Foremost, Al Oppenheiser, lead engineer of the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, sits his record straight by saying  he was utterly misquoted on the idea of a four-cylinder Chevrolet Camaro. After taking on what he calls an “identity” on the internet, he’s now pumping up the turbo-four that could.
That’s because Oppenheiser believes the engine belongs in this sixth-generation 2016 Camaro. This is not the penalty box option, unlike the Iron Duke four-cylinder of yesteryear.
Autoblog had a chance to sit down with the mastermind behind CamaroSix, and specifically had him delve into the 2016 Camaro with the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, the first ever for the Camaro nameplate.
Asking about the turbo-four’s take rate, Oppenheiser is extremely optimistic, and it’s clear the marketing research has been done to offer such an engine in the 2016 Camaro. He believes the turbo-four may even outpace Camaro V6 sales saying the following:
We think there’s a distinct four-cylinder customer. I think a segment of this four-cylinder buyer will be the kids that saw Bumblebee from day one and have grown up with four-cylinder cars like the Cruze and even HHRs and Cobalts. I’ve read blogs where younger folks won’t buy a Camaro because it doesn’t have a 2.0-liter turbo or a turbocharged four-cylinder. So we’re going to excite them. I wouldn’t be surprised if the four and the six battle each other for penetration into the segment in how many we’ll sell.
Thanks for making us feel old on the Bumblebee mention, Al.
Oppenheiser also gets into why Alpha was the perfect choice for a followup to the fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro that has been a massive hit for the brand, saying it was the Camaro team’s chance to make something incredible from a platform already proven capable of making great things.
You can catch the entire interview at the link here, but be sure to tell us what you think about the turbocharged offering in the 2016 Camaro in the comments down below.
Comments
I think the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder will be a very popular engine selection for the younger Camaro buyers where economy and price are the two most important factors. An important bonus is the performance will be exhilarating. It will appeal to a wider audience in Europe because of their much higher fuel prices.
Ya know I really wouldn’t have thought the idea of a turbo 4 would work, but it’s doing well for Ford. I don’t see why you’d buy a muscle car for fuel economy, but hey, to each their own.
I’m not really buying Mr. Oppenheiser’s statement regarding why they opted to put the four-cylinder in the Camaro. With all this talk about fuel economy regulations and the need for smaller, more efficient engines, this guy claims none of that had an impact on this decision. I’d like for him to better define how it “belongs in the Camaro” and the so called “distinct characteristics” it has. It’s as if he’s trying not to simply say that it had to be done! Why not? It’s not necessarily a bad thing. We all know it HAD to happen due to the times and GM reacted; thank Ford for proving a good four-banger can sell a muscle car.
Either way, more variety is always a good thing. A fuel efficient Camaro should be a great seller. Let’s just hope GM revs up the Caddy marketing to sell these ATS Coupes, and bury the fact that this new Camaro is a Cadillac underneath. They can’t have potential customers cross shopping these cars. I’m sure engineers have done much to distinguish the driving characteristics of the ATS Coupe and Camaro.
Well the fact is no car and I mean no car at GM is going to totally escape the coming MPG issues. I know some like to explain it six ways to Sunday but when they are putting cylinder drop on a Z06 that is telling.
The future is this plain and simple. Yes there will be a V8 but it will become more and more expensive to limit the volumes. V6 and Turbo 4 along with Turbo 3 cylinders will be more and more common. Today over 80% of the cars sold today even at GM it is a 4 cylinder.
Now with that said the 4 does not mean performance will decline. Power with this engine is easy to be had. I have driven a 2.0 Turbo since 2008 and I see 300 HP 315 FT LBS from 2000-5300 RPM at 23 PSI. the only limiting factor is the engine management GM put in the turbo up grade to save the older transaxle. The Solstice with the same Turbo upgrade is 340 FT LBS on pump gas.
This is one car anyone has never driven needs to drive before they judge it. These engines have more low torque and flatter curves than any V8 I have driven. My Little HHR SS will out run most 60’s stock Big Blocks and will dip into the 13’s if I can get the tires to hook FWD sucks for hooking up. I can spin them north of 45 MPH rolling.
RWD would really make this car sing.
Now originally they wanted the small RWD coupe but when it was canceled the 4 turbo was added to the Camaro. It will make more money here vs. making a whole new low volume platform. With the weight loss it should still be respectable,
Note too to add power it is Easy. In my case it was only the addition of two 3 bar Maps and one Computer flash. I did have to go to Premium only but that is all I used anyways. 55-60 HP was picked up and crazy as it sounds 1-2 MPG. The added torque gets you out of the gas sooner and it added some MPG. I thought it was just me but the GM engineer I spoke to confirmed they saw the gain too.
This little engine will go to 400 HP with no mods other than tuning. You need to replace the pistons and rods but you can go past 500 HP with that only and larger turbocharger. GM ran this two full seasons in a Solstice in pro drift with no failures. The block and head will even go over 1,000 HP.
While much is good the only real issue is this engine is just never going to sound as good as a V8.
While this combo will not replace the SS V8 it will make many people happy and will draw many people in that love turbo cars. There are many people with used up Cobalt SS that would love to find a new Eco Turbo car to play with.
Anyways the engine here was added just because the two car plan was not approved with slow sales of the small RWD coupes in the market.
As we move forward more Turbo 4 and Turbo v6 cars will appear and become more the norm as the price of the V8 creeps up higher and higher.
Maybe in the future we will get that smaller coupe at some point and that would really be a fun car with some real power.
FYI 13’s in the quarter, top speed @ 160 MPH and 25 City and 32 Highway driving hard at 3200 pounds. I expect the Camaro may see similar number close to this. Just wish the HHR SS had RWD.
I think this is where it means that we won’t get a H.O. Cruze
The Cruze sedan was not ever really meant to be a be all car to everyone. A small coupe or hatch would make a better performance option.
One options would be take a Trax with AWD and add a much more powerful engine.
Reading the Cadillac ATS forum, a bunch of guys are adding tunes to the 2.0, to get V8 like power.
That indicates that the 2.0T should be popular with Chevy Camero buyers, after they discover this option for lower cost HP.