Conversation with Ed Peper

Yesterday I also had the opportunity to speak with Ed Peper, Cheverolet’s General Manager. Everyone at Chevy was a bit sheepish about the fact that the Camaro was MIA for this show. One thing they are really trying to emphasize with the Camaro (and Chrysler is doing the same thing with the Challenger) is that it’s not just a muscle car. They are trying to position the V6 version of the car as an efficient, modern vehicle. This may be a bit easier for them given the fact that the car’s styling is much more modern than either the Mustang or Challenger. And Ed also claimed that, like the Challenger, it will have a usable back seat.

Obviously, the Malibu is their runaway success at the moment–they continue to ramp up production to meet demand. I asked about the Cobalt and Ed said that they will soon be introducing a new powertrain to make the car even more fuel efficient, though he wouldn’t give me any more details than that. I then had to ask about Donks. "Chevy Caprice" is a top search on CarDomain, but somehow Ed hadn’t heard about Donks or High Risers. He promised to look into it.