Holden Special Vehicles will be tasked with bringing the Chevrolet Camaro to Australian roads for the first time ever this year. But, the company likely disappointed more than a few potential buyers when it announced the manual transmission option was no longer planned.
Now, it’s back on.
HSVÂ managing director Tim Jackson told Motoring that the six-speed manual will join the Camaro options list in late 2019. Thus, the three-pedal setup should come as HSV begins to convert the 2019 Chevrolet Camaro refresh to right-hand drive. The first units will be 2018 model year vehicles.
“Absolutely, our intent is to have a manual,” Jackson said. “We know we have a customer base that wants a manual, we are working on it and I imagine we will have a manual as we move into late 2019.”
We also have an explanation for why the first Camaros entering Oz will be auto only: the cars set for conversion are European-spec models, which require fewer fitments for the conversion process. The particular European model doesn’t include a manual transmission. Jackson added that the Euro-spec model made the most sense to launch the Camaro in Australia.
HSV expects to deliver around 500 Chevrolet Camaros this year, and he said about 25 percent of the cars are spoken for. Some Holden dealers, authorized to sell the Chevrolet-badged pony car, have already sold out of their initial allotment. The Camaro should officially hit Australian roads in Australia after a month delay, due to the intricate conversion process.
Comment
Question for US owners, are the rear indicators (those lamps not fitted on BMW cars) red or amber, euro spec lamps are the same as Aust.