recent customer survey from Chevrolet was posted on Camaro6.com, asking potential Camaro buyers whether they would consider a hybrid V8 with 545 horsepower and the ability to yield 24 miles per gallon combined with an upcharge of $8,000 – suggesting that the automaker could be cooking up a high performance hybrid muscle car.
Before getting into the details of this interesting bit of information, I want to stress that this is not an announcement of a new Chevrolet Camaro SS Hybrid with 545 horsepower. As part of a recent customer survey, these folks were asked whether they would consider buying two different hybrid powerplants in the Camaro – one of which is a 545-horsepower V8. This information doesn’t guarantee anything, but it suggests that GM is at least considering a big-power hybrid V8.
Hybrid Camaro Survey
According to a thread on Camaro6g.com, current Camaro owners were asked the following question:
Imagine you were ready to purchase a new Sport Coupe like your Chevrolet Camaro. Which of the following engine options would you most likely choose?
– 4-Cylinder 2.7L Turbo engine, 310hp, 25mpg combined, 0-60 in 5.2 seconds – $0
– 4-Cylinder 2.0L Hybrid Turbo Engine, 365hp, 30mpg, 0-60 in 4.4 seconds – $4,000
– 8-Cylinder, 6.2L, 455hp, 20mpg combined, 0-60 in 4.0 seconds – $4,000
– 8-Cylinder, 6.2L Hybrid engine, 545hp, 24mpg combined, 0-60 in 3.7 seconds – $8,000
Big-Power Hybrid V8
Both of the hybrid engines sound interesting, but there is no question that the big news here is the 545-horsepower hybrid V8. While the $4,000 upcharge over the standard V8 is a big jump, we are talking about an increase of 20% in horsepower and fuel economy. Also, based on my experiences with other hybrid V8 engines, the electric-assisted V8 Camaro would likely have sharper throttle response.
In other words, more power, better fuel economy and improved driving dynamics at the cost of $4,000 over a traditional V8. Also, while this really doesn’t matter to most consumers, this fuel efficient V8 would help improve the brand’s overall CAFÉ fuel economy scores.
Again, this survey doesn’t promise anything, but it proves that GM is at least considering a high performance hybrid V8 for the Camaro. For the company to talk about this, you would think that engineers have at least worked out the numbers to see what is possible and a 545-horsepower V8 would be an engine that the automaker could use in a variety of vehicles.