Media Europe

GM Will Build an All-New Chevrolet Camaro

2006-08-10

Back to overview

Print   |  Share This   | 

Traverse City, Michigan/Zurich – 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 Detroit Motor 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.”

Although the Camaro concept vehicle has not yet been shown in Europe, Chevrolet Europe is considering importing and selling this exciting vehicle in Europe. “We are carefully evaluating its market potential,” said Wayne Brannon, Executive Director, Chevrolet Europe. “The all-new Camaro is a vehicle relevant to younger buyers while retaining its appeal to current fans. The best Camaros 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. We are working on a business case for Europe and hope that this outstanding vehicle will form part of our European portfolio in the future.”

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.

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.

An American icon
The Camaro has touched many lives – and graced many garages – with nearly 4.8 million vehicles 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. Chevrolet is also the leading global brand of General Motors worldwide with over 4.1 million vehicles sold in over 120 countries.
Chevrolet is strongly growing across Europe, too: In the first half of the year, the company reached record sales of 160,732 vehicles, an 11.2 percent increase over the same period a year earlier (144,517 vehicles). After 1.33 percent half-way through 2005, Chevrolet’s record share of the total European market has now reached 1.42 percent.
With the new Epica top-of-the-line sedan coming on stream in the second half of 2006 and the new diesel-powered Captiva SUV being launched in several markets in autumn, Chevrolet expects continued strong growth in the remaining months and annual sales across Europe well over the 295,459 units last year.

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.