Chevrolet’s Camaro Headed to Europe

Chevrolet is taking its upcoming Camaro around the world. Recently, the golden bowtie announced that it would be expanding its European product lineup, with plans to double its offerings by 2012, and, included in its bigger and better portfolio will be the Camaro. Furthermore, Camaro fans in the UK won’t be left out – Chevrolet confirmed that it will be producing right hand drive versions of the car.

Retro-style ‘60s cars have a strong but small following in Europe; one such example is Ford’s latest Mustang which, although not an official offering, has been a high-demand private import. Instead of letting its cars go through the gray market (unofficial private imports), Chevrolet has earmarked a total of 600 Camaros for European consumption, half of which are coupes and half convertibles. There has been no mention whether or not it will be a single year production run, or if it will be offered over the course of several years, but response will no doubt play a big part in this decision.

All Camaros sold in Europe will feature a 400-horsepower 6.0-liter V8 engine, cementing its reputation as a high-horsepower muscle machine. Although its fuel economy is sure to be considered outrageous by European standards, these vehicles are destined to be collector’s cars, and will undoubtedly be driven by the wealthy. They will also serve to boost Chevrolet’s image in Europe, which is mostly associated with GMDAT’s Korean-built economy cars, other than Corvette.

Meanwhile, Chevrolet will be taking a different approach for the Camaro here in North America. Like its Dodge Challenger rival, the Camaro will be a mass-produced volume vehicle, with smaller engines available alongside the big V8. A V6 version, which is speculated to be GM’s 3.6-liter DOHC mill, will be on offer, although an even smaller turbocharged inline-four could see production.