2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible

The 2011 Chevrolet Camaro includes an enhanced body structure and well-tailored top mechanism a combination designed to deliver sports coupe like driving fun and precise quality.

The convertible will be offered in a similar model as the Camaro coupe. The standard model will have a 312-horsepower direct injection V-6 engine giving us 29 mpg highway. The SS model will feature the 6.2L V-8 engine producing 426 horsepower. A six-speed manual transmission will be standard, with an optional six-speed automatic.

Camaro convertible is offered in 1LT/2LT (V-6) and 1SS/2SS (V-8) trim packages and priced from $30,000 and up. Nine exterior colors are available, with tops offered in black or tan. Rear parking assist is standard on all convertible models.

Ten Best Selling Cars of 2010

1. Ford F-Series: 27,630
2. Chevy Silverado: 22,772
3. Honda Accord: 20,759 (1,737 Accord Crosstours included)
4. Nissan Altima: 18,636
5. Toyota Corolla: 17,121
6. Chevy Malibu: 16,439
7. Toyota Camry: 15,792
8. Honda Civic: 14,693
9. Chevy Cobalt: 12,962
10. Ford Fusion: 12,179

Toyota significantly dropped in sales last year, yet Ford has reached the top in the current economy after facing 2 years of losses. And GM has finally made a profit since 2008. Congratulations to the American Auto Industry.

Potential deal points leaked concerning Tengzhong's purchase of Hummer

As the Opel transaction takes on Biblical intrigue, the Hummer exchange goes on in another dark corner, laboriously, like the gestation of an elephant. The latest report from a Chinese news website states that General Motors and Tengzhong "might sign an agreement" this week, but that strikes us as exceedingly optimistic seeing that there's been no word on the government approving the deal yet.

Slightly more believable are the supposed deal points that would guide Tengzhong's initial ownership of Hummer: Tengzhong will own all of Hummer's intellectual property rights and sales network, but would not build Hummers in China and would operate the company as an off-shore entity based out of Detroit or Nashville. General Motors would continue to build Hummers until 2012 and provide "technical services," and Tengzhong would continue to fund research and development, while the "off-shore" Hummer team (read: probably the folks doing the job now) would be responsible for launching the new H3 and H4. As for that H4, though, the article lists them as "CUV models." If the H4 is a CUV, we hope they manage to make it look like the 2008 Hummer HX concept shown above.

Tengzhong reps are headed to Detroit to continue discussions. The General's response, according to the CEO of Hummer is that "Negotiations continue to progress and the transaction will be announced upon the signing of the definitive agreement as soon as appropriate." Hat tip to Emilio!

eBay find of the day: n2a Motors 789 serial #001

The n2a Motors 789 is perhaps the ultimate automotive expression of retro styling. Based on a C6 Corvette chassis and using hand-crafted carbon composite body panels, the 789 features styling cues from 1957, '58, and '59 Chevrolets. Just over 20 of these unique cars have been built over the past few years, the first of which n2a Motors is putting up for auction on eBay. Featuring an LS2 V8, custom Budnik wheels, and a Borla exhaust system, chassis #001 was used as the promotional car at the Los Angeles and New York auto shows and still has the remainder of GM's five-year/100,000 warranty. Best of all, the winning bidder gets to take delivery of the car immediately and doesn't have endure the typical 12-week wait for a brand new 789.

More Pictures at AutoBlog

The Detroit Ballout is Not Over

All of Detroit is safe until after the auto show in January, sorta. The government approved $13.4 billion in loans for General Motors and Chrysler for immediate consumption (Ford said “no thanks” for now.) This will take them until February when another $4 billion may be available, but they will also have to show that their operations are able to show "positive net present value" – a tough goal I’ll get to in a moment.

This means at least when the North American International Auto Show hits Detroit in January, at least the Big Three won’t have to ring the Salvation Army bell, and instead they will be able to somewhat focus on products. But this isn’t the end of the fight, the big picture has four elements still to come:

There will be more layoffs

There will be more money needed pumped into the industry

It’s the end of fun new cars

The winner will be the one who returns to big cars first

So for this week, after the just I present a little accounting, a healthy dose of skepticism, and just enough optimism to keep fans of American cars from jumping out the window.

Corvette ZR1 Cancellation Rumor

The rumor weed is abroad everywhere, and sometimes it can spread like crazy. This appears to be one of those times. The DigitalCorvettes.com forum posted a note earlier this day saying that Corvette ZR1 production has been halted (Bowling Green is shut down this week, so no Vettes are being built at the moment) and suggesting that the ZR1 may be cancelled. A post on dealer Rick "Corvette" Conti's blog, linked in the referenced DigitalCorvettes thread, added to the intrigue. Autoblog.com has contacted GM's Terry Rhadigan, who handles global communications for the Chevrolet brand. We presented the DigitalCorvettes link and asked for an official response. His was very clear: "Not true."

Chevy May Double Produce in Europe

Chevrolet's team in Europe is planning to double on model range and production in Europe. Speaking with UK’s Autocar Magazine, Chevrolet Europe’s Chief Executive Wayne Brannon said that the whole portfolio will be renewed by 2012 and that the company is particularly interested in creating an Opel Zafira-sized MPV along with a small SUV that would sit right under the larger Captiva SUV.

Some of the model's that will be added is the new Chevrolet Camaro coupe and convertible versions to improve Chevy's image and bring more customers to dealerships, along with the plug-in hybrid Volt.