August 10, 2006

To all my friends in the Camaro Internet community:

It's shortly after the official announcement that the Camaro is, indeed, coming back so I just thought I'd share some of my thoughts.

 As I look back over the past couple of years, I can tell you there's been...                          

So much frustration.

So much I wanted to share.

So much concern because I knew we'd lose a lot of people to the dark side.

So many starts and stops, and so it goes...                                            

Well, the good news is that you now know I had a good reason to keep saying to you, "Keep the faith." To so very many of you, I say, "Thank you for believing!" To a few of you, I'll add, "I hope you'll trust me in the future." (So--what WOULD you like served with the words I promised I'd make you eat!? Just kidding. I know you have a real passion for Camaro. You were upset by the hiatus and your doubt was, perhaps, your way of dealing with it.)                                                            

Today was a great day--as was January 9, 2006, when the Camaro Concept was unveiled. In some ways, the events on those two days heal those of August 27, 2002.

We now know that our beloved Camaro has, indeed, been reborn. We know we have something to look forward to in terms of that great American thrill ride!                                                            I can't begin to describe to you how it felt to look in the rear view mirror of the 2002 Camaro B4C I drove today as part of an escort for the Camaro Concept just before announcing that we will, indeed, be building a new Camaro. I know most of you can understand that it was certainly a day I, along with many of you, have prayed for. 

I must say up front: If you like what you see, I can't take credit for it.

There are so many talented people involved in this new car. My dear friend, Cheryl Pilcher, is the Product Manager at Chevrolet who will see the rebirth of this legend—the "new" Camaro. Cheryl is an engineer—a darn good one, too. She worked on 4th generation chassis development. She was the Assistant Camaro Brand Manager who oversaw the birth of the 1998, LS1 Camaro. She worked on the C5 and, then, worked on C6. She's a great lady and I could not be happier that our Camaro is in GREAT hands! Most importantly, she asks me a lot of questions and that's how we get your input into what will be the next generation Camaro.

Chris Houlihan--another Camaro guy--is our Chief Engineer. Gene Stefanyshyn is the Vehicle Line Executive. I'm so impressed with Gene. He's a guy who will listen to ALL points of view and then have the guts to make those hard, tough decisions. He and his team will bring you a Camaro you can truly be proud to own. There are so many more. Tom Peters is the Lead Designer--we couldn't be luckier. I almost hate to start naming people because, sure-as-heck, I'll leave someone out. Suffice to say: GM has put its finest on this most important vehicle.

Some will ask, "But, why so long until we see the new car?" 

To them, I say: we needed to do it right. We're starting with a clean sheet of paper. Unlike others, we're NOT going to take a hallowed brand and stick it on an existing architecture which does not deserve the name and, please--I'm not saying bad things about OUR other architectures. I'm just saying that each architecture serves a purpose and we don't want to compromise the Camaro in any way by using an architecture that's not a perfect match.                                                    

Yes, the wait may be longer than usual. Just be assured that, like all of you reading this, we have very high expectations for our Camaro and it will be worth the wait.

So...it's time to celebrate!

Go out with friends. Drive and enjoy your Camaros. Clean them. Polish them. Keep attending Camaro enthusiast events. Also, know that GM DOES care about you and your car. Yes, we're a very large organization but we have many people who love cars and trucks. Doubt that? Well then, let me ask this: how do you suppose we brought you the new Corvette? It takes a team of many people who are passionate about great cars to bring you vehicles such as the Corvette Z06! 

Now, I'm gonna ask you for a few favors:

1) Keep it friendly. There are a lot of great web sites out there. Most have a great atmosphere but there are others that allow terrible insults to be exchanged. I must admit that I've lost it a few times. Let's keep in mind that the name "Camaro" means "friend", "pal", or "comrade". Let's be kind to each other. Let's think before we log-on!  

2) Most of you wear safety belts. For those of you who don't, please--start using them and that includes every person in the vehicle with you. We want you around so that we can watch you enjoy your new Camaro. 

3) I hope you'll forgive me for not saying more prior to now about the future plans for Camaro. Please understand that I could not talk freely, but I hope that the next time I tell you to "...have faith", you'll know you can take that to the bank or write it in the family Bible!

In closing, I thank each and every one of you for your passion and love for the Camaro. I know its been a rough road, but if you think it was bad for YOU—you have no idea how hard it was for those of us inside GM who carry the torch for Camaro.

I hope you're as pumped as I am right now. I hope that today made some of the pain go away. I hope that I'll get to meet many more of you. I want to see at LEAST 1,000 Camaros at the National Corvette Museum on September 14 thru 16 for the annual Camaro/Firebird Reunion. If you want more information on that event, visit: www.corvettemuseum.com

The future, INDEED, looks bright!

Best wishes,

Scott Settlemire
Manager, Chevrolet/Hummer Shows and Exhibits