Ouch: Camaro Rates Only 4-Stars In Crash Testing

Normally, when a new car comes out it's a given that it will achieve 5-Star safety ratings (at least for the front end collision). In fact, it has become so commonplace that NHSTA is increasing the standard for model year 2011, giving automakers an even higher mark to hit - something I think in the name of safety is a good policy to implement.

That's why it comes as a disappointment that the new Chevrolet Camaro only got a 4-star rating in the front end collision. In comparison to it's rival the super-safe 5-star rated Ford Mustang it isn't a good thing to have on your specifications list in a culture that pays attention to these ratings.

Of course the rating is not going to matter to hardcore enthusiasts of the Camaro, but GM has talked of expanding the Camaro to be a core volume model. I think that's attainable too, with it's good looks, low price and impressive fuel economy numbers.

This needs to be fixed though (and I'm confident it will pretty soon) to help the Camaro expand outside it's usual base of interest. GM hasn't responded yet; when things like this sort have happened before usually the NHSTA enables the company to make some changes and do a retest. We'll see how that works out!