Will GM beat the kitty kat?

[Sven59]

Chasing the hell kitten.
http://www.torquenews.com/106/chevro...llenge-hellcat

[BAD ZL1]

Not unless they add another 50 horse power or more to all the Vettes. I think its OK with them the Camaro taps on coup vettes, but they cant surpass the rest of them.

[Sven59]

So they introduce the 680 hp ZL1 at the same time as the 750 hp ZL1 because of weight savings and more hp the ZL1 smokes a 10.9 on stock tires. And the war goes on.

[macwest]

After reading the article I doubt a factory stock camaro will ever beat a Hellcat in a straight line. This next round is going to be Ford and Dodge.

[01pewterz28]

Maybe for the 6th Gen but I am not sure if the ZL1 will make it to 6th Gen platform. I believe GM will offer the 1LE package, Z/28, and the SS for the V8 models.

[benji276289]

Sounds like this isn't ZL-1 vs. Hellcat/Shelby 500 but GM vs. Hellcat/Shelby 500. So Camaro owners can feel some consolation in that we are just next in line in the Corvette/Camaro family of muscle cars.

[96MrBass]

I myself don't think it needs more hp than the Hellcat or the GT500 to be faster in the 1/4.
I personally would rather win with less hp seems to me that's bragging rights. Now I know mod for mod and bla bla bla but the last time I checked a win is a win. Just my .02!

[McRat]

GM has the better tech available in their arsenal.

Will they choose to fight Dodge at the brochure, the racetrack, or on the street?

To fight them at the brochure, GM could turbo the 6.2L DI engine like they did with the 3.6L V6 DI engine. 725HP would be available in Cadillac Noise/Vibration/Harseness trim. About 760HP in Chevrolet NVH trim. (556HP LSA = Caddy, 580HP = Chevy). It would be a heavier powertrain than anything GM is now using, but if HP is the only goal, a turbo direct injection V8 is a serious weapon.

To do it at the track, best method is weight reduction.

To do it on the street? Nobody is yet claiming that the Challenger is a better daily driving experience than the Camaro or Mustang, in any trim level.

My jaw dropped at the 707HP announcement by Dodge. But then I started thinking about it more.

Dodge would have had a better car at about the same price by using the Viper engine. Blasphemy? The V10 was a pickup engine in the beginning, and a Viper trim engine was once used in the SRT10 sport truck. I hear the Viper powertrain is nearly 300lb less weight than the Hellcat.

And it's not like Dodge is short of Viper engines. Dodge might have to offer rebates pretty soon if they can't figure out how to sell them.

My prediction is that GM will watch what the Hellcat does for Challenger sales.
Ford's GT500 program did not push the Mustang ahead of the Camaro. And the press Super-Hype of the Z/28 has not had enough time to evaluate yet.

Neither the GT500, ZL1, Z/28, or Hellcat programs are done to sell lots of super expensive musclecars. They are done to sell lots of cheaper musclecars.

I think the next OMFG!!! move will be by Ford. They still haven't matched Camaro sales, even after releasing two Flagship Mustangs, the GT500 and Boss 302 LS. Both the Z/28 and Hellcat are going to get a lot of brand recognition over the next year. Ford needs to wave their flag to keep from becoming out-of-fashion.

[tnspd]

GM is going to have to do something for the Camaro crowd. If they depend on the Vette to handle GM's answer to the Hellcat then they will loose alot of Camaro sales in the process.

[ZO6 Bryan]

The Camaros have never gotten an engine unique to them since the '60s. They are all corporate GM engines borrowed from other models. Remember the LSA came from the CTS-V. So if you want more horsepower look at what is going in the Vettes or watch what Cadillac is up to.

[lbls1]

I have my doubts but anything could happen. I have a sneaking suspicion that GM may not have intended to get caught in a heated war after the GT500. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Edit: I read the quote, and I will re-state a thought I had about the Camaro and the pony car segment. If the Corvette will be used to combat the Camaro's rivals, then it begs the question of why the Camaro exists in the first place. GM did a great job in re-defining Camaro's standard of performance, but they also will have to be careful with its image. First and foremost, the Camaro's origin is based as an affordable performance car for the street as well as the track. We've already seen the Camaro's price and affordability go out of reach of some of its target customers; Will those same customers accept Chevy's reasoning for not making the Camaro a viable challenger to its rivals??? It handles great, no doubt; In the world of drag racing, street performance and bragging rights, sometimes having less power is a bit of a hard sell. I caution GM and Chevy that they should not totally change the focus of the Camaro by not making it compete against its pony car rivals. If the pricier Corvette is left to combat the likes of the Challenger and GT500, then why should one pay a premium for a Camaro that won't challenge its rivals???

[newmoon]

I don’t think Chevy has anything to worry about in regards to remaining the sales leader. With the disappointing release of the now heavier Mustang GT at only 435-hp, I just don’t see many 11-14 GT owners running out to trade their cars in on a 15 model. Dodge has never been the sales leader and I doubt ever will. While the Scat Pack R/T and Hellcat will be big hits with the muscle car crowd, the Challenger is not a vehicle that appeals to the broad spectrum (Women/Men/Teens/Elderly) like the Mustang and Camaro do.
With the 2016 SS packing the LT1 it surely will out power the GT yet again. With an all new chassis and promised weight reduction it will most likely remain the sales leader.

[KLR ZL1]

Originally Posted by ZO6 Bryan

The Camaros have never gotten an engine unique to them since the '60s. They are all corporate GM engines borrowed from other models. Remember the LSA came from the CTS-V. So if you want more horsepower look at what is going in the Vettes or watch what Cadillac is up to.

Exactly. Look at the new lighter 6 gen platform and think what the new LT4 with 650 HP could do. It's not how much HP as much as HP per pounds. I haven't heard if Dodge did any weight reduction on the hellcat and it starts out heavy. So the powertrain is there for the next ZL1 but I don't see it happening until the second year of the 6 gen.

[BigBoyBlue]

What GM may do is come up with an engine that beats the Hellcat, then give it to the ZR1, then detune it for a model of Camaro, whether it be the ZL1 or other iteration. Either way, the Corvette is still the pinnacle of American performance cars.