2010 Chevrolet Camaro - She's Back

Ever since General Motors ended production of its Camaro coupe back in 2002, enthusiasts have been wanting for it to return, something GM made good on in 2007 when they announced that the car, indeed, would be put back into production. All new for 2010, the latest edition of the Chevrolet Camaro is back and better than before.

I'm still a few weeks away from my first test drive, so my report is based on seeing the car at a pair of auto shows in Detroit and Los Angeles, talking with Chevrolet officials who had a hand in the design of the car, and reviewing company documentation. The newest model is sold out for the first four to six months of production, but a test vehicle will be at my local dealer within the next few weeks. I've already scheduled my first drive.

Pricing for the base V6-powered Camaro LS will be $22,995 while the V8-powered Camaro SS will retail for $30,995. In October 2008, General Motors began taking orders for the car, a full five months before production models rolled off of a Brampton, Ontario assembly line.

The Camaro is built on GM's global rear wheel drive architecture and each engine is paired with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission to ensure maximum fuel efficiency. Indeed, the latest iteration of the Camaro is about 25% more efficient than the car last produced in 2002, with no sacrifice to power. Credit modern technology with helping the coupe maximize horsepower while eating up less gas and emitting fewer pollutants.

Key features of 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. Many of the features found on the 2010 didn't even exist in 2002, so great is the difference between the two models.

GM Bankruptcy - What About the 2010 Camaro SS, the Volt, and the 2010 Corvette

Can General Motors recover from bankruptcy? Will anybody buy a General Motors car from a bankrupt auto maker? Will anyone want a franchised dealership if the company is in bankruptcy? Will the franchised dealerships of General Motors claim that General Motors is not giving them the services they promised to the franchise agreement and now that they are insolvent they can't? Therefore, the franchisees should have the money back for their franchise fees, royalties and be free to break the franchise agreement.

When General Motors files for bankruptcy protection this means that many other vendors which they have not paid for six months in some cases may not get paid for well over a year or more and they may not even get the full amount. This means all the service companies and the companies that make the components for the cars are out serious dollars and they will have to lay off people, many already have.

These vendors may not be able to recover either and many more dealerships will go at a business. It gets worse because many cities rely on the sales of cars to help generate sales tax revenue for city services. Worse, consumers may not come back to General Motors for a long time, instead they might buy their competitors vehicles, perhaps automobiles made by Ford, Toyota or Honda?