Hendrick Gets First Camaros

NASCAR team owner and longtime Chevrolet dealer Rick Hendrick delivered a simple, but impassioned message to the workers of the Oshawa, Ontario, General Motors assembly plant Monday: “You build ‘em and we’ll sell ‘em.”

Hendrick was in Oshawa Monday to kick off the first official day of production for the all-new 2010 Camaro, a model absent from the Chevy lineup since being discontinued in 2002. Escorted by a group of about 15 of his top dealers who flew up with him from Charlotte, N.C., Hendrick officially drove the first production Camaro — VIN 0001 — off the Oshawa line to the cheers of several hundred plant workers.

The Camaro, which is available in six- and eight-cylinder models, is one of the most eagerly anticipated new-car launches in automotive history. General Motors, which has been struggling to survive the drastic downturn in automotive sales, already has presold 14,000 of the new Camaros, essentially site unseen, or at least not test driven.

The first two of those 14,000 went to Hendrick, who has been a Chevy dealer for 33 years. Hepaid $350,000 — all of which was donated to the American Heart Association — for the right to buy VIN 0001 during the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event at Scottsdale, Ariz., in January. Chevrolet also agreed to sell him VIN 0002.

VIN 0001 was a loaded Camaro RS/SS, black with the optional inferno orange leather interior, sunroof and 6-speed manual transmission. VIN 0002 was also an RS/SS, this one silver ice metallic with black leather interior. All SS Camaros come standard with a V-8 engine, with the manual transmission model pumping out a cool 430 horsepower, which was enough to get Hendrick’s attention.

“There’s only one problem,” Hendrick told the workers on hand for the launch. “I can’t drive ‘em home.”

He then went on to talk about how significant the car was for both GM and his dealerships. “I want to tell you loud and clear that these products that you are building today are the best I’ve ever seen in the 33 years I’ve been a dealer. … We needed the rebirth of the Camaro.”

Hendrick’s appearance proved to be very popular with the factory employees, many of whom are NASCAR fans, as demonstrated by the many t-shirts, diecast cars and other memorabilia that Hendrick signed during his half-day visit to the facility

Initially, production of the high-performance sports car will be limited to about 80 units a day, all at the Oshawa site, with an eventual ramp-up to 440 units per day.

Dan Hermer, the Oshawa car plant manager, said the start of Camaro production was a significant milestone for the facility, which consistently has been one of the top-performing automobile assembly facilities in North and South America, both in terms of quality and productivity.

“It’s a great first day of production here at Oshawa,” said Hermer. “It’s great to have Rick Hendrick and all of his team here with us to kick off Day 1 of the 2010 Camaro. A great day for all the employees here, and a great day for General Motors. This is just a beautiful high-performance product that I’m sure is going to do quite outstanding in the marketplace.”

Hermer also said the launch of a new car was an excellent shot in the arm for the plant’s employees. “It’s always a moralebooster for the people to have someone like Rick come and spend time with us, but for GM, the Camaro is gathering a lot of attention. Some of us have had the opportunity to take some of these cars out on the open road and the reaction is just incredible. … Cameras are flashing alongside you on the highway. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s truly outstanding.”