The Auto Writer

Mondays can be a tough time to pull everything together, especially when you’re waiting on the highly publicized debut of a long-awaited car such as the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro. I’m on a deadline to complete my review of the Lincoln MKS for 435 South Magazine, but I’m making sure that I keep my eyes on what is going on in Ontario where the first of the production ready Camaros are rolling out today.

GM desperately needs some positive news to break through the gloom and although the Camaro isn’t the electric Volt, it may be the car that matters most to die-hard Chevy fans, even more than its lithium-ion battery-powered brand mate. Heck, after two years of waiting, Camaro fans are thrilled and ready to make a lot of noise for their favorite ride. Perhaps the buzz will stimulate showroom traffic for Chevy dealers too – let’s hope so.

Chevy Camaro News Round Up

Instead of giving my opinion about the Camaro (I’m still about two weeks away from my first test drive), I thought I’d share what others are saying about the car’s release today:

GM Blogs – As of 10 a.m., GM hadn’t updated its media site to include Camaro information, but Ed Peper who is GM North America Vice President, Chevrolet weighed in by writing, “It’s Camaro Time” for the GM Fastlane Blog. Though Peper takes a hard look at how the Camaro stacks up against its arch-rival, the Ford Mustang, he made a comment that the Camaro is also competing against non-traditional competitors including the Nissan 370 Z, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, and BMW 3-Series. Check out the link to the Camaro dedicated site which went live today – well done!

The Detroit News – I always like the two Detroit newspapers for their automotive coverage. If these publications cannot survive in print form, they’ll still have a very good online audience. “Detroit flexes its muscle: Mustang, Challenger, Camaro face off again,” is the story shared on www.detnews.com today, a good overview of what the Camaro has to offer while offering an informative comparative with the Mustang and Challenger.

True, it has been 26 years since all three models were last sold at the same time, but please can we “forget” the Mitsubishi Challenger, an “in name only” rendition of the heralded moniker? Instead, it has been 35 years since all three muscle cars were produced at the same time.

By the way, it looks like I’ll have to correct some of my articles about the Camaro as The Detroit News reports that the EPA says that the base V-6 Camaro will get 29 mpg — way to go!

CNBC – Phil LeBeau shares his thoughts about the Camaro, thinking that the car won’t do all that much to bolster sales. See — Can New Chevy Camaro Muscle Up Sales? True, Chevrolet needs more than a new car’s introduction to help things out, but my thinking is that the buzz generated will do the brand some good. Unless, of course, Washington continues to cast a gloomy pall over the economy!

Stay Tuned!

That’s it for now – more news later with (hopefully) some related production-oriented photography of the gorgeous 2010 Chevy Camaro.