2010 Los Angeles Auto Show: 2011 Chevy Camaro Convertible Live Photos

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

2010 Los Angeles Auto Show: 2011 Chevy Camaro Convertible Live Photos

By Nelson Ireson

Editor

November 17th, 2010

We've been bouncing all around Los Angeles and Hollywood this afternoon and evening to get the latest on GM's fresh batch of show wares, and the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible was among them. We've already seen the car, and we know most of its key stats, but the live shots give a feel for what the car will really look like on the street.

The long and short of it: it's a Camaro with a soft top. The soft top takes up some of the already limited real estate in the trunk. It's pretty much exactly what you'd expect, and almost nothing you wouldn't. If you're a fan of the Camaro that's a good thing.

In the background you'll notice the new Chevy Cruze Eco, and we'll be bringing you the details on our first brief drive of the car, along with live photos from the event, in short order.

link:

http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1051608_2010-los-angeles-auto-show-2011-chevy-camaro-convertible-live-photos

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Camaro outpaces Mustang as new models introduced

Scott Burgess / The Detroit News

Los Angeles— The all-new Camaro convertible will give Chevrolet some breathing room after it reclaims the title of top-selling pony car this year.

The Ford Mustang has taken that title the past 31 years, but the Camaro is poised to outsell its nemesis this year. The 2011 Camaro convertible, which goes on sale next year, was unveiled Tuesday.

"I think this rivalry is good for General Motors and Ford," said Chris Perry, vice president of Chevrolet marketing. "America needs a healthy auto industry and this kind of competition is good."

Especially when you win, Perry didn'tadd. Sales of Camaros are outpacing the Mustang so far this year. Through October, Chevrolet has sold 71,521 Camaros, and Ford Motor Co. has sold 64,171 Mustangs, according to AutoData Corp.

It's unlikely Ford will overtake Chevy between now and year's end.

And with Chevrolet adding the convertible pony car, the rivalry will get only hotter, said David Darowitz, a Chevrolet spokesman.

GM projects convertible sales will make up to 30 percent of total sales for the Camaro, boosting the annual sales total. "We just don't know how much that 30 percent will be yet," Darowitz said.

The Camaro convertible will come in the same trim levels as the hardtop, ranging from a base model with a 3.6-liter direct injection that produces 312 horsepower (a few ponies more than the Mustang convertible), to the SS with 6.2-liter V-8 that cranks out 426 horsepower.

While powerful, the V-6 Camaro can still manage 29 mpg on the highway.

Engineers had to make changes to the Camaro to make removing its roof possible.

Al Oppenheiser, the Camaro chief engineer, said his team added four sets of braces to make the body as stiff as a BMW 3 Series convertible.

The Camaro convertible, which arrives in dealerships in February, will cost around $30,000.

Perry also added that the addition of the drop-top pony car is not the end of new Camaros.

Two performance versions of the Camaro shown at the Specialty Equipment Market Association will be produced as limited-edition models, and there are more things in the works.

"There's definitely more news coming soon," Perry said. "But I can't tell you right now."

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20101117/AUTO01/11170329/Camaro-outpaces-Mustang-as-new-models-introduced#ixzz15YVLeuxX