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Marton Pettendy17 May 2015
NEWS

Chevrolet reveals Mk6 Camaro

Lighter, stiffer, smoother new Chevy coupe emerges with first turbo-four; expected at a Holden dealer near you soon

Chevrolet's sixth-generation Camaro made its world debut in front of more than 1000 fans at Belle Isle Park in Detroit overnight, after it was accidentally revealed on US TV by CNBC yesterday.

The official unveiling by GM product development chief and former Holden boss Mark Reuss follows a two-month teaser campaign in which Chevrolet revealed the new coupe's badge, chassis and full side profile, and promised the Mk6 Camaro will be almost 100kg lighter, as well as stiffer, quicker, more efficient and more dynamic than before.

Now, Chevrolet has confirmed full details of the three engines that will power its new coupe, including an upgraded 6.2-litre LT1 V8 for the SS, a new 3.6-litre V6 and, for the first time, a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder.

Reuss made no mention of GM's intention to make this the first Camaro sold outside North America and other major left-hand drive markets and it remains unconfirmed for right-hand drive production at GM's Lansing Grand River assembly plant in Michigan.

However, the 2016 Camaro, which goes on sale in the US in LT, RS and SS trim levels in the fourth quarter of this year and will be joined by a redesigned convertible next year, could go on sale in Australia even before Holden's last V8-powered Commodore ceases production at the end of 2017.

GM's direct rival for Ford's Mustang -- which officially goes on sale for the first time in Australia in December, priced from under $45,000 -- is the likeliest candidate to be the 'global V8 sports car' that Holden has promised to release in coming years.

If the Camaro joins the Mustang here, the classic homegrown Commodore-Falcon sports sedan battle will be effectively replaced by the same American muscle car match seen in the US, where the new Mustang has outsold the older Mk5 Camaro so far this year.

Until GM resurrected the Camaro after a seven-year hiatus in 2009 – a year after Dodge released its first Challenger in 25 years, reigniting a V8 coupe war between the Big Three – the Mustang had also been North America's top-selling sports car since 1985.

Despite analysts' forecast that the Mustang will remain on top of the US sales charts, Chevrolet hopes its new Camaro can replicate the success of the Mk5, which was the top-seller for the past five years.

To achieve that, it says the Mk6 Camaro – based on the same rear-drive Alpha chassis architecture used by the Cadillac ATS and CTS sedans, instead of the Australian-designed Zeta platform that underpins both the Mk5 Camaro and Holden's Commodore – is all-new except for its SS badge and rear bowtie emblem.

“Redesigning the Camaro is thrilling and challenging all at once, but the secret is to offer something more,” said Reuss.

“For Camaro enthusiasts, it retains iconic design cues and offers even more performance. For a new generation of buyers, the 2016 Camaro incorporates our most innovative engineering ideas with finely honed performance and leading design.”

Instantly recognisable but with smoother lines, the Mk6 Camaro is smaller than before in all key dimensions, measuring 4748mm long (making it 57mm shorter), 1897mm wide (20mm narrower), and 1348mm high (28mm lower), and riding on a 41mm-shorter (2811mm) wheelbase.

Also helping its weight loss, which GM says is more than 200 pounds (90kg) depending on the model, is more extensive use of aluminium, including for the body in white, which is claimed to be 60.5kg lighter yet 28 per cent stiffer.

Also now aluminium among the 70 per cent new architectural components (compared to other Alpha models) is the instrument panel frame and links in the all-new 'double pivot' MacPherson strut front suspension with dual lower ball-joints and twin-tube struts (a five-link independent rear suspension is fitted on all models and Magnetic Ride Control with monotube inverted struts is available for SS models).

GM says the latter delivers greater precision from the ZF variable-ratio electric power steering and claims the standard 2015 Camaro SS can achieve faster racetrack lap times than the 2015 Camaro 1LE package, which comprises special suspension and tyres.

To prove the point it took the unusual move of inviting selected US journalists to drive pre-production models on Sunday – at least five months before the car goes on sale.

All new Camaro models will come with Brembo brakes and Goodyear tyres – 18-inch for the entry-level LT and 20-inch for the SS, which features 345mm front and 338mm rear discs with four-piston callipers all round. Lesser models can be had with 320mm front rotors and four-piston callipers and 315mm rears with single-piston callipers.

“The driving experience is significantly different,” said Aaron Link, lead development engineer. “Immediately, you will notice how much lighter and more nimble the Camaro feels. That feeling increases when you drive the Camaro harder – it brakes more powerfully, dives into corners quicker, and accelerates faster than ever.”

Following Ford's move with its first four-cylinder Mustang, the first turbocharged Camaro runs the same 1998cc DOHC direct-injection alloy petrol four from the CT6 and produces 205kW of power (SAE) at 5600rpm and 400Nm of torque over 3000-4500rpm.

GM says the most fuel-efficient Camaro ever (with an EPA highway rating of more than 30mpg or 7.84L/100km) can hit 60mph in less than six seconds.

A next-generation 3.6-litre (3640cc) DOHC alloy V6 offers 250kW at 6800rpm and 385Nm at 5300rpm, while the two-valve pushrod alloy LT1 6.2 V8 now delivers 339kW at 6000rpm and 617Nm at 4400rpm. Both vee engines feature direct-injection and, for the first time, Active Fuel Management.

While the four- and six-cylinder models come with Tremec TR3160 six-speed manual and Hydra-Matic 8L45 eight-speed automatic transmissions, the V8 SS offers a Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual with Active Rev Match and a Hydra-Matic 8L90 eight-speed auto. All autos will come with paddle shifters.

The SS manual has the shortest final drive ratio (3.73), followed by the 2.0T manual/auto and 3.6L manual (3.27), and the 3.6L and 6.2L auto (2.77).

New Camaro features include a Drive Mode Selector offering unique transmission, power steering and other modes plus a Track setting for the SS, a configurable instrument cluster, 8.0-inch colour touch-screen with MyLink infotainment and customisable interior “spectrum lighting” that illuminates the dash, door panels and centre console in 24 different ambient LED light colours.

Standard lighting includes halogen projector beam headlights and tail-lights, with RS and SS models adding high-intensity discharge (HID) headlights with signature LED daytime running lights and LED tail-lights.

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