: 1969 Camaro, YF22 jet fighter
Likely debut: 2009
Likely assembly site: Oshawa, Ontario, or Wilmington, Del.
Sources: General Motors Corp., Detroit Free Press
A history lesson
*
Chevrolet introduced the Camaro in 1966 as a '67 model to compete with the Ford Mustang. The base model had a three-speed manual transmission linked to a 230-cubic-inch, straight-six engine that produced 140 horsepower.
• The first Z28 performance model went on sale that December with a 290-horsepower, 283-cubic-inch V8.
• The second-generation Camaro went on sale in February 1970; it was made for 12 years.
• The base model of the all-new 1982 model had a 90-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine.
• The fourth generation went on sale in 1992 as a '93. That model lived on with no major changes until GM killed the Camaro and its sibling, the Pontiac Firebird, in 2002.
Source: Edmunds.com
Build it.
That's all I can say after 40 minutes driving the ravishing Chevrolet Camaro concept car around General Motors Proving Grounds in Milford.
The head-turning new sport coupe can't hit the road soon enough. GM has not officially decided it will build the Camaro, but the legendary car's powerful appeal, the adrenaline shot it will give Chevrolet and conversations with a number of GM executives are enough to convince me only a catastrophe will keep this car off the road.
You don't spend this much time nailing every detail -- from the growling rumble of the exhaust to the light and easy feel of the clutch pedal -- if you're not serious about a car.
And the Camaro is serious fun. Its unique design may set the tone for other Chevrolet cars, boost sales and add excitement to GM's most important brand.
The sensuous and threatening-looking coupe will be a welcome addition to Chevrolet showrooms. That was apparent even in the handle-with-care driving mandated by the fact that this is a show car, built for looks not speed.
Despite that, the Camaro felt very polished. The power steering is direct and responsive; the brakes are firm with good pedal feel, and the six-speed manual transmission was more precise than some production cars.
"We spent a lot of time on the sound of the exhaust," GM concept car engineer Kris Hess said as the Camaro's 400-horsepower V8 burbled to life on the test track in Oakland County for my drive. "We have a lot of performance fans on the team that did this car."
The concept's classic wasp-waisted shape, flared fenders and eager forward-leaning grille made the Camaro a hit when it debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.
Camaro was introduced in 1966 as the answer to the Ford Mustang and went through several generations before production ended in 2002.
"We set out to capture the essence of the Camaro," said Tom Peters, who led the design team that created the concept in Studio X, a secret den below the design building at GM's technical center in Warren. The concept's styling borrows elements from the classic 1969 Camaro, the 2005 Corvette and the YF22 jet fighter's rounded cockpit.
Crowds packed Chevrolet's stand to admire the Camaro at the show, but almost nobody got close enough to see that the concept's interior is equally appealing and well executed.
The big, chrome-rimmed speedometer and tachometer perfectly complement round brushed-metal dials for climate and audio controls. Door and dash insets the color of burnished copper match the faces of four small rectangular gauges -- fuel, battery, oil and water -- set in the center console just ahead of a round aluminum shifter ****.
Even if everything goes flawlessly, the Camaro isn't likely to hit the streets before 2009, and the production model will not be identical to the concept.
There's no magic or sleight of hand involved in making the case for the Camaro.
The concept uses GM's new Zeta global architecture for rear-wheel-drive cars, which goes into production in Australia this summer and should form the basis for several big, powerful sedans and coupes in North America.
The Camaro's engine, transmission, brakes and most other major components are off-the-shelf technology, ready to run today, but ready to mate high-horsepower performance with 30 miles per gallon or more on the highway, GM said.
GM executives have told workers in at least two North American assembly plants -- Oshawa, Ontario, and Wilmington, Del. -- that they're in the running to build the Camaro.
So the decision to build it comes down to a few questions: Will people buy it? How can GM build it profitably? What will it cost?
GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz told Automotive News that GM won't build the Camaro unless it can sell 100,000 a year.
To reach that goal, Chevy will have to offer a less-expensive V6 model in addition to the V8, said Jim Hall, vice president for industry analysis at the Southfield office of consultant AutoPacific.
Even then, it's unlikely Camaro could beat the popular Ford Mustang's $19,115 base price, he said.
The Zeta family of cars features an independent rear suspension, a more-expensive layout than the Mustang's trusty old live axle.
Nobody at GM will touch the price question, but it's clear Chevrolet doesn't need -- and probably couldn't sell -- another high-priced, low-volume image car. The Corvette fills that role beautifully.
Chevrolet accounts for around 60% of GM's annual sales in North America. Adding a couple of exciting and profitable cars to Chevy's lineup would go a long way toward curing what ails GM.
The stylish 2008 Malibu sedan -- unrecognizably different from today's mundane model -- set to debut next year may be the first of those cars. The Camaro could be the second.
Build it.
GM needs this car to pump up excitement, sales
May 16, 2006
BY MARK PHELAN
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
photo
zoom
Mark Phelan drove this concept Chevrolet Camaro for 40 minutes Monday at GM Proving Grounds in Milford. His verdict? It's fabulous. (Photos by MANDI WRIGHT/Detroit Free Press)
Related articles:
*
• MAILBAG: Readers give reactions on Camaro
Related links:
*
• VIDEO: Phelan gets behind the wheel
Photo galleries:
*
More Photos Camaro
Chevrolet Camaro concept
*
Rear-wheel-drive, four-passenger sport coupe
Engine: 400-horsepower, 6.0-liter V8 with cylinder deactivation
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Projected highway fuel economy: 30-plus miles per gallon
Styling influences: 1969 Camaro, YF22 jet fighter
Likely debut: 2009
Likely assembly site: Oshawa, Ontario, or Wilmington, Del.
Sources: General Motors Corp., Detroit Free Press
A history lesson
*
Chevrolet introduced the Camaro in 1966 as a '67 model to compete with the Ford Mustang. The base model had a three-speed manual transmission linked to a 230-cubic-inch, straight-six engine that produced 140 horsepower.
• The first Z28 performance model went on sale that December with a 290-horsepower, 283-cubic-inch V8.
• The second-generation Camaro went on sale in February 1970; it was made for 12 years.
• The base model of the all-new 1982 model had a 90-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine.
• The fourth generation went on sale in 1992 as a '93. That model lived on with no major changes until GM killed the Camaro and its sibling, the Pontiac Firebird, in 2002.
Source: Edmunds.com
Build it.
That's all I can say after 40 minutes driving the ravishing Chevrolet Camaro concept car around General Motors Proving Grounds in Milford.
The head-turning new sport coupe can't hit the road soon enough. GM has not officially decided it will build the Camaro, but the legendary car's powerful appeal, the adrenaline shot it will give Chevrolet and conversations with a number of GM executives are enough to convince me only a catastrophe will keep this car off the road.
You don't spend this much time nailing every detail -- from the growling rumble of the exhaust to the light and easy feel of the clutch pedal -- if you're not serious about a car.
And the Camaro is serious fun. Its unique design may set the tone for other Chevrolet cars, boost sales and add excitement to GM's most important brand.
The sensuous and threatening-looking coupe will be a welcome addition to Chevrolet showrooms. That was apparent even in the handle-with-care driving mandated by the fact that this is a show car, built for looks not speed.
Despite that, the Camaro felt very polished. The power steering is direct and responsive; the brakes are firm with good pedal feel, and the six-speed manual transmission was more precise than some production cars.
"We spent a lot of time on the sound of the exhaust," GM concept car engineer Kris Hess said as the Camaro's 400-horsepower V8 burbled to life on the test track in Oakland County for my drive. "We have a lot of performance fans on the team that did this car."
The concept's classic wasp-waisted shape, flared fenders and eager forward-leaning grille made the Camaro a hit when it debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.
Camaro was introduced in 1966 as the answer to the Ford Mustang and went through several generations before production ended in 2002.
"We set out to capture the essence of the Camaro," said Tom Peters, who led the design team that created the concept in Studio X, a secret den below the design building at GM's technical center in Warren. The concept's styling borrows elements from the classic 1969 Camaro, the 2005 Corvette and the YF22 jet fighter's rounded cockpit.
Crowds packed Chevrolet's stand to admire the Camaro at the show, but almost nobody got close enough to see that the concept's interior is equally appealing and well executed.
The big, chrome-rimmed speedometer and tachometer perfectly complement round brushed-metal dials for climate and audio controls. Door and dash insets the color of burnished copper match the faces of four small rectangular gauges -- fuel, battery, oil and water -- set in the center console just ahead of a round aluminum shifter ****.
Even if everything goes flawlessly, the Camaro isn't likely to hit the streets before 2009, and the production model will not be identical to the concept.
There's no magic or sleight of hand involved in making the case for the Camaro.
The concept uses GM's new Zeta global architecture for rear-wheel-drive cars, which goes into production in Australia this summer and should form the basis for several big, powerful sedans and coupes in North America.
The Camaro's engine, transmission, brakes and most other major components are off-the-shelf technology, ready to run today, but ready to mate high-horsepower performance with 30 miles per gallon or more on the highway, GM said.
GM executives have told workers in at least two North American assembly plants -- Oshawa, Ontario, and Wilmington, Del. -- that they're in the running to build the Camaro.
So the decision to build it comes down to a few questions: Will people buy it? How can GM build it profitably? What will it cost?
GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz told Automotive News that GM won't build the Camaro unless it can sell 100,000 a year.
To reach that goal, Chevy will have to offer a less-expensive V6 model in addition to the V8, said Jim Hall, vice president for industry analysis at the Southfield office of consultant AutoPacific.
Even then, it's unlikely Camaro could beat the popular Ford Mustang's $19,115 base price, he said.
The Zeta family of cars features an independent rear suspension, a more-expensive layout than the Mustang's trusty old live axle.
Nobody at GM will touch the price question, but it's clear Chevrolet doesn't need -- and probably couldn't sell -- another high-priced, low-volume image car. The Corvette fills that role beautifully.
Chevrolet accounts for around 60% of GM's annual sales in North America. Adding a couple of exciting and profitable cars to Chevy's lineup would go a long way toward curing what ails GM.
The stylish 2008 Malibu sedan -- unrecognizably different from today's mundane model -- set to debut next year may be the first of those cars. The Camaro could be the second.
Build it.
