New Camaro teased again

With just four days to go until its world debut on Saturday (May 16) in Detroit, Chevrolet has provided the clearest view yet of its sixth-generation Camaro coupe.

Due on sale in North America later this year and almost certain to be the V8 sports car Holden has promised to release after the demise of its Commodore range in 2017, the all-new Camaro has already been confirmed to be at least 100kg lighter than the model it replaces.

That's largely due to its new Alpha platform, which replaces the Australian-engineered Zeta chassis architecture that also underpins Holden's Commodore.

Apart from these new teaser images, which provide more clarity around the spy shots we've seen previously, GM has revealed the new Camaro has been subjected to 350 hours of wind tunnel testing as part of Chevrolet's efforts to fine-tune air flow, improve engine cooling and vehicle stability, and reduce aerodynamic drag and lift.

"Drivers of the Camaro SS will experience a marked improvement in reduced aerodynamic lift," says Chevy.

According to GM, wing tunnel testing often took place for 24 hour a day.

“The importance of aerodynamics increases exponentially as we increase vehicle performance,” said Kirk Bennion, Exterior Design manager.

“As engine output increases, we need more engine cooling. As acceleration and top speeds climb, we need to reduce lift for better high-speed stability. However, we cannot make any changes at the expense of increasing drag, which can hurt fuel economy.

“To balance these different aerodynamic targets, we tested literally hundreds of changes on the new Camaro, millimeters at a time.”

Among the aero parts subject to extensive fine-tuning was the new Camaro's lower grille bars, which GM says were originally to be set at a 20-degree angle to the horizon but after testing were shifted to 13 degrees to improve engine cooling airflow by one per cent.

Rather than a traditional front air-dam to reduce aerodynamic lift, the team developed a flush belly pan that stretches from the front grille to the centre of the vehicle. GM says that, paired with small 'spats' ahead of the front tyres, the smooth underbody helps reduce total lift by 30 per cent, while also reducing aerodynamic drag.

Unlike previous generations, the next Camaro won't be restricted to the US and major left-hand drive markets, and is also almost certain for Australia, where it’s expected  to match the  Ford Mustang's $45K starting price.

Like the Mk6 Mustang, the Camaro is tipped to come with a four-cylinder engine for the first time – in this case the 198kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol from the Cadillac CT6.

The new Caddy is also expected to donate its new 250kW 3.0-litre V6 and new twin-turbo 298kW 3.0-litre V6.

Finally the range-topping SS will be the hero car, packing a similar 6.2-litre V8 to the current Camaro and pumping out at least 315kW. All engines should be available with six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic, and the SS will also feature 'magnetic ride' variable damping technology.