Dreaming of cruising Woodward Ave in a hybrid Chevy Camaro
As Detroit revs up for the annual Woodward Dream Cruise, Detroit Free Press columnist Mark Phelan has been contemplating the kinds of cars that future editions might feature. Given the almost certainty of at least some degree of increased fuel economy standards over the next decade, the mechanical nature of future iterations of the muscle cars that populate the Dream Cruise is sure to change.
The obvious example such a future cruiser would be the upcoming 2009 Chevrolet Camaro, equipped with GM's Two-Mode hybrid system. When GM had the first media drives for the Two-Mode Tahoe/Yukon last spring, they showed a road-map for future versions of the hybrid powertrain one of which was a smaller RWD version designed for passenger cars. Around the same time GM revealed that plans for future rear wheel drive vehicles based on the Zeta platform that the Camaro is built on would go ahead but with more efficient drivetrains. Here at AutoblogGreen we put two and two together and proposed the idea of hybrid Zeta cars combined with GM's new V-6 and V-8 diesels as a killer high mileage performance combination. The packaging is certainly there, the biggest problem is whether the system can be sold at a price people would pay and GM could make a profit at.
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[Source: Detroit Free Press]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dave 10:09AM (8/18/2007)
I'd say a direct injected Ecotec 2.2 with GM's dual mode hybrid system would move the Camaro around just fine.
The electric motor(s) would provide torque off the line while the ~150hp 2.2 would provide more than enough power to sustain 100+ mph cruising speeds.
And it could be produced at a reasonable price, unlike a diesel hybrid system.
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Dave 10:23AM (8/18/2007)
BTW-
This is actually a very logical use of a hybrid drive system considering how often Camaro Convertibles will be transporting politicians and homecoming queens in parades in future years.
;)
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Gordio 12:19PM (8/18/2007)
is it me or does the new chevy camaro (non-convertible) looks like the volt?
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Travis Rassat 4:09PM (8/18/2007)
I'm a big fan of hybrids and I find the two mode system very exciting because of its format - being integrated into a pretty standard shaped tranny, it's a layout that many people who have grown up in the hot rod culture are comfortable with.
Of course, it would probably be cost-prohibitive to do it and GM is going to have to make the parts available, but I could see a high end hot rodder like Boyd Coddington, Troy Trepanier, or Chip Foose building a street rod around this system. It would be positive publicity and show that hybrids can be fast and cool. I'm all for finding ways to get more people interested in the technologies that are coming available. Once the two mode vehicles hit the market, somebody's bound to wreck one and that would be the perfect donor vehicle for a new hot rod... I'm thinking something simple like a deuce with the Yukon hybrid drivetrain...
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Joseph 3:31PM (8/19/2007)
Gordio wrote...
"is it me or does the new chevy camaro (non-convertible) looks like the volt?"
Yes, it does look like the Volt! But i don't know if that is a good thing, or a bad thing...
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dean 10:17PM (8/20/2007)
Two mode is a great idea, but cost prohibitive for some. If GM could put that cheap hybrid option to the V6 (the one that is basically a bigger alternator), it would help get the corporate fuel-economy up cheaply. I think people would buy a V6 Camaro getting 23/31 (roughly) for $24,000+. Sounds fairly reasonable.
But a 4 cylinder Camaro? That just doesn't sit right with me....
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