Filed under: Car Buying, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Plants/Manufacturing, Chevrolet
6,000 Camaros ordered so far, 84% with V8
Click above for high-res gallery of the 2010 Chevy Camaro
Chevrolet has reportedly taken more than 6,000 orders for its new Camaro so far, and why not? The car is great looking, excitement is high, and fuel prices have eased up a bit. You'd think that the prior spike in the cost of fuel would still be fresh on everyone's mind, thus making the V6 a popular choice. Wrongo. While the V6 has similar lip-smackingly great styling, and won't be a slowpoke, it seems that everyone wants that small block rhythm thumping away under the hood of their neo-ponycar. 84% of orders have been for V8-powered SS models so far, which may mean a longer wait for delivery since GM is likely building a very different ratio of V8 to V6 models. Thanks for the tip, Doug!
Gallery: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
[Source: Camaro5]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Crackberry Addict 11:04AM (10/28/2008)
Good! Gm needed this.
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Dude 11:06AM (10/28/2008)
What's with AutoBlogs obsession with fuel prices?
These people are willing to spend $30,000+ on a new car. Saving $10.00 at the pump every two weeks is not really an issue for them. Besides, a V8 that averages 22-24MPG is not that bad.
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Hamud 11:47AM (10/28/2008)
I don't think saving $10 every two weeks at the pump is a big deal for anyone.
About the Camaro sales, this was predictable.
TriShield 11:10AM (10/28/2008)
The V6, even at 304hp (and a laughably low 274 ft-lbs torque) is still for girls.
The SS is what this car is all about.
If only every vehicle Chevrolet made had this much distinctive style, heritage and attention to detail. The Camaro and Corvette are the most authentically American and Chevrolet cars GM makes.
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Kevin 11:16AM (10/28/2008)
nicely put sir!
XJ 11:17AM (10/28/2008)
"273 lb-ft of torque at 5200"
Good god, I wonder what how the low-end torque will be like. Most cars I've driven, max torque comes in at 3500rpms or so.
Serge 11:39AM (10/28/2008)
@XJ
Dude, get into any Japanese car and find out :)
"There's no replacement for displacement" - The Holy Bible
BigMcLargeHuge 12:01PM (10/28/2008)
You guys realize the Z06 torque peaks at 4800 rpm right?
Peak torque happening high in the RPM band doesn't mean you don't have torque available down low.
And apparently 'any Japanese car' refers only to V-techs. Because it can't refer to any of the turbocharged cars, of which there have been many over the years. Their torque hits low and hits hard.
MikeofLA 12:12PM (10/28/2008)
Serge: Regarding "There's no replacement for displacement" - The Holy Bible
The New Testament actually says "There's no replacement for displacement - except for forced induction"
sydbot 12:22PM (10/28/2008)
Low-end torque will be fine:
http://media.gm.com/us/powertrain/en/product_services/2009/HPT%20Library/HFV6/2009_36L_LLT_CTS_n.pdf
The torque curve is much flatter than any current small-block, and this is GM's high output version. Most non-V8 GM engines make 90% max torque by 2000 RPM, seems like a goal of theirs.
The Tony Show 2:21PM (10/28/2008)
"The V6 is for girls"?
With 4 more hp than the current Mustang GT and only 6hp less than the 2002 Camaro Z28, the DI V6 is a pretty damn stout engine choice.
I still like the small block (got one in my CTS-V), but the 6 is nothing to be ashamed of.
jcar302 11:12AM (10/28/2008)
With this many SS camaro's on the street, i'm hoping ford with kick their game up a notch and finally give the base mustang some extra power standard in the v8.
Being down 122hp is pretty serious.
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Russell 5:36PM (10/28/2008)
Being down on power is curable, being down in the suspension is terminal.
Jay Evans 11:12AM (10/28/2008)
Who in their right mind is going to pay the extra large ADM for a Camaro and only order a V6?
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Paul 11:15AM (10/28/2008)
Note this is orders - enthusiasts are likely the ones ordering. When they hit the lots the V6s will drastically outsell the V8s... unfortunately.
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Menice 11:20AM (10/28/2008)
exactly what I was thinking.
montoym 3:01AM (10/29/2008)
Not necessarily unfortunate, it's typical.
The V6 models of any of these cars(Mustang, Camaro, Challenger, Firebird etc) are "always" the volume models and outsell the higher output versions drastically.
While it's nice to see the V8 attracting the attention, I agree with the enthusiast side of the argument. Most who are putting down advance deposits and orders are likely looking for the top-end model, at least engine-wise.
Once they hit the lots, the V6's will sell bigger numbers and that's completely expected. I'd actually be very surprised if, during the first year, the V8 manages to sell more than 40% of the volume.
stevereportdotcom 11:16AM (10/28/2008)
Buy one while you can because I predict GM will halt these in 3 years because of economic conditions. Or they will replace these engines with wimpy ones.
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Torrent 11:20AM (10/28/2008)
Not if they sell like this, they won't.
montoym 4:04AM (10/29/2008)
Never stopped the Camaro(or Mustang, Corvette etc) from selling during the 1970's with high gas prices and a bad economy as well.
They may not have been as powerful as previous models, but they still sold and got much better as tiem went by.