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Competition brings out the best in all of us! Not to be outdone by the 2015 Ford Mustang EcoBoost , the next-generation Chevrolet Camaro might get a turbocharged four-cylinder engine of its own. And sexy retro 1970s looks.

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cmsmith

An article at Automobile Magazine appears to have started this.

Go read this article as it mentions more than what the other sites are saying. It mentions the updated Camaro will have styling cues from the second gen Camaro. An artists rendering of what the new car could look like was included in the original article which I'll include here:



I'm not to keen on the 2nd gen being used as inspiration for this car. Personally, that was not my favorite generation of Camaro to put it kindly. The big, front air intake large enough to suck in a blue whale prevalent on that generation, and showcased in the rendering, is scary looking.

I hope by going with those styling cues Chevy isn't trying to appease older buyers to much. If they do, they risk alienating a large group of people.

Ultimately, it all depends on the final package of course.

Going beyond the looks department and looking at other attributes of the car, I am very pleased the trend of the car "losing several hundred pounds" is still prevalent in all the rumors. The current car, while fantastic, just weighs to much.

I'm a bit surprised the Cadillac CTS version of the Alpha platform is being used instead of the shorter wheel base version found on the ATS. That is the first time I've heard of this.

The article mentions this version of the platform will make the wheelbase 2.3" longer than the current Camaro wheelbase. Being narrower and longer than the current Camaro's wheelbase, you've got to wonder what this will do for handling and such. The article states the new wheelbase will be 7.5 inches longer than the new Mustang's which seems bad on paper.

I'm starting to become concerned about the new Camaro. Longer and narrow makes it sound like an unbalanced banana on wheels.

Again, it will all depend on the execution and final package of course.

cmsmith

And one last thing, any thoughts on what the price of everything is going to be? The current cost of the cars combined with their weight are the only negatives on the current model in my mind.

I'm really concerned the current cars cost way to much. A V8 Camaro should not cost more than $40k regardless of features. The only possible exception to that is the convertible model.

mrfyzv

forward to this model. I think the inventors of this time to surprise us

posaune

The main group with funds to purchase a new Camaro is a little bit older. There are exceptions however, it is those who will actually buy the new car that GM needs to please...for the most part.

The CTS rumors have been around for a while too. Most likely, Camaro will get its own wheelbase somewhere between the ATS and CTS (about what it is now). I think those people who are expecting an ATS sized Camaro that is several hundred pounds lighter are setting them selves up for some disappointment. With the success of the 5th Gen, GM will not stray too far from that formula. The 6th Gen will probably lose a little mass but don't expect 3600lbs V8s. Proportions will be tightened up but a huge shift in size would be foolish of GM.

It is a small, albeit, vocal group who want an ATS sized Camaro, but how many of them are current buyers? Not many.

Again, I would expect a wheelbase like that of the current Camaro (112.3") and the track from the CTS (61.4 front 61.7 rear). Interestingly, the ATS coupe uses the CTS rear track instead of that of the ATS sedan (60.9"). Overall length and height of the 6th Gen will be heavy influenced by the design but I wouldn't expect it to grow beyond the current 190.4".

cmsmith

I agree 100% about the older age group. That is particularly true when it comes to the V8s. You have to have money to buy those things and the older age group has the money.

I suspect though the people who will buy these type of cars came of age in the early to mid 80's and have memories of the third gen car. I'm not under the impression the 2nd Gen is the most loved car ever made. Then again, it all depends on the packaging if they use that for the styling cues.

And I do hope GM builds a car to try and pick up new customers and not just satisfy a narrow fan base. That was one of the mistakes GM made in the past which led to the Camaro taking a hiatus.

I'm not sure anyone wants an ATS sized Camaro. I haven't actually laid eyes on an ATS myself so I can't comment to much. I believe the ATS comments stem from a desire to see significant weight reduction on the Camaro. If we get a "ATS sized Camaro", that suggests mega weight reductions which everyone seems to want.

That is interesting stuff. My concerns lied with the possibility of the lengthening and the narrowing of the wheelbase. That starts to raise concerns regarding to handling of the car. But, put some wide tires on the car and things are more balanced out.

If the car isn't going to get smaller, then how much weight is going to be shed? The current Mustang is roughly 200 lbs lighter depending on features and such. The rumor mill is strong the 2015 mustang is going to weigh 400 lbs less than the current Mustang. If so, the Camaro better lose more than the 200 lbs the CTS inspired platform suggests will be done or Chevy would've missed the boat in a big way.

posaune

Agreed but they can’t change it so much that those who bought don’t buy again. Too small will do that.

New Mustang specs have been released and not only did it grow some, but also gained some mass. Given that the new Mustang added IRS and a bunch of other standard goodies, the weight gain was not as bad as it could have been. I expect 6th Gen to be close to the Mustang in curb weight.

cmsmith

I didn't realize the new Mustang specs were out. That's a good find. If these are specs are correct, the GT automatic is about 50 lbs more than the current model compared to the specs on Ford's website. Interesting the weight went up on the Mustang when the rumors said there would be a weight decrease.

May all the rumors about the next Camaro be correct!!

posaune

Well, that depends on which rumor you're talking about. The 2.0T rumor can die a fiery death in Hell but it seems to be more substantiated and less of a rumor now.

The rumor of a dramatically smaller AND lighter Camaro likely won't happen. GM won't change the size that much in fear of alienating the main buyers (older dudes with disposable income). The proportions will likely be tidied up and some weight reduction will come just from switching to Alpha from Zeta.

JakeRobb

I think the 2nd-gen rumor is nothing but. I predict that the 6th gen's appearance changes will be a minor facelift of the 5th gen.

I suspect the turbo four rumor is true. It will appeal to a new subsection of the automotive enthusiast community. I think the Cadillac horsepower numbers are substantially lower than what we'll see for Camaro -- it'll have a freer-flowing, louder exhaust and a less restrictive intake, and corresponding tuning changes. Food for thought: with the LSA, similar changes led to 24 more horsepower in the ZL1 than the CTS-V. I'm betting it'll have right at 300hp.

I also think this will make the 323hp V6 a tougher sell. That's not inherently a problem, since a Camaro sale is a Camaro sale, but I'm hoping to see a healthy power bump for the V6 to put it more squarely between the four and the V8 (which I'm hoping will be the new LT1 with 450+hp).

I keep thinking about how the new CTS is so much lighter, and that's great, but CTS didn't come from Zeta. It came from Sigma. And CTS's Alpha curb weights are in the same ballpark as Camaro's curb weights on Zeta. I'm not expecting much in the way of weight loss for the sixth gen car. Any weight loss is good weight loss, but I will be astonished if we get a 3700lb SS.

IZ28

Highly doubtful and hopefully not.