It’s definitely something that has been explored once or twice, hell even we’ve kicked the idea around before: what would all-wheel drive or a hybrid powertrain do for the Chevrolet Camaro? It looks like we won’t know, at least for the foreseeable future, that is.
While speaking to AutoGuide during the 2016 Chicago Auto Show, Al Oppenheiser, chief Camaro engineer, was more than ready to shoot down the idea of such a variant.
“Not while I have the keys to the store,” he stated. “It’s not in the DNA. I wouldn’t say ‘never’ but it’s not in the DNA of the Camaro. Those of us that work on the Camaro are purists, we love the original, long hood, the strong shoulders, the mantra that ‘nobody needs a Camaro, they want a Camaro.’ You know, I think for the foreseeable future, you’re going to see us stay true to Camaro heritage,” he said.
It would seem Oppenheiser and his colleague Tadge Juechter, lead Corvette engineer, share similar feelings. Juechter had previously gone on the record to state no sort of autonomous technology would be applied to the Corvette any time soon. A round of applause for both men, as they strive to continuously create product for the driver, because of only one thing: the drive.
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And this why GM went backrupt. Purist designers that don’t give people what they want. Its what Oppenheiser and his colleague Tadge Juechter want it to be. Unlikely the Camaro will get 55MPG by 2020. So it will be obsolete with these guys in charge.
SO, what he’s saying is that he’s got a narrow view of what a Camaro can and should be, and isn’t interested in looking outside the box in the interest of growing the brand. I would love to get back into a coupe, and due to GM not offering anything larger or front-wheel drive, and the ATS out of reach, an all-wheel drive Camaro would likely find a home in my garage if they’d just build it. Just watch how quickly he eats his words if Ford ever decides to offer AWD on the Mustang.
He also said that there wouldn’t be 2.4 liter engine either.
Hmmm…I own a 2016 Camaro SS. If u want a front wheel drive coupe and u want GM buy the Buick Cascada. If you need larger go to Chrysler and buy a Challenger. If u want four wheel drive in an elegant design and u need more room check out the 2017 Lacrosse. If the Camaro is made larger and all wheel drive is added the car will be overweight which means it will not accelerate nor handle as well as it does now. For $45000 GM built a car that rides on a Cadillac platform has a 455 hp Corvette engine sitting under the hood and provided me with magnetic ride control, a feature found on upscale Cadddys and Ferraris. I truly didn’t need this car. I wanted it. Go drive one and check out a vehicle that gives more bang for the buck than anything on the road in 2016.
Oppenheiser’s comments are meaningless because he can’t tell anyone what they’re planning for the Camaro; but given how the Chevrolet Camaro shares the Alpha platform with Cadillac’s ATS which does offer AWD, it shouldn’t be extremely difficult for Chevy to build an AWD Camaro with either the LTG 270 hp turbocharged 2.0L DOCH-4v 4-cyl or the LGX 335 hp 3.6L DOHC-4v V6 since Cadillac builds their ATS with either engines.
Guess that means they’re both in the works.
Well if you look at the demo of Camaro buyers AWD is not really high on their list. Most are more traditional Muscle car like buyers that want raw power and love to smoke the rear tires off. They are not people that tend to cross shop an Audi A5 Coupe.
Now with that said I expect the plan for the present Alpha is not to add it to this car as they will not have any problem selling them just as they are now. Their main interest is to build up sales of the V6 and 4 cylinder models right now.
As for Hybrid and AWD that could be in the future but I expect it to come in a revised Alpha or a replacement Alpha at a later time.
As for the Corvette I expect the Hybrid may show there first and it would be in the new C8 as that was part of the reason they have consider Mid engine as it would be much easier to install than in the present C7 model. They really have little room in the present car to do much.
There is nothing wrong with the present car and what few sales the AWD would add would only raise the price add weight and drive line parasitic loss.
To be honest the Camaro is not an AWD like car at this time.
Now take an Alpha and put an Avista like car out with AWD and price it to where it would compete with a A5 coupe then you may have something.
As for the 2.4 Why would they offer that if they already have a Turbo 2.0 that is much better.
As for Al’s comments. Well I have talked with him several times and he says what he thinks. Now he calls the shots for the GM RWD platforms and likes to state where he wants to go with them. Now he can be over ruled as he is not the last say in product. He once said no Turbo 4 as he did not want it but was over ruled.
In this case though I think it will stay.
I also expect to see AWD in a Corvette before the Camaro at a later time.
Can we expect a camaro with decent visibility? Or is poor visibility what makes it macho because camaro drivers only drive in straight lines?
Never understood this mindset. I’ve driven both the last gen and been in and all over the 6th. Visibility is not an issue. Frankly the sight-lines in the Camaro AND the Mustang are nearly the same. But hey, emotions and “perception” seems to be all anyone bases anything off of these days.
Here’s “perception”. Look at fatalities from IIHS data.
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/sr/statusreport/article/50/1/1
The camaro is one of the highest, ranking only after tiny (read: unsafe) vehicles such as the Kia Rio, Nissan Versa, Hyundai Accent and Chevy Aveo. Even the Civic and and Ford Focus are better. Given the camaro’s poor design, are you surprised? I’m angry that regulators haven’t clamped down on this.
Note that your argument comparing mustang and camaro sight-lines is invalid given these data. Unless camaro drivers are more numerous and also more reckless, which I doubt.
After being under numerous 5th and 6th gen Camaros I have often wondered why they did not offer AWD. The front suspensions are very similar to the Cadillacs and there is plenty of space for the diff and transfer case. Why not? Chrysler now offers the 2017 Challenger with AWD. This is 2017 and most performance cars are offered with awd of some sort.
It no longer has a stigma of a car with a raised ride height that looks like a truck. Best examples are the BMW and Mercedes models of which most of their sedan lines are offered in AWD versions that you would never be able to tell were AWD.