Published: Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

Updated: Friday, Oct. 30, 2009

Chevrolet Cars

Hot news for 2010: With all the turmoil going on at General Motors, it’s a year of recovery, however there will be plenty of vehicles coming down the road for 2011 Ÿ Of course the new Camaro is the talk of the town and cements the revival of the Ponycar wars of the 1960s. Ÿ Corvette Grand Sport added; ZR1 gets launch control Ÿ Ÿ Cobalt SS sedan cut from lineup.

Carryover: Aveo; Cobalt; Corvette; HHR; Impala; Malibu

Gone: None

Starting line

n To say that it has been a rocky road for General Motors over the last six months would be a dramatic understatement. Bouncing back back after declaring bankruptcy is now all about getting factories up to speed so that dealers have inventory to sell. That means there’s not a lot of new models to report and all eyes are really focused on what’s coming for 2011. Somehow through all of it, though, the Camaro made it into the hands of muscle-starved buyers.

The car blends plenty of way-back-when looks along with sufficient power and technology. The rear-wheel-drive platform, which is also used for the Pontiac G8 sedan, was developed in Australia and could eventually be used for other General Motors models.

The base LS and LT are motivated by a 304-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 fitted with either a six-speed manual transmission, or optional six-speed automatic. The top-end SS comes equipped with one of two 6.2-liter V8s, depending on which transmission is selected. Those wanting to row their own gears will get the Corvette-based LS3 with 426 horsepower that’s connected to a six-speed manual gearbox.

All Camaros arrive reasonably well turned out with the usual air/cruise/tilt, four-wheel disc brakes and power-operated accessories. SS models will add beefier Brembo-brand brakes, lowered ride height, sport suspension, exclusive 20-inch wheels and a performance mode setting for the traction and stability control systems, which are vital to preventing this rear-drive machine from becoming too tail happy. For the two-seat Corvette, being tail happy is right of passage.

For 2010, the prized Z51 suspension package has been replaced by the Grand Sport, which also adds the ZO6 model’s wider fenders. The Grand Sport is basically a way to get the race-car ZO6 look with the base 6.2-liter engine.