2016 Chevrolet Camaro: GM Says The Sixth-Generation Camaro Has Been Completely Overhauled, With More Muscle Than The Ford Mustang

UPDATE Saturday, May 16, 10:14 p.m.: Read more performance specs for the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro here.

Original story begins here:

Under a tent packed with hundreds of camera-wielding American-muscle-car enthusiasts, General Motors pulled the sheet off its sixth generation 2016 Chevrolet Camaro Saturday in Detroit. Billed as a lighter and stiffer Camaro, this is Chevrolet’s highly anticipated answer to the sixth generation 2015 Ford Mustang. Both cars are lighter than their predecessors and roomier on the inside -- less pony car and more coupe.

“It’s great that the pony car wars are heating up again,” Matt DeLorenzo, managing editor for Kelley Blue Book, said in an email. “If it’s successful, the Camaro/Mustang could also bode well for a resurgence in coupes with more generous back seats.”

The Ford Mustang has been gaining significant ground against its rivals, including the Dodge Challenger, but this new Camaro will likely see tables turn a little in favor of Chevrolet. GM is selling the Camaro as a new vision, complete with a redesigned exterior and a more modern interior to lure young buyers.

But Al Oppenheiser, the car’s chief engineer, and his team were careful to ensure that despite immense work on aerodynamic tweaking, the new Camaro eloquently retains many of the car’s external design signals -- the stuff that makes a Camaro look like a Camaro -- while steering clear of retro design tricks often employed in models that have been around for decades. GM wants buyers to see a 21st century Camaro, not a throwback.

GM says the only parts that carry over from the fifth generation Camaro introduced in the 2010 model year after an eight-year hiatus, is the bow-tie Chevrolet emblem and the SS badge for the high performance version.

Pricing was not immediatly announced nor when, exactly, later this year the car will appear in showrooms, but GM revealed Saturday the 2016 Camaro will have six powertrain configurations including a 2.0-liter turbo, a 3.6-liter V6 and a 6.2-liter V8. The biggest engine for the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS churns out 455 horsepower and has 455 pound-feet of torque -- 20 more horsepower and 55 more pound-feet of torque than the 2015 Ford Mustang GT.

Like the Mustang, the new Camaro used more weight-saving aluminum components. Also like the Mustang, Chevrolet is offering a more fuel efficient engine that boasts 30 mpg on the highway while pushing out 275 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Here’s what else GM revealed Saturday:

-- The powerful SS version has cylinder deactivation that reduces fuel consumption by only using the cylinders needed at slower speeds.

-- The new Camaro SS performs better on lap tests compared to the fifth-generation high performance version.

-- New active suspension technology offers a smoother ride.

-- The car has touch screens and a configurable high-definition color display, the kind of stuff younger more tech savvy drivers have come to expect. Also there are 24 ambient lighting configurations for the cabin.

-- A new Drive Mode Selector switch can be thrown in icy conditions, on curvy roads and other driving situations to improve performance.

-- The new Camaro will be available in 10 exterior colors, five interior colors.