2008 Camaro Concept Vehicle

The all new pimped out, totally redesigned Chevrolet Camaro won't go on sale until the first quarter of 2009.

It will use a rear-wheel-drive chassis being developed in Australia for use by GM's Holden brand headquartered there. A V-6 and a V-8 engine will be offered. The car will use a modern independent rear suspension instead of the bumpy-riding, tricky-handling solid-axle design of the original.

The car probably will not be built in Australia, but Wagoner said buyers shouldn't care where it's built.

The original Camaro was introduced in 1967, because Chevy's rival the Ford Mustang, had already sold millions of units. It was discontinued after the 2002 model, after about 4.8 million were sold.
 

Consumers and the auto press were gaga over the Camaro concept, which rolled through the North American International Auto Show in January serenaded by a percussion marching band. At the time, CEO Rick Wagoner wouldn't commit to building the car, but he told televisions 60 Minutes that if the General Motors company didn't decide in favor of the car, it might be "brain dead."

"As evidence that we're not completely brain dead, it's my pleasure to announce that GM will build the Chevy Camaro," Wagoner said at the industry's annual Management Briefing Seminars here.

While industry experts applaud the decision as evidence the automaker is listening to its consumers, General Motors still faces the challenge of getting products on the market faster than its competition. The Camaro will hit the market three years after its unveiling in Detroit. The Dodge Challenger, another retro-style muscle car, also was introduced at the Detroit show and is due in showrooms in 2008. Challenger uses a chassis already in production, shortening development time.