Monday 16th February 2009

RHD Camaro Cancelled

Hard times at GM spoil our fun

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A cash-strapped General Motors has decided not to produce right-hand drive Camaros for the European market, according to Autocar.

Chevrolet will import only 100 left-hooker Camaros to the UK - just enough to avoid type-approval regulations - and only one of the engine choices will be available.

Luckily, it's the bigger block, the 6.2-litre 422bhp V8. The 100 cars will be an even-split of coupes and convertibles, all in top-spec SS trim.The coupe will cost around £35,000, with imports here expected soon after the Spring launch in the US.

[BUG4LIFE]

Boo, that sucks

[wab172uk]

Shame. After Transformers I quite fancied one of these. Rumour's of RHD versions in the uk made me seriously consider buying one.

[pantalooons]

they're a nice looking machine, but it'd have to be yellow with black stripes wouldn't it?

[willisit]

Well that's that car off the list.. typical. Been following this since 2006 and was really interested! (Yeah, nothing wrong with LHD - had loads, but liked the idea of a warranted RHD car, new).

[Double R]

there is only one big plus on these bad news

this will be a rare car if one wants to invest in 21st century American muscle... don't know if there is any sense in investing rather than driving these lovely cars but one can "sell" this to the wife

[croyde]

Boo sucks! The Yanks have missed out big time in the last few years as there would have been quite a few sales, if the likes of the Mustang, Corvette, Challenger and now the Camero had been officially imported over here in RHD.

IMHO off course.

[LuS1fer]

What a shocker. As I predicted within one second of them announcing it.

Still, better to have a LHD import at £185 a year VEL than a RHD official car at £4 million a year VEL.

[skylinestyle]

not 2 bad expected worse i can still get 1

[Lucozade]

Well I won't be buying one then. I think it would be better to stop left hand drive cars from being imported into the UK all together, is it really that difficult to change the dashboard and steering !

[tomTVR]

LuS1fer said:

What a shocker. As I predicted within one second of them announcing it.

Still, better to have a LHD import at £185 a year VEL than a RHD official car at £4 million a year VEL.

I would rather pay the silly VEL.

[PascalBuyens]

Oh... I heard during the latest Motor Show in Brussels that even the LHD might get cancelled...

Just a rumour I guess then...

Shame though if they would not produce this... And terribly sorry to hear that you don't get them in RHD.

[willisit]

The LHD is already in production with first cars to be delivered in around a month...

[sad61t]

Any in depth road tests available yet? Have a feeling they'll be pushed to sell all 100 imports to the UK given the current anti-cubes sentiment (or does that figure include all EU countries?).

[pokethepope]

A cash-strapped General Motors has decided not to produce right-hand drive Camaros for the European market.

It is just the UK that drives on the right in Europe, is it not? So the European market should be LHD Camaro's, and the RHD is soley for the UK, rather than the European market as a whole.

/nitpicking

[GTRCLIVE]

Oh well I'll just have to drive my Cheaper LHD version here in Canada...
Hard Luck Lads and lasses.....

[anonymous-user]

How are they going to manage anything resembling dealer support with so few cars put through the network?

It's true brilliance to sell it in direct competition with Vauxhall's RHD VXR8!

[V8TVR1978]

GTRCLIVE said:

Oh well I'll just have to drive my Cheaper LHD version here in Canada...
Hard Luck Lads and lasses.....

Yes you can do that Clive...... in a Vette that is...... but I keep hearing that you miss the RHDs so much, that you keep getting caught by people sneeking over to the left lane. You might be ready for a short holiday back home and get it out of your system.....

[jamesson]

pokethepope said:

It is just the UK that drives on the right in Europe, is it not?
/nitpicking

I thought we drove on the left?

[LuS1fer]

5 USA said:

How are they going to manage anything resembling dealer support with so few cars put through the network?

It's true brilliance to sell it in direct competition with Vauxhall's RHD VXR8!

It's pretty much the same car as the VXR8 underneath. I imagine it will be easy to sell - the Challenger hasn't had a problem and the Mustang has been selling in droves for years. The Vauxhall is also immensely ugly. Can't imagine why anyone would want a RHD Camaro TBH.

[qube_TA]

I bet the LHD car will get binned soon enough too.