Camaro Heads East: Middle East, That Is

Having found success in the North American marketplace, the Chevrolet Camaro will go on sale in the Middle East, beginning late summer.

As General Motors continues to restructure, the company is doing its best to make sure that new product introductions go on as planned. No company wants to present an image of scratching to survive, otherwise customers will flee the moment they perceive that something is wrong.

Middle East Camaro Roll Out Set

Chevrolet has no new releases scheduled for the immediate future, but they are going ahead with plans to sell a number of products in new markets including the all new Chevy Camaro.  Earlier this week GM announced that the Camaro will go on sale in the Middle East, an important and growing market for the Chevrolet brand.

Michael Devereux, President of GM Middle East, said, “The all-new Camaro delivers the great looks, performance and technology that Middle East buyers expect in a modern sports car. Enthusiasts in the region started booking their cars months ago, and we expect our allocation of this iconic vehicle to sell out very quickly.”

Configure, Order Your Camaro Online

Although the Camaro won’t be available until later this summer, buyers across the Middle East can configure and pre-order their 2010 Camaro right now by visiting Chevrolet’s exclusive regional website at www.camaroarabia.com.

GM has been quick to point out that a number of its overseas operations are not part of the company’s U.S. bankruptcy filing.  In a related statement, Mike Devereux said: “General Motors is wholly committed to the region. We continue to bring award-winning vehicles and through our dealers, provide customers with the best possible ownership experience.  Our launch plans for this year are on track and unchanged.  We have already launched the Cadillac CTS-V, Cadillac Escalade Platinum, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Sierra Denali. The iconic Chevrolet Camaro will enter showrooms in July.  The Chevrolet Malibu and Cruze arrive in October as well as the all- new Cadillac SRX.  In December, the all-new GMC Terrain makes its Middle Eastern debut.”

Among the Middle Eastern markets where GM is active are the following countries: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, UAE and Yemen.

Photo copyright GM Corp.

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2010 Chevrolet Camaro, New and Vastly Improved!

When General Motors ended production of the Chevy Camaro coupe in 2002, rabid followers were clearly disappointed. The company soon found itself receiving a groundswell of feedback that the Camaro’s demise was a wrong move, with tens of thousands of people asking for the automaker to reconsider that move.

After several years of staying mum on the issue, GM announced in 2007 that the Camaro would, indeed, resume production. Beginning today, the automaker’s Brampton, Ontario assembly plant will begin production of the first batch of the iconic muscle car, ending a long wait for devotees.

Test Drive Just Weeks Away

My first test drive is still a few weeks away, so my account is based on seeing the car at two auto shows in Detroit and Los Angeles, conversing with GM officials who had a hand in the design of the car, and reviewing company documentation. I’ve learned that the Chevy Camaro is sold out for the next 4-6 months, but I’ve been promised a drive by my local dealership (Hendrick Chevrolet) when a test car arrives around the beginning of April.

Pricing for the base V6-powered Camaro LS will be $22,995 while the V8-powered Camaro SS will retail for $30,995. GM began taking orders for the car last October 13th, a full five months before production commenced.

Rear Wheel Driven Muscle Car

The Camaro is built on GM’s global rear wheel drive architecture and each engine is mated with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission which ensures optimum fuel efficiency and performance. Indeed, the latest version of the Camaro is some 20 to 25% more fuel efficient than the car last produced in 2002, but with no sacrifice of power. You can credit modern technology with helping the coupe exploit horsepower while consuming less gasoline and spitting out fewer pollutants.

Key features found in the car includes four-wheel disc brakes systems across the entire model line; six standard air bags, Bluetooth phone connectivity, remote vehicle starting system, four-wheel independent suspension, OnStar, XM Satellite Radio and more. Eight years is a long time between models which means a lot of the technological features included with the new Camaro didn’t exist when the last Camaro was built.

Variable Valve V6 Engine

Both the LS and LT models are powered by a 3.6L engine featuring variable timing, an engineering design which optimizes performance and fuel efficiency. Nevertheless, this engine will attain 300 horsepower and 273 lb.-feet of torque while still managing to get 27 mpg on the highway.

A high performance Camaro SS with a burly 6.2L V8 is also available, an engine which attains 422 horsepower and 408 lb.-feet of torque. That motor is based on the LS3, a slightly detuned version of the powerplant that can be found under the hood of select Corvette models.

Dodge Challenger, Ford Mustang and the Chevy Camaro

Now that the Camaro is back, I’m looking forward to seeing my first Camaro-Challenger-Mustang slap down, a battle between three muscle cars that hearken to another era but embody the technological achievements of the 21st century.

Its the 1970s all over again…I feel as if I’m 18!

The 2010 Chevrolet Camaro — Awesome!