Larry Sully, GM accessories design manager, revealed his team is working on larger wheels and a body kit for the Camaro. Will these accessories be part of the RS package?
CP: "The RS package is available on all models except the LS. Like I said, it has HID lighting, a darker tailamp treatment, and on a V-6 RS you get the spoiler found on the SS. The wheels are expected to have a unique paint treatment - not black, but not a typical bright silver finish. And then the V-6 RS option also includes 20-inch wheels."
In spring 2007, you told the guys at CamaroHompage.com that you "don't believe a Camaro is the right place for a hybrid powertrain." Do you still feel this way? Could we see the first hybrid muscle car?
CP: "You know, it's interesting how quickly things change, right? All of a sudden gas is four dollars per gallon and creeping up. I think that our team, along with the rest of GM, is looking at all different fuel solutions for Camaro and everything else out there. Things do change and we will change with the times. The V-8 we have does use active fuel management."
Have engineers had a chance to test Camaros with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine?
CP: "We are definitely keeping our options open for the future. To keep on making Camaro, we will have to follow along with all the strict fuel economy standards required by law. Interestingly, the die-hard enthusiasts we talked to were very open to hybrid, four-cylinder, and alternative-powered Camaros. There are definitely some opportunities there. Performance is an important part too, but that doesn't necessarily mean V-8 performance. There's other ways to get great horsepower and good torque besides a small-block V-8."
Could the new Camaro be fitted with all-wheel-drive technology?
CP: "All-wheel-drive is not something that we've investigated and we are not planning on doing that. I've not heard our enthusiast group bring that up as something they are interested in. The enthusiast buyer wants the launch feel. For someone who is concerned about traction in the wintertime, we do have standard stabilitrack and our V-6 tires are all-season tires."
Will T-tops or a glass roof similar to what will be available on the Mustang be a Camaro option?
CP: "A sunroof will be available at the start of production and a convertible will be released within a year of the coupe."
Will the Camaro have any goodies that we haven't seen and wouldn't expect?
CP: "One of the really cool things on the interior is, when you start the car, the sequence of lighting and the instrument cluster gauges are all illuminated in a cool kind of a way. There is a light ring that goes around the actual tachometer and speedometer. Additionally, on cars with a leather interior, there is what we call a two-inch ambient lighting LED pipe that goes across the instrument panel and then also goes into the door trim on each side. It's very similar to what was in the concept car. It will have ice blue lighting, and we have a special inferno orange accent package with orange seat inserts and orange-red ambient light. Through GM accessories dealers, you will also be able to get different colored accessory pieces. Also, GM accessories will offer 21-inch wheels in two different looks. They should fit both the V-6 and the V-8 car. More Camaro accessories will be announced during the 2008 SEMA show."
How many Camaros is GM trying to sell? Is a reasonable goal about 100,000 units in North America and 5000 in Europe?
CP: "I think that's a good ballpark target. But look at the Mustang, the big dog right now. Its volume went down by 30 percent last year. Just like overall new car sales have gone down, so has regular sports car sales. But with the new Camaro and what we feel is pent-up demand for it, I can see we are going to have some pretty good first-year sales."
Has any pricing information been finalized?
CP: "Final pricing will be released toward the end of the year, 30-60 days before the start of production. We expect it to be very competitive with the Mustang. "
What is the Camaro's anticipated showroom date? Still February 2009?
CP: "We've been saying first quarter of next year, probably a March time frame. And it will be labeled a 2010 model."
Lastly, I read your first car was a 1986 Trans Am. Is there any scenario that would make it feasible, at this point or any point in the next three years, for GM to revive the Camaro's sister car, the Pontiac Firebird?
CP: "There is not work currently going on at Pontiac on a new Firebird. The G8 is kind of their car for that."