PARIS: General Motors revealed that Chevrolet will be available for sale in Europe by 2016. If you consider that the S550 Mustang is also available in Europe, then it’s not so surprising that the Chevy Camaro will be sold there as well.
After more than a decade of rebadged Daewoo econoboxes, General Motors decided that it’s better to focus on growing the Opel and Vauxhall brands in Europe. Despite the demise of Chevrolet Europe, the American manufacturer is selling the C7 Corvette on the Old Continent, with the sixth generation of the Camaro to follow suit in less than a year’s time.
When it debuted the past weekend at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, global Chevrolet brand Chief Alan Batey mentioned that Europe will get two powertrain options. The mid-range V6 isn’t suitable to European demand, the reason why Chevrolet will sell the 2016 Camaro only in 2.0 turbo and 6.2 V8 guises. To put the choices into perspective, the S550 Mustang is available in Europe in 2.3 turbo and 5-Point-Oh V8 flavors.
Both models feature standard 20-inch aluminum wheels and a Drive Mode Selector with four operating modes: Snow/Ice, Tour, Sport, and Track. The latter is exclusively available on the V8 model, which can be further enhanced dynamically by opting for a Magnetic Ride Control active suspension system. There’s no word on pricing at the present moment, but we do know how much heat the 2016 Camaro is packing.
For the entry-level 2016 Chevrolet Camaro 2.0L turbo, we’re dealing with 275 horsepower (205 kW) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque, as well as a highway fuel economy of less than 8 liters per 100 km (over 30 US mpg). Mated to the optional 8-speed automatic, the turbo inline-four motor grants the Chevy Camaro with a 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time of 6 seconds. As for the 6.2-liter small-block V8 engine internally designated as the LT1, this bad boy is rated at a whopping 455 HP (339 kW) and 617 Nm (455 lb-ft).
Aaron Link, the lead development engineer, is adamant that “you will notice how much lighter and more nimble the Camaro feels. That feeling increases when you drive the Camaro harder – it brakes more powerfully, dives into corners quicker, and accelerates faster than ever.” Considering that the 2016 Camaro was tested and fine-tuned on eight tracks and the Autobahn, we sure hope Aaron’s statement holds water in real life.
