Fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro

Fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro

Manufacturer	Chevrolet
Parent company	General Motors
Production	2010-
Assembly	Oshawa Car Assembly
Predecessor	Fourth–gen Camaro
Class	pony car muscle car sports car
Body style(s)	2-door coupé 2-door convertible
Layout	FR layout
Platform	GM Zeta platform
Engine(s)	V6 V8
Designer	Sangyup Lee

General Motors started producing the Chevrolet Camaro in 1967; however, the car was discontinued in 2002. After hiatus for several years, GM will begin production of the fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro in February 2009. The Camaro will go on sale in spring of 2009 for the 2010 model year.

2006 Camaro Concept

The return of the Camaro name has been anticipated by enthusiasts since fourth generation production ended in 2002. On 6 January 2006, the first official word regarding a fifth generation Camaro from General Motors came at the 2006 North American International Auto Show, where the 2006 Camaro Concept was released. AutoWeek editors unanimously awarded the Camaro Concept "Best In Show." The concept is based on the new GM Zeta platform and designed by Korean-born Sangyup Lee. Road & Track offered an exclusive first look at the car which had photos as well as a short video on the day the concept was released.

2006 Camaro Concept

The concept car features the same formula the Camaro has also stuck with; 2-doors, 4-passenger, rear-wheel drive, coupe. The wheelbase is 110.5 in (281 cm), which is 9 in (23 cm) longer than the previous generation, but an overall length of just 186.2 in (473 cm), 7 in (18 cm) shorter. The Camaro Concept is powered by a 400 hp (298 kW) 6.0 L (366 cu in) LS2 V8 with Active Fuel Management and is equipped with the T-56 six-speed manual transmission. Other features include a four-wheel independent suspension system, four-wheel disc brakes with 14 in (36 cm) rotors and four-piston calipers, and 21 in (53 cm) front / 22 in (56 cm) rear wheels covered in huge 275/30R21 front / 305/30R22 rear tires.

There are four known 2006 Camaro Concept cars in circulation; a fully functional silver vehicle with complete interior, a non-functional silver fiberglass shell currently touring the auto show circuit in Australia and the far east, and a non-functional red fiberglass shell like the silver one, but is in circulation on the North American auto show circuit.

2007 Camaro Convertible Concept

The 2007 Camaro Convertible Concept was announced 6 January 2007 at the 2007 North American International Auto Show. Early speculation by many automotive publications proved to be true when early embargo was broken on 4 January, 2007.

"For some of us, an emotional bond was formed when we introduced the Camaro coupe last year. It is magnificent. But now this year, if this Camaro convertible doesn't make your heart beat faster, you should see either your optometrist or your cardiologist, because you have a problem."
-Ed Peper, Chevrolet General Manager

At a glance it would seem that the only difference between the coupe and convertible concepts would be the roof and Hugger Orange pearl tri-coat paint job with a pair of dark gray racing stripes, but this is not the case.Besides the obvious convertible top, there are subtle changes to the exterior as well. Every surface was changed from the door-cut back. The rear fenderlines drop off from the horizontal surface to the vertical surface a couple of inches farther out than on the coupe to keep proportions good and the rear spoiler was reshaped. The 21 in (53 cm) front and 22 in (56 cm) rear wheels were also redesigned and a thin orange line was applied to the outer edge, a nod to redwalls available circa 1969.

There are many interior changes that were incorporated into the new concept. The retro houndstooth-pattern seats of the coupe were replaced with leather moderne and orange stitching. The metal finishes, accent panel finishes, and seats are all different colors. The rear seats are 6 in (15 cm) closer together to make room for the tonneau cover. The clarity of the circular gauges in square frames were improved by making the faces white with black chrome numbers and a red anodized needle. The deep-dish three-spoke steering wheel and four-pack gauge cluster carryover over from the coupe concept. Chrome seatbelt buckles are designed to look like the iconic belts buckles in late 1960s GM cars. This reworked interior of the Camaro Convertible Concept is now a very close representation of what will be seen in the production version of the Camaro.

2010

"As evidence that we're not completely brain-dead, GM will build the Chevy Camaro."
-Rick Wagoner, General Motors CEO

On 10 August 2006, GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner announced that GM would build an all-new version of the Chevrolet Camaro muscle car based on the award-winning concept that debuted at the Detroit auto show in January 2006. The all-new Camaro was originally scheduled to begin production at the end of 2008 and will go on sale in the first quarter of 2009 for the 2009 model year, but General Motors stated in March 2008 that production would be delayed until February 2009 with the Camaro going on sale in the spring of 2009 for the 2010 model year.Initially, the coupe will be released and will have an extended 2010 model year run. The convertible will follow several months after the coupe and will also be available for the 2010 model year.

Camaro Concept at the 2006 Houston Auto Show

Although the production version of the vehicle has not been officially shown, GM said it would follow very closely the style of the 2006 Camaro Concept. GM has also confirmed that the production version will feature a B-pillar, as opposed to the concept vehicles which do not have the B-pillar in place.The Camaro will be built on the Zeta rear-wheel-drive platform, which also underpins the 2008 Pontiac G8. GM confirmed that the Camaro will have an independent rear suspension, be offered with both V6 and V8 engines, and have available automatic and manual transmissions. GM is expected to show the production version of the vehicle in a massive debut at the 2009 North American International Auto Show. While no technical details of the available engines have been confirmed, it has been reported that the Camaro may be used as one of the introduction platforms for the upcoming Generation V V8, introducing features such as gasoline direct injection.

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

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.

Following the development of the Zeta architecture and because of its position as the GM global center of RWD development GM Holden is leading the final design, engineering, and development of the Camaro in Australia. However, the new Camaro will be produced at the Oshawa Car Assembly manufacturing plant in Canada. 2,750 jobs would have been lost at the Oshawa manufacturing plant which had been originally scheduled to be closed in 2008; some of these jobs will be saved now due to the new Camaro's production (GM of Canada's president Arturo Elias couldn't give firm numbers). This new product program and conversion of the Oshawa plant to a state of the art flexible manufacturing facility represents a $740 million investment, with preparatory work beginning immediately.

Bob Lutz's post on the GM FastLane Blog for 10 August, 2006 thanked everyone in the blogosphere who commented and offered feedback on the Camaro.

On 11 December, 2007, the first spy photographs of the pre-production 2009 Camaro surfaced on the internet. A group of heavily camouflaged Camaros were photographed in Melbourne, Australia and were accompanied by a pair of Ford Mustangs. A notable visual differences on the production version versus the concept was the inclusion of a B-pillar, but the overall shape and design remained very similar. The following day, another more detailed image of a pre-production Camaro with less camouflage appeared on a popular Camaro forum. Other notable differences include sheet metal-stamped pseudo-vents in front of the rear wheels instead of functional vents and different side mirrors.

On 3 January, 2008, another round of spy photographs were released on the internet.These new photographs contained the first images of the production interior. Large changes to the center stack were revealed which now has a stereo interface that was missing on the show car. The four small analog gauges still reside in front of the gear shift lever and the retro instrumentation pods have survived largely unscathed. Only a couple of hours after these images surfaced on the internet, Ed Pepper posted on the GM FastLane Blog that future pre-production and development Camaros found on the road would be without camouflage so further evaluations could be done for aerodynamics and cooling efficiency.He also stated the public would be seeing an increased amount of Camaro testing on both the U.S. and Australian roads in 2008 and encouraged people to take "spy photos" of these vehicles when seen. The months following this announcement led to several instances of undisguised pre-production Camaros being photographed in the United States and Australia.

Appearances in popular culture


Bumblebee depicted as a 1976 and 5th-gen Camaro.

In the 2007 live-action Transformers movie, the character Bumblebee is portrayed as a yellow 1976 Camaro that, midway through the film, becomes a fifth-generation Camaro. The movie prop cars were built by Saleen using molds of the actual concept car provided by General Motors. The movie prop cars are heavily modified Pontiac GTOs with the Camaro Concept's exterior and interior. Saleen did not have enough time to create wheels which accurately reflected the Camaro Concept so they used standard steel wheels with wheel covers resembling the concept car's wheels. These wheel covers also include faux brake rotors, but noticeably, the brake calipers are absent. The idea for this was considered by Michael Bay, the director, when he saw the convertible concept. He employed Saleen to remake the concept, but rather than the orange car, he asked for a yellow one.

The concept car has also appeared in Speed Channel's reality show Forza Motorsport Showdown, as well as a music video for the song "Top Back" by rapper T.I., and is a playable bonus car in the video games Need for Speed: Carbon, and Need for Speed: ProStreet.