Liberty Automobiles, a leading General Motors dealer, has delivered the all-new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro sports car to the first six customers who had pre-booked the new model.

“We believe that the launch of the new Camaro, after a hiatus of seven years, is a major milestone which calls for a celebration to mark the arrival of the first shipment and congratulate the first lucky owners,” said Abdul Malik, group general manager of Liberty Automobiles, a member of UAE-based Liberty Investment (Liberty Group), at a celebration held to mark the delivery at the dealer’s showroom.

“We had received several pre-bookings when sales opened for the new Camaro in March 2009, and those customers are impatiently waiting for the arrival of their cars,” he added.

“We expect new shipments to arrive in the coming weeks. Going by the response, we anticipate a further surge in demand, as news about Camaro's great looks and performance spreads.

“Though the launch comes at a challenging time, we at Liberty Automobiles feel the Camaro's success could prove to be a catalyst in revitalising the car market in the UAE.”

Liberty Automobiles Company is also offering its customers the option of personalising their Camaros through Liberty Motor Sports (LMS), a sister company specialising in vehicle conversion, by providing services like custom paint jobs, specialised body kits and striping packages, custom engine tuning, performance exhaust systems, wheel and tyre packages and other customised enhancements.

Rajesh Krishnan, general manager, Chevrolet division of Liberty Automobiles, described the new Camaro as the sports car for the 21st century.

“The new 2010 Camaro almost harks back to the glory days of the American auto industry. The distinguishing features on the exterior are the long hood, short deck and muscular fender forms, with a distinctive classic 'V' shaped nose,” said Krishnan.

“The interior is classy, with touches of elegance in design, with round gauges in square housings, outlined in chrome. The centre console, which has been given a contemporary touch with LED backlighting, displays oil temperature, oil pressure, state-of-battery and transmission fluid temperature.”

Mahmoud Samara, regional manager, Lower Gulf, General Motors, said: “With a modern treatment of a classic design, the Camaro has raised the bar for other sports cars, because it isn't just about power. It is a head turner that captures the spirit of the American muscle car with its performance, enhanced by the appointments of a modern sedan.”

The new Camaro is available in two trims in the Middle East.

The LT has a standard 3.6L direct V-6 engine that pumps out 323 hp (gross) and propels the car from 0 to 100 km/hr in 6.1 seconds. The SS model comes with two 6.2L V-8 engines.

The manual transmission packs 462 hp (gross) punch while the automatic transmission puts out 441 hp (gross), both launching from 0 to 100 km/hr in 4.7 seconds, with a torque of 408 lb/ft, said a statement.-TradeArabia News Service