It now seems that a right-hand drive Chevrolet Camaro is being considered for applicable markets, including Australia, where it might be badged as a Holden, CarAdvice reports. This was said by Al Oppenheiser, chief engineer of the Chevrolet Camaro.
The success of the Ford Mustang, which has a long waiting list in Australia, was what captured the attention of the company. That said, the introduction on the Camaro would have to depend very much on the demand of the iconic muscle car, to justify its introduction Down Under and other markets for that matter. The final decision will be a market-driven one, according to Oppenheiser.
Emphasising that the company is seriously looking into this, “is that (Australia and UK) enough to sustain it? We’re studying that,” he said. “I’ll tell you we’re studying our competitors over in Dearborn (Ford) and what they’re doing: is it a success for them? Is it not?” The engineer disclosed.
“We know what it takes to do it, but obviously we have right-hand drive Cadillacs, so it’s not impossible. But we have not made that decision yet,” Oppenheiser stated. Another concern that the company is looking at is whether or not the demand for a right-hand drive Camaro would be sustainable over the years and not a “one-year wonder.”
“Is it a demand because everybody that wanted one bought one in the first year? And are they going to sell them in year two? You don’t want to do that, right?” he pointed out.
“We’ve experienced that with the left-hand-drive in certain countries. Especially in the fifth-gen (Camaro), after Transformers came out, some countries bought 1,000 and sold 1,000 in a week. We sent another 1,000 over and they stay for three years.” Oppenheiser said.
Likening demand for the Camaro to that of V8 engines, “the same thing with that right-hand drive decision is, is it something that will sustain a certain volume every year? If it is, we’ll do it,” he said, adding “you’ve got to make sure, we’re in the business to make money and if it’s going to be a good business case, we would do it,” he concluded.
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come on! ford sent their mustang, you can do it!
good for Australian…
Nicer than Mustang
ever heard of halo model and image building, chevy? it might not sell in bulk, but at least it can boost your image and in return more people will turn to your brand.
i still can’t get it why after so many years chevy just doesn’t seem to understand why they are doing so poorly in many regions around the world. people want some pure american chevys and not some half-korean, half-american, half-whatever chevys.
Exactly right !
Adoi, for sustainability, push more of the more affordable variant lah… this GM ah!
Poor Malaysia. Our steering is on the wrong side side compared to the rest of the world. Car makers don’t design their car to have the steering on the right side. Even the Japanese that drives on the left like Malaysia also design their car with steering on the left from the beginning. They have to make compromise for right hand drive models. All Honda, BMW, Mercedes, Kia, Ford and others in Malaysia are inferior compared to the original design. Offset pedals and handbrake on passenger side are the most obvious.Fait accompli.