The fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro is a pony car produced by General Motors and marketed under the Chevrolet brand. It is the fifth distinct generation of the Camaro to be produced since its original introduction in 1967. Production of the new Camaro began on March 16, 2009 after several years on hiatus since the previous generation's production ended in 2002 and went on sale to the public in April 2009 for the 2010 model year.On January 6, 2006, the first official word regarding a fifth generation Chevrolet Camaro from General Motors came at the 2006 North American International Auto Show, where the 2006 Camaro Concept was released. AutoWeek editors unanimously awarded the Camaro Concept "Best In Show." The concept is based on the new GM Zeta platform and was designed by South Korean-born Sangyup Lee. Road & Track offered an exclusive first look at the car which had photos as well as a short video on the day the concept was released.
The concept car features the following: 2-door, 4-passenger, rear-wheel drive coupe,[citation needed] while the body-styling is an homage to the first generation Camaro. The wheelbase is 110.5 in (281 cm), which is 9 in (23 cm) longer than the previous generation, but an overall length of just 186.2 in (473 cm), 7 in (18 cm) shorter. The Camaro Concept is powered by a 400 hp (298 kW) 6.0 L (366 cu in) LS2 V8 with Active Fuel Management and is equipped with the T-56 six-speed manual transmission. Other features include independent front and rear suspensions (all previous Camaros/Firebirds used a solid rear axle), four-wheel disc brakes with 14 in (36 cm) rotors and four-piston calipers, and 21 in (53 cm) front / 22 in (56 cm) rear wheels covered in huge 275/30R21 front / 305/30R22 rear tires.
The 2007 Camaro Convertible Concept was announced January 6, 2007 at the 2007 North American International Auto Show. Early speculation by many automotive publications proved to be true when early embargo was broken on January 4, 2007.
At a glance it would seem that the only difference between the coupe and convertible concepts would be the roof and Hugger Orange pearl tri-coat paint job with a pair of dark gray racing stripes, but this is not the case. Besides the obvious convertible top, there are subtle changes to the exterior as well. Every surface was changed from the door-cut back. The rear fenderlines drop off from the horizontal surface to the vertical surface a couple of inches farther out than on the coupe to keep proportions good and the rear spoiler was reshaped. The 21 in (53 cm) front and 22 in (56 cm) rear wheels were also redesigned and a thin orange line was applied to the outer edge, a nod to redwalls available circa 1969.
