At least one reason the old Camaro went south was that Chevy shoved it into too many markets, optioning from the beginning a whiny and wimpy six-cylinder engine in what was popularly perceived to be a street thug. By the end of its life, the Camaro had became a dental hygienist's car, a school librarian's commuter. No surprises it died.
Is Chevrolet poised to commit the same crime with the forthcoming Camaro? At the New York Auto Show this week GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said that Chevy is mulling a four-cylinder engine, minus the wimp. The Camaro would use the same 2.0-liter turbocharged, direct-injected drivetrain that powers the Pontiac Solstice and the Saturn Sky roadsters.That engine makes some 260 hp. Of course, it would be pushing a lot more weight in the Camaro.
Lutz is wildly enthusiastic about that powerplant. At a dinner in Los Angeles months ago, he told me that Chevrolet could deliver a version of the Solstice that gives the same performance as a Corvette C6 within two years. I've had track time with both the Solstice and the Sky (and the Corvette C6). Power delivery on the Pontiac and the Saturn is magnificently well matched to both the wheel base and weight. A fellow blogger owns a Ferrari F430 and a Saturn Sky. He told me he prefers his Saturn.
High gas prices are forcing Chevy to consider the smaller mill for its Camaro. The question is whether it will cut off the nannies of the brand just as it makes its debut.
Source: AutoWeek
Photo courtesy of Chevrolet.
