Over the past year, Chevy has been proud of the success of the new Camaro, with sales exceeding targets. The Camaro sold 61,648 units in 2009, just shy of the Mustang with 66,623, despite the fact that the Camaro wasn’t even on sale for a whole year. But now it appears as though the Camaro’s success has come at the expense of another Chevy, the iconic Corvette. Surprisingly, according to Wards Automotive data, the Camaro is the most cross-shopped vehicle with the Corvette, despite the significant price difference ($18,000) and performance potential.

Last year all sports cars saw a big dip in sales, but the Corvette really got rocked, with units sold down 48.3 percent compared to the year before. It’s not yet clear if this trend will continue as many factors may have contributed to potential Corvette buyers opting for a Camaro instead. The economic downturn is an obvious factor, as is the fact that the Camaro boasts a brand new style and is new on the market, while the current C6 Corvette has been around for over half a decade. Then there’s the obvious fact that a base Corvette and a top-level Camaro SS have roughly the same horsepower.

Supporting the Camaro cannibalization theory, however, is the fact that while sports cars often rely on high-volume V6 sales, up to two-thirds of Camaro buyers opted for the V8. How many of them were really interested in a Corvette we’ll never known.

[Source: Wards Automotive]

First shown in concept form at last year’s SEMA Show, Chevy has decided to send the Synergy Green Camaro into production as a new special edition model. Based on the 1LT trim model, with a 304-hp direct-injection 3.6-liter V6 engine, this special edition Camaro includes Cyber Grey Rally Stripes, a rear spoiler, 19-inch wheels and, of course, several coats of “look-at-me” Synergy Green paint. The interior also gets a few tweaks with a Synergy Green instrument panel, door inserts and stitching.

Sadly, the aggressive aero kit shown on the concept kit isn’t a part of the package.

Retailing for $26,790, the Synergy Green Camaro also includes the Camaro Convenience and Connectivity Package, adding Bluetooth connectivity, a USB port and a remote starter system (automatic transmission only).

Produced in limited numbers from February to May of this year, the Synergy Green Camaro follows in the tread marks of first generation Camaros, which were offered in such wild colors as Hugger Orange, Daytona Yellow and Rallye Green.

GALLERY: Synergy Green Camaro

GALLERY: Synergy Green Camaro Concept

Official release after the jump:

When the new Camaro came out, General Motors explained the very careful two-pronged approach for the car, with the high-volume V6 models appealing to lifestyle consumers, while the high-powered and more expensive V8 version selling to the limited enthusiast crowd. So imagine the surprise in the marketing and product planning departments upon learning that two out of three Camaros sold come equipped with a V8 engine.

GM even went to great lengths to make the V6 models attractive, equipping them with a 29 mpg highway rating, more than 300-hp and a starting price of just $23,530.

This news is a bit of a double-edged-sword for GM. The down side is that high sales of V8-powered SS models will hurt the company’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rating. The up-side, however, is that with V6 an V8 models costing almost the same to produce, the profit margins on SS models is much higher.

[Source: InsideLine]

After building up a reputation as a top level Corvette tuner, Lingenfelter engineering is taking what they know about the Chevy sports car and adapting it to the bowtie brand’s newest performance machine, the Camaro. Set to be unveiled at the 2009 SEMA Show in just a few weeks, Lingenfelter has taken a Camaro SS and tossed the car’s factory 426-hp 6.2-liter V8 in favor of the Corvette Z06’s 505-hp 7.0-liter LS7 engine. And that’s not all. Known for their expertise in forced induction, the boys at Lingenfelter have then gone and strapped a supercharger to the big 427 to make no less than 750-hp.

The engine has even been built up to take all the extra boost with JE Pistons, titanium intake valves and Iconel exhaust valves – the same material used for making Formula One exhaust systems.

For the build Lingenfelter teamed up wit the suspension experts at Hotchkis for what they call a, “Total Vehicle System,” complete with springs, sway bars and a subframe brace – which is sure to be needed with 750-hp and (we imagine) an equal amount of torque. The shocks are a Lingenfelter/Sachs combo. On to of these addition, there’s a big set of Brembo bakes, big 20-inch Pirelli tires on LPE wheels and a pretty wild aero kit complete wit carbon fiber additions.

“Over the years we have been involved in dozens of OEM and racing development programs, but this one is special,” said Hotchkis Performance president John Hotchkis. “Lingenfelter builds some of the fastest, coolest and most refined domestic supercars in the world, and the fact that they asked us to help develop the suspension for a 200 mph Camaro and then offered to debut the car in our booth is very exciting. Everyone in attendance will certainly be impressed with this stunning piece of high-performance engineering.”

We’ll be sure to bring you plenty of photos of the Lingenfelter Camaro with live coverage of the 2009 SEMA Show starting November 3rd.

See AutoGuide’s live SEMA Coverage here!

GALLERY: Lingenfelter/Hotchkis Camaro

See the full list of vehicle specs after the jump:

Autobots: roll out, and now you can too with the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Transformers Special Edition. The Bumblebee inspired creation was officially introduced yesterday at a fitting venue, Comic-Con in San Diego.

“When the first Transformers movie was setting box office records, we had countless customers asking to purchase the ‘Bumblebee’ Camaro,” said Karen Rafferty, product marketing director, Chevrolet. “Now, they can buy one with the new Camaro Transformers Special Edition. Streets all over North America will be buzzing in no time.”

The Transformers kit can be ordered on either the 304hp V6 model or the 426hp V8-powered SS at an additional cost of $995.

It includes Autobot shields on both front fenders and on the wheel center caps. The Autobot logo will also be embroidered on the center console. Additionally, the kit includes Transformers logos on the driver and passenger door sills as well as a Transformers logo on the rally stripes (included) that run up the hood.

GALLERY: Chevrolet Camaro Transformers Special Edition

Official release after the jump:

General Motors can barely keep up with demand for the new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, but that won’t stop the American automaker from bringing the car to less traditional markets. According to German car magazine Auto Motor und Sport, which cites and executive at Chevrolet Germany, the Camaro will go on sale in Europe in the near future

We don’t know how soon Europeans will be able to buy a Camaro, which models will be offered or what pricing will be.

Currently the Camaro is priced at $23,040 for the 306hp V6 model and $35,425 for th3 425hp SS. This works out to roughly 16,400 and 25,215 Euros, but due to shipping and importing costs (as well as numerous other factors), we expect pricing to be above that.

Presumably the European Camaro will be available as a 2011 model as some changes will be required to meet European regulations.

Currently GM has the Camaro’s Oshawa, Canada assembly plant running overtime to try and keep up with demand on this side of the Atlantic.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport via WorldCarFans]

Ford has had it easy in the Pony car segment ever since 2002 when Chevrolet stopped selling the Camaro, but the iconic Chevy is back and making its presence felt. For the fist time since 1993 the Camaro out-sold the Mustang for a whole month.

The numbers weren’t even close as the new Camaro sold 9,320 units compared to the Mustang’s 7,362 units.

Chevy is actually having a tough time keeping up with demand for its new Pony Car and the Oshawa, Canada facility where the Camaro is built is running extra shifts and delaying workers’ holidays in order to keep up with demand.

The new Camaro is also one of the few silver linings to GM’s otherwise gray cloud as the automaker is currently in chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization and has suffered drastic sales decreases over last year.

Mark LaNeve, GM’s VP of vehicle sales said that the Camaro was selling at double the expected volume and that the automaker currently only has a 6 day supply of vehicles, compared to an industry average of 67 days. Demand is so high that some customers are actually paying over the suggested retail price, something unheard of for a GM product.

While the Camaro is in the lead for the month off June, the Mustang is still ahead overall, but it could be a tight race come December. The last time the Camaro came out on top for a year was back in 1985.

[Source: Automotive News]

Well-known in the tuning community for building high-powered machines of all breeds, Artisan Performance has decided to take on the 2010 Chevy Camaro. And if the renderings are any hint, we’re in for a treat.

And yet as salivating a package as it looks from the outside (with 1.5-inch fender flares), the Artisan Performance SA-600 Camaro SS gets extra-tasty under the hood. Or does it?

Much like on the company’s burnt-copper Lexus IS-F from last year’s SEMA Show, the Camaro features a set of rear-mounted turbochargers. Two GTK350 turbos, as well as an intercooler setup, exhaust system and ECU tune help the Camaro SS to pump out 600 ground-pounding ponies from its 6.2-liter V8. Artisan hasn’t released torque numbers yet, but they’re sure to be equally impressive.

To round out the package, Artisan will equip its SA-600 Camaro SS with iForged wheels in a 21-inch front and 22-inch rear fitment. Inside those rollers you’ll find an SSBC big brake package with 14-inch rotors.

Artisan’s SA-600 Camaro SS will also include many other custom details and a bespoke interior… at a cost. The whole package will run $69,000.

For more info visit:

http://www.artisanperformance.com/

[Source: Autoblog]

As General Motors continues to report record losses, there are still some small success stories to report. The reborn Chevy Camaro is one of them.

While plants are being idled and employees being let go across the company, at the Camaro assembly plant in Oshawa, Canada, workers can’t keep up with demand.

The Peterborough Examiner is reporting that workers at the Camaro assembly line will start working Saturdays through the summer to keep up with the popularity of the vehicle. The plant has even postponed holidays, which were scheduled for the week of June 29th, to continue manufacturing the popular new sportscar.

[Source: The Peterborough Examiner]

NOTE: AutoGuide will be driving the new Camaro and meeting with GM Canada’s PR boss George Saratlic tonight at 6 pm EST. Follow us on Twitter and we’ll bring you more on the car and this story.

The performance experts over at Lingenfelter have just announced a long list of engine packages that will be available for the 2010 Chevy Camaro… and there’s no shortage of high-horsepower options.

Initial offerings start with a supercharger upgrade, air intakes, exhaust system and ecu tune, with an option for either 550 or 570 hp. For more extreme performance, Lingenfelter will remove and completely rebuilt the 6.2-liter V8, with JE pistons Manley rods and fully rebuilt heads. When combined with the supercharger upgrade, the V8 can then churn out 650hp and 600 ft-lbs of torque.

Not extreme enough for you? How about a similar build, but using a 7.0-liter LS7 engine for a total of 750hp and 685 ft-lbs of torque.

Believe it or not, that isn’t the top-level Lingenfelter package. Those who know the company will know that it is famous for many things, but that the twin-turbo Corvette might be the biggest one. So Lingenfelter has decided to offer a similar package for the 2010 Chevy Camaro. Using that big displacement 7.0-liter LS7, Lingenfelter completely rebuilds it and slaps on two Garrett turbos for a total of 800 horsepower and 800 neck-snapping ft-lbs of torque.

All that power on a stock looking machine would exactly look right either, so Lingenfelter will release a line of Camaro aerodynamics later this year. While no official pictures are available, the company has released the renderings pictured above. The new kit will include a front bumper, splitter, new grille, side skirts, rear bumper, rear tail light panel, rear spoiler and a new vented hood.

For move info visit:

http://www.lingenfelter.com/

More on the Lingenfelter packages for the 2010 Camaro after the jump: