422 horsepower--and, uh, easy at the pump

How do you market a 422 horsepower, 23 mpg muscle car in an era of $4-a-gallon gasoline?

By touting the fuel economy.

"We'll be promoting the fuel economy story very much," Ed Peper, Chevrolet's vice president, told reporters last week, showing off the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro. "We are two or three mpg ahead of the competition."

The rear-drive Camaro goes into production in February in Oshawa, Ontario. General Motors views the competition as the Ford Mustang, Nissan 350Z, and Dodge Challenger, said Cheryl Pilcher, the Camaro's product manager.

Peper said the 304 horsepower V-6 version will get an estimated 26 mpg, and the 422 horsepower V-8 version will get an estimated 23 mpg. "And we are still working on it," he said. He hinted that a turbo four-cylinder version is in the works.

The price: Not announced.

The volume? "We will build as many as we can sell," Pilcher said.

(Source: Automotive News)