On January 9, 2006 Chevrolet unveiled it'* New-Age Camaro in front of thousands of journalists at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. But GM officials declined to confirm that any final decision on a new Camaro has been made. They said the concept will help them gauge public reaction about a Camaro revival.

While the concept retains the Camaro’* long hood with hood bulge, short rear deck and narrow, snarling grille, the styling has a contemporary, somewhat chiseled look. Inside, the deeply recessed instrument gauges and three-spoke steering wheel invoke the styling of the original Camaros. So does the lengthy center console.

The concept has large, 21- and 22-inch wheels and tires that fill the wheel wells to the brim, and the underlying platform is rear-wheel drive with fully independent suspension with McPherson struts up front and a rear multi-link configuration.

Power comes from a 400-horsepower, 6.0-liter, LS2, small-block V8 that’* borrowed from the 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. It’* mated to a 6-speed manual transmission in the Camaro concept. Because the engine has a system that automatically disables half the cylinders when they’re not needed, the Camaro concept could get as much as 30 mpg on the highway.

The first Camaros were designed in the mid 1960s, and the 1969 model, which was the inspiration for the new concept, was considered the best of the first-generation cars. In the first three years, some 699,000 Camaros were sold. Many were used for racing, and a few were at the NAIAS to herald the Camaro’* iconic past.