Chevrolet's revived Camaro coupe, which goes on sale early next year as a 2010 model, will have a starting price of $22,995 (including freight) for the base V-6 model, while the performance-oriented V-8 model will begin at $30,995, General Motors has announced.
Dealers are taking orders for the cars, which the automaker says have generated excitement among baby boomers who grew up with the Camaro. The previous model went out of production in 2002.
GM showed the concept version of the new Camaro coupe at the 2006 Detroit auto show, and a convertible concept followed. It's making the rounds of auto shows nationwide but will not go on sale until sometime in 2010. No prices have been announced yet for the convertible.
As for the coupe, "The wait is almost over," GM North America Vice President Ed Peper said in an announcement of the pricing. "The return of the Camaro gives sports car enthusiasts a reason to rejoice. It's a 21st century sports car with a distinctly American legacy."
Auto sales are down this year, with consumers having been scared off earlier by $4 a gallon gas prices and by the credit crunch and uncertainty about the national economy.
Thousands request informationWith gasoline prices at their lowest levels in about 17 months, auto dealers hope that consumers will return to showrooms to buy. The lower gas prices bode well for the Camaro, although fuel economy isn't expected to be a major issue, anyway, as the
V-6 model is rated at up to 27 miles per gallon, and the V-8 up to a 23 mpg rating.
GM said that more than 600,000 potential buyers have requested information on the Camaro just since production plans were announced this past summer.
GM says production will begin in mid-February at a plant in Ontario, Canada, and the cars will begin arriving at dealerships by early March.
Also coming to dealerships at the same time will be an array of accessories that can be used to customize the cars, including 21-inch wheels and tires, ground effects and stripe kits, and a Hurst shifter, GM said.
All those accessories can be ordered and installed before delivery, and in some cases can even be "rolled into the monthly payments," the company said.
Already, the 2010 Camaro is starring in a TV show — an NBC drama called My Own Worst Enemy, with Christian Slater as a man with two personalities, a suburban dad and a risk-taking spy. The Camaro also appeared in the 2007 film Transformers.
Three trim levels will be offered, the V-6 LS and LT models, and the V-8 Super Sport or SS version, intended for die-hard enthusiasts.
Two V-8 engines are offered. The LS3 engine from the 2008 Corvette, with 422 horsepower and 408 foot-pounds of torque, will be available only with a six-speed manual gearbox. Those who want the optional six-speed automatic transmission will get the L99 engine, rated at 400 horsepower and 395 foot-pounds of torque.
The original Camaro, which arrived for 1967, was GM's answer to the popular Mustang, which debuted in 1964. GM isn't alone in bringing an icon of the 1960s back to life this year.
Dodge has introduced a new version of its two-door Challenger muscle car, also available in V-6 and V-8 versions. The Camaro, built on GM's new global rear-wheel-drive architecture, has a unibody structure designed to enhance safety and handling. It features one-piece body side stampings and tight spaces between body panels, the automaker said.
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