Chevrolet Camaro

General Motors says it's struggling to meet demand for its new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, with some buyers paying $500 to $2,500 more than the sticker price. The Camaro is creating enough buzz to play a key role in GM's turnaround. It is drawing showroom traffic — every dealer got at least one initially to build interest — while GM is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Such a hot model is rare in today's global auto sales slump, and GM thinks Camaro may catch Ford's Mustang in monthly sales when it has enough available. GM sold 5,463 Camaros in May, the first month of the sporty car's revival, compared with the 8,812 Mustangs sold by Ford. Chrysler sold 2,695 of the rival Dodge Challenger it brought a year ago.



GM spokesman Terry Rhadigan says Camaro will be "right with Mustang on sales" by the end of June. A concept version of the car reappears as Bumblebee in the film sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, out last week. The films have boosted the Chevrolet and Camaro brands, Rhadigan says. Better still, with this sequel, folks who see it on film won't have to hear their dream car is years from production.

"I just saw the 2010 Camaro when I saw the Transformers movie and it is a hot car," says Mariscia Thompson of Newberry, S.C. She says it would be a "must have" if she were car shopping. "I love the aggressive color and lines." Dealer Mike Martin of Dudley Martin Chevrolet in Manassas, Va., says the Camaro has "hit the sweet spot." The 14 people on his waiting list up to 10 months ago have their cars and he has another seven ordered for new customers. He expects to get them within three months.



"Our current production schedule can't meet the demand (but) that supply-demand tension is good," says Rhadigan. "We don't want to over-produce, nor do we want people waiting an unreasonable amount of time." Laurie Davis of Rochester, N.Y., thinks the Camaro's effect on GM will be limited because it's "more of a 'fun' car, and people don't have the luxury of fun items right now."

But some aren't letting the recession dampen enthusiasm for "fun" wheels. Edmunds.com reports the V-6 Camaros, which start at $22,245, are selling for about $500 above the sticker; some V-8 models, which start at $30,245, are getting a neck-snapping $2,500 premium.
"Dealers are independent businesses and often will charge what the market will bear," Rhadigan says. "But we strongly encourage them to stick to (the sticker)."

Martin, who heads the National Automobile Dealers Association's GM committee, says he doesn't charge over sticker, in part because what his grandfather, who started the dealership, once told him: "You can shear a sheep every year, but you can only skin him once."

Source : USA Today.com

ZR1

Halfway through a day's lapping, halfway around the Lutz Ring and full throttle at the top of third gear is bringing me and a red ZR1 into a 180-degree corner way too fast, while the blind crest just before it — taken at maximum power and maximum cornering — has us way off line too. In any other supercar, especially one as hairy as a Viper or as rear-engined as a 911, this would be a serious moment, probably resulting in one of my notorious off-track excursions. But today I can just haul on the brakes all the way through turn-in and up to the apex and then get back on the power — hard. The result: sweaty palms instead of trashed carbon fiber body work.


The first thing you need to do with the ZR1 is throw out any preconceived notions you have about it. Isn't it just a more extreme Z06 with 131 more horsepower or an answer to a question no one asked? No. It's a comprehensively re-engineered vehicle that shares little in feel with either the standard Corvette or the Z06, outperforming both on the track, obviously, but also, surprisingly, on the road.


How? A remarkably civilized yet awesomely powerful engine; an easy-to-use gearbox; compliant-yet-capable suspension; and a chassis that simply overachieves at any task you give it. Jalopnik.com

Hybrid Supra

Reports from Japan say Toyota’s wild-looking FT-HS hybrid ‘Supra’ is still under development - and a production model concept could be revealed at the Tokyo motor show this autumn. According to the as-yet-unconfirmed rumours, two versions of the FT-HS are in the works.



First up will be the hybrid version packing the Lexus 450h’s 3.5-litre V6 coupled to a hybrid powertrain from the Toyota Crown – a combination that will deliver a maximum output of 400bhp to the FT-HS’s rear wheels.

However, it also seems Toyota is intent on satisfying the sports car purists with the new model, and will offer a basic version without any of the hybrid electrics that could go on sale for between £20-£30k. The reports say that although Toyota’s new FT-HS ‘Supra’ has been held back by the Toyobaru coupe, which is destined for launch in 2010, the project has now moved out of the design phase, with test mules slated to be running by late this year and production versions hitting showrooms as early as 2011.

Sources : Piston Head.com

Acura

With the unveiling of the Advanced Sports Car concept, Acura appears closer to getting back into the exotic sports car business, which it left when it discontinued the NSX after the 2005 model year. The concept's smooth look seems aimed to cheat the wind. Its front end is rather unusual in that it lacks a traditional grille; instead, there's an upright body-colored panel that's flanked by extremely narrow headlights. Like other performance cars, the concept has rear diffusers.

* looks like: A fighter-plane fuselage
* Defining characteristics: V-10 engine, all-wheel drive, no front grille
* Ridiculous features: Pencil-thin headlights
* Chance of being mass-produced: Probable; it hints at the shape
of the NSX's successor, and the next iteration of this
concept is supposed to turn up at the Tokyo Motor Show.


The Advanced Sports Car concept's cabin is positioned toward the rear of the car, behind the long hood. Acura says the concept was built with a potential V-10 powerplant and all-wheel-drive system in mind should a production version emerge at some point. The front wheels are 19 inches in diameter, while the rear rims measure 20 inches.

Mazda Furai

We won't spend too much time on the Mazda Furai concept. You see, it's a concept for a Le Mans series racecar; that sport has a very niche following in the U.S. What's cool about the Furai is that it's a wild-looking racecar that was designed to actually race.

• Looks like: Mazda looked at the aquatic world for inspiration
• Defining characteristics: Swooshing body panels
• Ridiculous features: A radical departure from racecar looks
• Chance of being mass-produced: It's a racecar that might
• show up at major events soon

This concept can navigate a track at racing speeds, and the design is even functional for aerodynamics. The engine is a rotary one, like the one in the RX-8.

Lexus LF-A

If the 2007 Lexus LF-A concept looks familiar, it may be because Lexus introduced a supercar concept at the 2005 Detroit auto show under the same name; that concept was similar, but not so similar that we think Lexus is trying to pull a fast one. It may also be because you can see a little bit of the Honda S2000 from low in the front, a touch of Mazda RX-8 from one front angle and hints of the Audi R8 in the rear. What makes the car unique, though, are the bizarro breaking-wave-shaped air intakes along the beltline and fins on the A-pillars that look like they could launch rockets over the front fenders.


If they could, they'd no doubt be targeting the Acura Advanced Sports Car concept, also introduced at the Detroit auto show. Both of these concepts could and possibly will become production vehicles with price tags in the hundreds of thousands. If one company gives the green light, the other is likely to do the same.

The LF-A has many of the same components as the previous iteration. It's powered by a 500-plus-horsepower V-10 engine with an impressive 9,000 rpm redline. It's mounted in the traditional location, in front of the cabin, but the transaxle and cooling system are in the back to balance the weight. Lexus says the top speed is roughly 200 mph.


The goal with this concept was to approximate how a real product might look and drive, to gauge customer interest and decide if it should be built. Clearly, some things haven't been decided. The engine's displacement is described as "under 5.0 liters," and there are no details on the transmission.

XC60 Concept

Volvo's known as a pretty practical car brand, but lately it's been adding more style to its lineup, like the new C70 retractable-hardtop convertible. The automaker's done the same thing with its new show car, the XC60 concept, which provides a glimpse of what its upcoming small SUV will look like when it arrives in early 2009.

The front of the XC60 concept features an upright grille and a gaping lower opening that's outlined on the bottom by bright trim. Under the hood is a 3.2-liter six-cylinder engine that makes 265 horsepower and runs on E85 ethanol. The concept has a wagonlike appearance when viewed from the side, and has rather short side windows.

The rear bumper has a silver trim piece that mimics the one in front, and the mostly glass liftgate is a two-piece affair that's split in the middle. The lower portion of it motors up and down on a vertical plane, but we don't expect to see this complicated-looking design make it to the production model.

The front and rear outboard seats have long rectangular openings in the backrest that have ambient lighting; Volvo calls them "ponytail slots." The front portion of the cabin has a version of Volvo's floating center stack. This will likely see production, though it should be toned down somewhat.

The XC60 concept has a new Volvo safety system called City Safety. Designed to reduce rear-end collisions up to speeds around 19 mph, City Safety will brake the car if it's about to crash into a car in front of it. Volvo says City Safety will appear in production models within the next two years.