Camaro in the spotlight

It grabbed the spotlight this morning and will continue to make the pace until Audi unveils its all-new A5 coupe on Tuesday, just on the strength of the its retro-futuristic styling.

But the Camaro is also an Australian car.

The Camaro's two-door body is draped over the mechanical package used for the VE Commodore, a combination which will make life more than tough for the latest Ford Mustang in the 'states.

GM Holden says it is using the Melbourne show appearance to test the car's reception in Australia.

"We want to see whether Australian buyers would want a Chevrolet Camaro in local dealerships. This motor show is an excellent opportunity to put that appetite to the test," says Tony Stolfo, head of Holden design.

He also talked openly about the work going on in Australia for the Camaro project, and the pressure from America to fast-track the project.

"They cannot get it soon enough," says Stolfo.

"Chevrole Camaro's engineering work is happening right here, right now, at Fishermans Bend.

The concept car is powered by a Chevrolet LS2 V8 producing 298 kiloWatts of power, fed to the independent rear suspension through a six-speed manual gearbox. It rolls on 21-inch front alloy wheels with 22-inchers in the rear.