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My friends at GM sent me this video on the new Camaro Hopefully they can get me on the wait list with my vendor discount

New Chevy trucks, new Camaro...so many toys, so little money.

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Jim Pastorius
2008 Silverado VortecMax
1992 Camaro CMC#92
2002 BMW R1150R

2009 3rd Place CMC Mid-Atlantic Championship
2009 CMC Hyperfest Winner

A classic American muscle car and the lead designer is Asian. Maybe we should get Randy to design the next ITR.

I think the new Camaro "concept" looks bad ass. The GTO "concept" looked bad ass too, but the final product's looks were nothing of the kind. Maybe this one will make it through as is, but I really doubt it.

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Vincent Keene
'06 Ford Mustang GT (track rat)
'15 Dodge Charger R/T (yeah, it's got a HEMI!)
'07 Ford Fusion SE (205,000 miles and counting)
'98 Chevy Z-24 (retired)
'93 Acura Integra (Team SWB 24HOL Car)

The "carkeys" section of motorweek this last week showed their test version to be almost exactly like the concept version... Looks promissing.

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2001 Honda S2000 - SOLD
2012 Boss 302
2003 BMW 330i

Humm. If it starts off with 400 Hp (LS 2), just think what it could have with a few mods!
I really like the design, but would change the front grill and tail lights. The front grill is too much like a Cadillac and the tail light too much like a Corvette's. The IRS will be nice for autocrossing.
I love the comment that "the sound is like it is going to eat something alive." I bet I can make one louder!!!!

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Rubbin' is Racin'

It is official

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Jim Pastorius
2008 Silverado VortecMax
1992 Camaro CMC#92
2002 BMW R1150R

2009 3rd Place CMC Mid-Atlantic Championship
2009 CMC Hyperfest Winner

I will have to admit, Bob Lutz GETS IT! He is taking GM in the right direction IMHO. That Camaro is HOTTT!!



Must have been on vacation when they released that. Traverse City is about 5 hours north of Detroit.

When I was in Michigan for my wedding a couple of week ago, we were in Traverse City. Innocently driving down M72, when all of a sudden I see an odd looking vehicle, clad in fabric. It was some sort of concept SUV that, from what I could see, looked similar to the Lexus Mid Sized SUV but was definitely GM (I thought I could make out the bowtie in passing). Pretty cool stuff.

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02 Focus SVT
STF 9

I like the looks of the Camaro. I hope it works out well for GM.

While I am all for performance cars, they need to find ways to build cars that people will consider when looking an Accord or Camry. Executing correctly on niche cars is not going to save them. Hopefully something from these will rub off.

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Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2015 Honda Fit EX
http://motorsport.zyyz.com
Money can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.

Three letters will be the end of GM IMO...

U A W

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Vincent Keene
'06 Ford Mustang GT (track rat)
'15 Dodge Charger R/T (yeah, it's got a HEMI!)
'07 Ford Fusion SE (205,000 miles and counting)
'98 Chevy Z-24 (retired)
'93 Acura Integra (Team SWB 24HOL Car)

Vincent, you say this:



But then make this statement:



So, if a "good ol' boy" thinks the design is bad ass, obviously this asian dude did just fine. Whats your point?

IRS? On a muscle car? On a Camaro?

Who cares if it works better, there's a principle at stake here.

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Martyn Wheeler
AXing Kit's '05 Mazda 3, #29 HStock
(when The Gonzo Symphonic allows)

I also think that the asian that is the head of SVT over in Dearborn did a fine job with the new Mustang and GT500 design. As far as I'm concerned, I don't care who designs it, just so long as it looks and performs good!

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Todd Breakey
STS 42 - 1992 Sunburst Miata
Dammit!
"You souldn't play leap frog with a porcupine. You might get hurt." - Eliza

New Camaro to be built at Oshawa, Ont. plant
21/08/2006 12:49:57 PM
It's official -- the Camaro will be roaring out of Canada once again, saving as many as 2,700 jobs at GM Canada's main Oshawa, Ont., car plant.


General Motors unveils the Camaro concept vehicle at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Jan. 9, 2006. (AP / Carlos Osorio)
Representatives from the company, along with government officials and union leaders, confirmed rumours the plant has won the competition to build the Chevrolet muscle car in 2008.

The announcement by GM Canada president Arturo Elias was welcomed with loud applause, as Tom Cochrane's "Life is a Highway" played in the background.

"This indeed is a great day for Oshawa, GM and all Camaro enthusiasts around the world," Elias said at a morning press conference.

Elias said the move to secure Oshawa's right to manufacture GM's "most celebrated new vehicle" wouldn't have been made possible without the work from all three levels of government, the Canadian Auto Workers union and GM employees.

The Oshawa plant is also planning to install a new flexible manufacturing line that will build the Camaro and hopefully other vehicles in the future, he said.

"This new product program and the conversion of the Oshawa plant to a state-of-the-art flexible manufacturing facility represents a $740 million investment," Elias said.

"This announcement brings GM Canada's total investments, announced since March 2005, to more than $3 billion."

Union president Buzz Hargrove was thrilled to be part of the good news announcement.

"We made the argument, and you made it easy for us, that the workers in Oshawa have earned the right to a new commitment from General Motors regardless of the situation (the company) faced in the country and around the world because of the commitment to quality productivity," he said.

Hargrove said the flexible manufacturing program ensures the long-term future of the plant and provides a livelihood for workers and their families.

He thanked the federal government and gave special recognition to the leadership of Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, who was on hand. Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty also attended the news conference.

GM's move comes after the CAW union agreed to 2,500 early retirements to reduce the workforce and operating costs in Oshawa to secure the rights to produce the new coupe.

The early retirement packages should save Oshawa's No. 2 auto plant, which had been slated to close in 2008. Analysts say the Camaro contract should keep the plant open and save 2,700 jobs.

The three GM vehicle plants in Oshawa employ about 12,000 workers.

Monday's announcement is good news for Ontario's autoworkers, who learned Friday Ford Motor Co. is set to lay off 350 workers in Windsor.

Last year the federal government joined with Ontario to invest $435 million in GM's Ontario auto plants. A portion of the funding is helping to make the plants more flexible so they can accommodate the production of numerous models.

GM first launched the Camaro in 1967 but stopped making the powerful vehicle in 2002. Chief executive Rick Wagoner last week announced the company would roll out a new-look version in hopes of attracting younger buyers and appealing to its traditional customers.

The latest version of the Camaro was unveiled at the Detroit International Auto Show in January to rave reviews.

Wagoner said the vehicle will be more fuel efficient and sophisticated than the 1969 version on which it is loosely based.

The new wheel-rear-drive model will be more aerodynamic than the original and will have automatic and manual transmissions with six- and eight-cylinder engine options.

GM expects to sell 100,000 Camaros a year, which is fewer than the remade Ford Mustang, Camaro's main competitor.

Ford Motor Corp. sold about 101,000 Mustangs through July of this year.

GM, the world's largest automaker, has been struggling in a market beset by foreign competitors. The company lost $3.2 billion US in the second quarter alone, due mainly to employee buyouts and restructuring costs.

Its July sales were off 22.2 per cent from a year ago, led by declining demand for pickup trucks and SUVs.

Analysts say car buyers are turning to smaller, more fuel-efficient cars and hybrid vehicles because of rising gas prices.

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Marty Howard
2011 NASA SE Factory Five Challenge Champion
Track Events Logistics Coordinator - TZC/THSCC
2007 Factory Five Challenge Car.
http://www.mh-motorsports.com

I can't believe it, I agree with Vincent!

those three letters represent everything wrong with American built cars. Of course the car will suck if you overpay by a longshot for your labor. . .

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2012 MX-5 Sport SUV

Being a former Union member, I think you guys are working with insufficient information. Sure, Unions have had their share of bad actors, but none could hold a candle to some of the "nice" corporate citizens like Evers, Lay, Skilling, etc. The typical Union worker is just like you & me. They want a fair wage for their labor, a safe place to work, and honest treatment from the employer. If an advocate can help negotiate a higher standard of living, or go to bat for you in a workplace dispute, that's a good thing, as far as I'm concerned.

Textile and furniture workers in the South were stopped from organizing by "right-to-work" laws and heavy-handed tactics by hired thugs (look it up under the history of Gastonia, NC). Did the absence of labor unions help them? Oh, sure. Nearly all of those jobs have long left the country for Malaysia and China.

In what's left of the U.S. manufacturing industry, Unions have gained their members better working conditions, better pay, benefits and a voice in the workplace. Not everyone can be a rocket scientist or systems analyst or stock broker. Somebody's gotta build structures, assemble cars and buses, cut meat, work in hospitals and deliver stuff.

Talk to a Union member if you get an opportunity. Tell 'em they're making too much money and ruining the economy. See what their response is...

A short list of 2006 vehicles built by UAW members:

Cadillac, including the XLR
Chevrolet, including the Corvette, Impala, Trailblazer, etc.
Ford, Lincoln, Mercury SUV's, Trucks, Cars, including the GT
Daimler-Chrysler Cars, SUV's and trucks
Mazda 6 and SUV's
Toyota Corolla, Tacoma
Mitsubishi Eclipse, Galant and SUV's
Pontiacs, including the Solstice
Freightliner Trucks and Buses (in North Carolina!!!)


My take.

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Brad

Thank you, Brad. I was still trying to figure out how to respond to Brice without him complaining he gets flamed every time he posts.

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Martyn Wheeler
AXing Kit's '05 Mazda 3, #29 HStock
(when The Gonzo Symphonic allows)