Living in a Dreamworld: Chevrolet Camaro Hybrid in the works?

Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press is dreaming of a muscle car that could get 40mpg highway and 30mpg city. In his dream Mark Phelan is cruising in a Chevrolet Camaro Hybrid that runs on battery power up to 25mph with a beefy V8 engine that allows a sweet 0-60 sprint.

A knowledgeable GM source has told the Detroit Free Press that a Chevrolet Camaro hybrid is definitely feasible. It would require GM using their production-ready hybrid technology that hits the roads this fall matted with a small-block V8 engine.

“A hybrid Camaro, it could go a long way toward changing the perception of General Motors and Chevrolet,” Joe Phillippi, principal of AutoTrends Consulting, told Phelan. “To offer all the performance aspects of a classic Camaro and still be environmentally friendly … that’s a real plus from an image point of view.”

GM says that the V8 Chevrolet Camaro due out in 2009 does 30mpg on the highway and the V6 would perform much better. But imagine what could happen if GM puts its “two-mode” hybrid technology, that boosts fuel-economy by 45 percent, into the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro.

Of course, this all depends on whether consumers want to buy a hybrid muscle-performance car or not. Although it may give GM some strong ground to compete with Tesla’s upcoming sports car, Toyota’s FT-HS and Lexus’ LF-A.

Come on Bob Lutz, let’s get this in the planning phase!

Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Concept Gallery:

Source: Detroit Free Press

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