In what could go down in history as the shortest automotive stillbirth, the right-hand drive version of the Chevrolet Camaro has been canned just six weeks after it got the go-ahead. This version of the Camaro was supposed to be exported the UK, Japan and Australia (where it was largely developed), but has been pushed down the priority list as General Motors focuses on hybrid and electric cars.At the 2010 Detroit auto show, GM's vice chairman, product development, Bob Lutz, told a room of international media, including a group from Australia: "I think you can pretty much count on a right-hand drive Camaro. The Camaro at some point will be factory right-hand drive...built in the plant in Canada and shipped to right-hand drive markets from Canada."
But at the Geneva motor show last week, when asked by an Australian journalist how the right-hand-drive Camaro was tracking, Lutz said: "Not good. It's been pushed back, perhaps indefinitely." Lutz confirmed a right-hand drive Camaro was not that high on GM's priority list.
"No matter which car company you work for, there's never enough engineering money, talent and capital to do everything you want to do," said Lutz. "So when we looked at the hybrids that we have to do, and the plug-ins that we have to do, we just had to priority rank it and I couldn't argue with the priorities."
Weak projected sales numbers from the key right-hand drive countries were the problem, Lutz said. "Unfortunately all of the markets came in with relatively low volume estimates. "The UK was low, and...frankly I think Australia could have stepped up to the plate with some more. But when we finally looked at it there weren't enough units to justify after all what is a fairly large investment.
"I am always personally sad when we create an exciting car and there's demand for it in an interesting country like Australia, and we can't afford it. It seems particularly ironic since all of the chassis development and the engineering was done there.
"If there is a country in the world that deserves to have the Camaro, it's Australia."
The Camaro may still make it to the UK and Japan in limited numbers because left-hand drive cars are allowed to be driven on public roads in those countries, but Australians who want a Camaro can only buy one through private importers who convert the cars locally to right-hand drive and sell them for as much as $140,000.
