Although the Chevrolet Camaro is synonymous with muscle car, General Motors wants you to think differently about the all-new 2010 model. With fuel efficiency and an overall green image being ever more important to today’s car buyers, GM will try to push some of the Camaro’s green attributes rather than its tire-smoking ability.
According to Mark LaNeve, GM North America’s vice president of sales and marketing, GM will highlight the Camaro’s styling and V6 fuel economy, instead of making the V8 high-performance model the face of the Camaro lineup. “We won’t position it as a muscle car,†LaNeve told BusinessWeek. “The mainstream positioning will be fuel economy, design and a V6.â€
To further push the Camaro’s green credentials, GM vice chairman Bob Lutz confirmed at least week’s New York Auto Show that GM is considering offering a 2.0L turbo four-cylinder engine in the Camaro — the same engine that will be going into Chinese-spec Buick Park Avenues and could find its way under the hood of the Pontiac G8.
While Camaro faithful might consider a four-cylinder Camaro blasphemy, the 2.0L turbocharged unit does put out an impressive 260 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque — far more than the V8 Camaros built in the 1970s and 80s. And with that much power on tap, the four-cylinder Camaro would offer 50 more horsepower than a V6 Ford Mustang and 10 more ponies than a V6-equipped Dodge Challenger — all while delivering better fuel economy.
