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GM'er
08-10-2006, 12:50 PM
Well, I don't see it posted here, so I will (EDIT: Yes, I just saw the article in the lounge). Today was the actual official announcement of the new Camaro. Here is the press release:

FOR RELEASE: 2006-08-10

Auto Buyers Have Spoken: GM Will Build An All-New Chevrolet Camaro

Next generation of classic sport coupe goes into production in late 2008, on sale in 2009; will be almost identical to wildly popular concept unveiled at NAIAS

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – Dear sports car fans: General Motors heard you loud and clear.

GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner announced today that GM will build an all-new version of the Chevrolet Camaro sport coupe based on the award-winning concept that stole the spotlight at the North American International Auto Show and has ignited the passion of car enthusiasts around the world ever since – even spurring consumers to start petition drives and send in certified checks in hopes of placing early deposits.

“The overwhelmingly enthusiastic response to the Camaro Concept continues to remind me of the uniquely iconic place our products can have in customers’ hearts,” Wagoner said. “Camaro is much more than a car; it symbolizes America's spirit and its love affair with the automobile.”

The all-new Camaro will begin with early production versions at the end of 2008 and will go on sale in the first quarter of 2009. “The new Camaro will be almost identical to the concept, a thoroughly modern interpretation of the 1969 model, considered by many to be the best design of the car’s first generation,” said Ed Welburn, GM's global vice president of design, who owns a 1969 Camaro SS. The front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sport coupe will feature an independent rear suspension, and will be offered in a variety of models with the choice of manual and automatic transmissions and V-6 and V-8 engines.

Chevrolet General Manager Ed Peper said the new Camaro will appeal to both men and women, and unite customers with fond memories of previous Camaros with those who first experienced a Camaro when the concept was unveiled in January.

“We intend to make the all-new Camaro relevant to younger buyers while retaining its appeal to current fans,” said Peper. “The beauty of the best Camaros is that they have always been beautiful to look at with performance that rivals expensive European GTs. Yet they were practical enough to drive every day and priced within the reach of many new-car buyers.”

In fact, the Camaro Concept design team embodies the universal appeal that Chevy envisions for the car: The core team reporting to the lead designer ranges in age from 27-35 and came from all over the world, yet they all had similar experiences growing up with a love for the Camaro and American performance cars. Their concept redefines the Camaro for both existing and new generations of fans in a contemporary way with responsive performance and modern technology.

Peper said Camaro will complement Chevy’s already-popular portfolio of performance vehicles led by Corvette and including its broad SS lineup.

An American icon
The Camaro has touched many lives – and graced many garages – with nearly 4.8 million produced between 1967 and 2002. More than 1,000 Camaro clubs exist globally, and thousands of Camaro web sites pay homage to the sports coupe. A recent report on America Online’s Top Searches of 2005 placed Camaro in the Top 10 car searches for the year.

About Chevrolet
Chevrolet is America's No. 1-selling automotive brand. With the largest dealer network in the United States, Chevy is the leader in full-size trucks and the leader in sales of vehicles priced $35,000 and above. Chevrolet delivers more-than-expected value in every vehicle category, offering cars and trucks priced from $9,995 to $78,175. Chevy delivers expressive design, spirited performance and great value with standard features usually found only on more expensive vehicles. For more information on Chevy cars and trucks, please visit www.chevrolet.com.

About General Motors
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader for 75 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 327,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2005, 9.17 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. GM operates one of the world’s leading finance companies, GMAC Financial Services, which offers automotive, residential and commercial financing and insurance. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.




QSM6SPD
08-10-2006, 01:30 PM
Don't really care all too much about the Camaro. I mean it's a bada$$ car and all, but I'm not a Chevy man so until I see a new Firebird, I could care less. JMO.

Ironmancan
08-10-2006, 01:32 PM
Here ya go....
http://www.ls1gto.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9694 9&highlight=camaro

QSM6SPD
08-10-2006, 01:34 PM
Holy sh!t....that's a lot of posts already. Thanks man!

txbatman
08-10-2006, 01:41 PM
Don't really care all too much about the Camaro. I mean it's a bada$$ car and all, but I'm not a Chevy man so until I see a new Firebird, I could care less. JMO.

Hope you're not holding your breath. There will be no firebird/Trans Am.

QSM6SPD
08-10-2006, 01:46 PM
Hope you're not holding your breath. There will be no firebird/Trans Am.

No, not at all. Just saying that I'm a Pontiac man and always will be. While Chevy is a part of the whole mother ship (GM), I just won't buy one. Pontiac has been in the family since 1926 when we opened our first dealership, so I'm not going to jump ship any time. I'll stick with buying the 67-02 'Birds.

TriShield
08-10-2006, 02:00 PM
IRS, styling to die for, and made out of the Holden VE Commodore, I'm officially interested.

Silver04
08-10-2006, 02:37 PM
I can't wait for the 5Th Gen, I totally love this car. I do, however, think that it's absolutely ridiculous that it will take GM till 09 to get it produced!! Talk about being late to the party!!!!!

rawmar
08-10-2006, 05:52 PM
I can't stand this retro crap! Such a dumb and un-creative way to designing a car. On the other hand, providing small cues to the cars from the past, that's great. Ferrari and other carmakers have been doing that for ages. But retro sucks ass, no doubt about it.

-Dennis

Dbluegoat
08-10-2006, 05:54 PM
I live for the day we hear the official GreaT One announcement again.

gtoadmirer
08-10-2006, 06:42 PM
No, not at all. Just saying that I'm a Pontiac man and always will be. While Chevy is a part of the whole mother ship (GM), I just won't buy one. Pontiac has been in the family since 1926 when we opened our first dealership, so I'm not going to jump ship any time. I'll stick with buying the 67-02 'Birds.


You mean like this new black firebird concept?

http://www.transamcountry.com/articles/whatif/SE_5 00.jpg
http://www.transamcountry.com/what_if.htm

RobertHammen
08-10-2006, 08:58 PM
I swear to God, if I had contacts in the auto industry, I'd design and produce Firebird-related front fascia, tails, and badges (licensed from GM), and then make a killing in the aftermarket biz, selling Firebird conversions...

I, too, await the L.A. Auto Show and NAIAS, to see if we see a next-gen GTO concept. I sure hope so. And, I hope it's worth the wait.

The main reason why the wait until 2009 is not necessarily the platform development/verification, it's getting an assembly plant converted/ready. I think this pretty much means Oshawa is gonna get the Camaro/Impala et. al. - the Grand Prix and LaCrosse/Allure die (in their current form) after the 2008 model year... figure 6 months of time to retool/revamp the plant, and production startup at the end of 2008 makes sense... just my guess, no insider info here.

--Robert

P.S. My wife is PO'd she has to wait this long to get her Camaro. I'm hoping for an SS-V to become a Pontiac in 2009, so I can add it to the stable with my (by then paid-off) GTO...

nikivee
08-11-2006, 02:59 AM
I can't stand this retro crap! Such a dumb and un-creative way to designing a car. On the other hand, providing small cues to the cars from the past, that's great. Ferrari and other carmakers have been doing that for ages. But retro sucks ass, no doubt about it.

-Dennis

Mustang=retro
Challenger=retro
Camaro=Neo classic

There is a difference.

HUMBLER
08-11-2006, 06:41 AM
Amen

Joe6pt0
08-11-2006, 09:18 AM
You mean like this new black firebird concept?

http://www.transamcountry.com/articles/whatif/SE_5 00.jpg
http://www.transamcountry.com/what_if.htm

I swear that if they produce this, I'll be selling the GTO and maybe another car or two for this :mullet:

:mullet: or not that pic is badass!

LordGriNz
08-11-2006, 10:35 AM
http://www.transamcountry.com/articles/whatif/SE_5 00.jpg

I swear that if they produce this, I'll be selling the GTO and maybe another car or two for this :mullet:

:mullet: or not that pic is badass!

Now all we need a is a balding fat Burt Reynolds dressed in 1970's attire
sporting a toupee, that is one of the most hideous looking cars I have ever
seen. Please tell me you are joking?

RobertHammen
08-11-2006, 10:40 AM
No firechicken on the hood, please!

jmart5736
08-11-2006, 11:32 AM
I'm in, make mine black and 6 speed.

Ironmancan
08-11-2006, 11:38 AM
Now all we need a is a balding fat Burt Reynolds dressed in 1970's attire
sporting a toupee, that is one of the most hideous looking cars I have ever
seen. Please tell me you are joking?

Bwahahaha:drink:

The Black Phantom
08-11-2006, 04:37 PM
Now all we need a is a balding fat Burt Reynolds dressed in 1970's attire
sporting a toupee, that is one of the most hideous looking cars I have ever
seen. Please tell me you are joking?

+1, I've said it before and I'll say it again, one 1977-78 Trans Am is enough, GM does not need to copy it and produce it all over again (let Ford copy it's old cars all it wants to).

Joe6pt0
08-11-2006, 05:27 PM
Now all we need a is a balding fat Burt Reynolds dressed in 1970's attire
sporting a toupee, that is one of the most hideous looking cars I have ever
seen. Please tell me you are joking?

No I'm not joking. I love the look of the 77-78 Trans Ams.

I don't understand every GTO owner's facsination with trying so hard to not have a retro car.

What's the difference between a "retro" design and a domestic rebadge?

tigeragogo
08-11-2006, 08:19 PM
I think GM provides the new owner with an ABBA's Greatest Hits cd and a pair of roller skates in the trunk.

Jontall
08-12-2006, 04:57 AM
I'll wait to see the finished product before I speak.

gtoadmirer
08-13-2006, 09:31 AM
I think GM provides the new owner with an ABBA's Greatest Hits cd and a pair of roller skates in the trunk.


Heh heh...that blonde in ABBA was a hottie...I'd buy a new firebird as long as it had a firechicken and an ABBA cd. :) :stickpoke

Seriously though...the new firebird would not be respected because of burt reynolds. nothing to do with the car. just like the new gto brings to mind a grand am gt. :(

new camaro: i dont like it, but i would buy it.
new firebird: i like it, but would not buy it.

new gto and new firebird are good cars under the skin, just bad associations.