09 Jan 07
'The days of compromise, of leaving customers wanting more, are over.' So said Troy Clarke, president of GM North America, as he unveiled the new Chevrolet range at the Detroit Motor Show.
He wasn't talking about the ex-Daewoos that carry the Chevrolet badge in Britain and elsewhere. He was talking about a range that's going to be topped by a pair of Camaros: the coupe shown last year and the convertible version that made its glitzy debut at Detroit.
Celebrities including actor Christian Slater and hip hop superstar Jay-Z unveiled the convertible at a GM 'style' event. The car is retro enough to evoke Camaros of the past, but like Ford's current Mustang it doesn't look dated, even with old-school dials and an orange paint scheme designed to evoke the 1969 original.
The front-engined, rear-drive convertible is a concept, but GM says a production version is definitely going to go on sale, probably just a few months after the coupe, which is set for a 2009 launch. And will they come to Europe? Chevrolet Europe is 'carefully evaluating' that.
The concept has big wheels - 21" front, 22" rear - a V8 engine and six-speed manual gearbox, but production versions of both models are likely to be offered with the choice of manual and automatic transmissions and V6 and V8 engines.
