Chevrolet Camaro

Aggressive American muscle car is caught on camera.

Bye-bye budget cars... Chevrolet is ready to flex its muscles in the performance market. It won’t be unveiled officially until the Detroit Motor Show in 2010, but the stunning new Camaro has already been spied undisguised by our video camera spies at the famous Nurburgring.

The styling has barely changed from that of the Camaro concept which appeared at the 2006 Detroit expo. Angular lines, sharp details and bulging panels provide the Canadian-built model with a truly American look.

Even the shapes of the front and rear lights are daring and distinctive, showing just how Chevy intends to rival the new Dodge Challenger.

In the US, the most popular model in the range is likely to be the flagship V8 variant, but a cheaper V6 Camaro will also be offered.

What’s more, bosses are considering using an efficient four-cylinder powerplant, in anticipation of even higher fuel costs before the end of the decade. The newcomer shares its basic architecture with Vauxhall’s VXR8, so has a rear-wheel-drive transmission. Even though the Camaro will deliver Porsche-chasing performance, the firm is promising bargain prices, and the two-door is set to be cheaper than the VXR8. As a result, the V8-powered model will be available for less than £35,000.

The Camaro is expected be available in right-hand drive when it goes on sale in the UK in 2010. It will head a rejuvenated Chevrolet line-up that will leave its Korean roots behind and embrace its US heritage.

Before the Camaro is officially revealed, the General Motors-owned firm will pull the covers off its Lacetti replacement at the Paris Motor Show in September. Codenamed J300, the new compact model – which is based on the same platform as the next-generation Vauxhall Astra – will be available first as a four-door, while a hatchback variant is due to join the range at a later date.

The French event will also see Chevrolet reveal a new MPV concept. This will be the first of many models, as the firm is promising to launch one every 16 weeks until 2012.

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