From Automobile Magazine:

YES! Chevrolet is finally done prolonging the inevitable. The Camaro concept we’ve all been drooling over for the past eight months will be confirmed as a production model during an announcement on August 10, 2006. Check back tomorrow and we’ll have more details once the announcement has officially been made.

http://www.automobilemag.com

announcement today around 11:00 am

http://www.chevrolet.com/performance/

click then+now

Hit the "NOW" button.........

There it is..........

That's about as official as it gets folks!!!!!!!

Press release:
http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayServlet?target=http://image.emerald.gm.com/gmnews/viewpressreldetail.do?domain=2&docid=27934

Press release:
http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayServlet?target=http://image.emerald.gm.com/gmnews/viewpressreldetail.do?domain=2&docid=27934

Will it be considered an 09 or will it be an 10? My wifes going to be dissaponted to have to wait another year.

Sounds like it will be a late-release 09 (1st quarter of 2009).

If you read between the lines the car will not be built in the USA but down under like the GTO was. I don't know if that will sell? Everyone registered on this forum better go out and get one ASAP or else it will fail like the resurected GTO did. I wish they would build it in North America.

Give the People What They Want


By Bob Lutz
GM Vice Chairman

Ever since we launched this blog over a year and a half ago, a few recurring themes have peppered your comments and feedback, and perhaps one more than any other. For a while there, it seemed like Fast Lane would turn into "All Camaro, All the Time."

We'd post something about fuel economy; someone would respond by telling us to build a new Camaro. We'd write about the latest J.D. Power Dependability Study; someone posts about missing Camaro. Our revamped value pricing system? Camaro. A brand-new GM rollover testing facility? Camaro.

And this was before the 2006 Detroit show when we unveiled the new Camaro concept! That just intensified the drumbeat.

As you probably know by now, the Camaro program has been approved for production, as Chairman/CEO Rick Wagoner announced at the annual industry Management Briefing Seminar in Traverse City, Mich., this morning.

I'm not going to tell you that Camaro is happening because the blogosphere demanded it; that would be disingenuous. But I will tell you that the enthusiasm shown for Camaro in this forum is a shining and prominent example of the passion that exists for this automobile, and we thank you for sharing it with us.

I'll also tell you that we're going to deliver a car worthy of that passion. We'll follow the formula for providing a beautiful and compellingly styled car that, depending upon which engine and what options are chosen, will also be extremely affordable. No matter what the combination, Camaro will absolutely offer tremendous value for the money.

While this is indeed the return of an American icon, I think what sets us apart is that we didn't slavishly go back to the old 1969 Camaro styling. We took the essence of that — its DNA — and styled a completely modern car around it. In other words, it looks like a '69, but it doesn't look like a '69.

Its appeal will go well beyond just those people who are fans of the '69. We love those people and their enthusiasm, and we want the car to appeal to them, but also to a broader audience. It has to appeal to people who have never even heard of a Camaro. Outside certain age groups, and outside the United States, people have to look at it and see a beautiful car, period. If we are too literal in our interpretation, then we would fail to be relevant to a lot of people.

Camaro's beauty will apply to its performance as well. It will be a sensational chassis, a variant of our all-new global rear-drive architecture engineered in Australia, our center of large RWD expertise. (Design work will be done in the U.S., making Camaro a product of our now truly global product development organization.) The new RWD architecture is designed for optimum steering, ride and handling, vehicle dynamics and safety. In terms of chassis excellence, we will be completely "no-compromises."

It will be an absolutely premium-feeling RWD muscle car at a very attractive price, and I predict it will drive huge volume for Chevrolet, and be a big image boost for the brand and for GM.

I also predict that you will tell me in no uncertain terms whether you agree with that assessment, and I further predict I will read a lot of posts with the word "Firebird" in them. Love that enthusiasm!

For more on the Camaro announcement, take a look at the official press release.

Posted by Lutz at August 10, 2006 08:22 AM

I read in Lutz's statement that the new camaro will be built on 'a variant of the architecture from the Australia design', not that it will be BUILT IN australia...

If you read between the lines the car will not be built in the USA but down under like the GTO was. I don't know if that will sell? Everyone registered on this forum better go out and get one ASAP or else it will fail like the resurected GTO did. I wish they would build it in North America.
It will not be assembled in Australia.

I was able to attend the GM announcement earlier today at the GM Technical Center - great crowd!!

Video and pictures will be posted later this week :D

What plants here besides the Lansing Grand River Assembly (Cadillac CTS, SRX, STS) and Bowling Green (Corvette, XLR) builds comparable rear wheel drive cars?

All he said is it will be designed in the USA, he could have easily said built in. The short launch period would mean an existing plant would have to built it, does not seem they would retool another plant.

yahoo news said it will be available in late 08 as a 09 model. I think they might release it in summer of 08 to help sales

the talk has been mentioning the old Canada plants that could be fired up in time :)

What plants here besides the Lansing Grand River Assembly (Cadillac CTS, SRX, STS) and Bowling Green (Corvette, XLR) builds comparable rear wheel drive cars?

All he said is it will be designed in the USA, he could have easily said built in. The short launch period would mean an existing plant would have to built it, does not seem they would retool another plant.
Chassis was engineered by Holden in Australia.
Canada is also in North America ;)

Most of the plants now "could" be converted over to build rear drive cars. I've heard rumors that the GM Saturn plant here in Tenn may build it.
Ron

yay, another retro AMERICAN muscle car name being built with australian parts and design... weres the nostalgia. thats the main reason i didnt like the gto, they took a famous american car name thats a legend in the muscle car world, then slapped the gto name on a holden. i would like to see these cars produced in detriot again. thats just my opinion anyways, as for me, i will stick with my 73' z.

yay, another retro AMERICAN muscle car name being built with australian parts and design... weres the nostalgia. thats the main reason i didnt like the gto, they took a famous american car name thats a legend in the muscle car world, then slapped the gto name on a holden. i would like to see these cars produced in detriot again. thats just my opinion anyways, as for me, i will stick with my 73' z.
That is the thinking that got GM into trouble. Global resourcing is the way to go.
Why shouldn't GM save millions by using their current employees across the globe to help get things done?

The foriegn makes are coming here to built them and GM is going overseas?

Don't count on them firing up idled plant at Ste Therese, to many possible labor problems and modernization with that old facility. They either going to add it to an existing plant or built it down under.

I know the local Ponitac dealer and the GTO being built in another county ticked off some potential buyers who were retired GM workers, at least thats what he told me. Wanted me to trade my 02 Tran Am in but I said no thanks.
fyi--A dealer not far (125 mi) from here is sitting on a 2006 GTO in orange.

I hope they built in US or Canada.