While the Ford Mustang is very much alive and well at this point – having just celebrated the arrival of a new generation in the 2024 model year – the same can’t be said for one of what has been one of the pony car’s lifelong rivals – the Chevy Camaro. GM axed the Camaro from its lineup yet again when production of that model ended back in late 2023, but most have expected it to return at some point in the future. However, a new report casts a bit of doubt on that particular notion.
According to GM Authority, a proposal for what would be the seventh-generation Chevy Camaro was reportedly “blown apart” by decision makers at General Motors recently over concerns that it simply didn’t present a strong enough business case to become a reality. The main issues with that proposal, it seems, pertain to such a model’s projected sales volume and potential profitability, which weren’t quite enough to meet expected targets. Regardless, the next-generation Chevy Camaro isn’t quite dead just yet. “It’s still in play, but the light at the end of the tunnel is now dimmer,” a source stated.
This news does come as a bit of a surprise after most have seen the eventual return of the Chevy Camaro as a foregone conclusion to this point. In fact, as Ford Authority reported just around a month ago, GM has been prioritizing affordability for that particular model, and in fact, it seems as if a successor to the discontinued sixth-generation model remains unlikely if the automaker can’t meet that particular criteria.
In the meantime, the Ford Mustang soldiers on without much competition at the moment, aside from the all-electric Dodge Charger Daytona – which can’t do a burnout, oddly enough – though Stellantis is prioritizing production of the ICE variants of that model amid strong demand.
Comments
Well I hate the design of the mustangs. I hope they either go back toward the original type design with modern touches or quit making them. They will go the way of the Camaro
While I don’t love the Camaro-like styling, it’s still a sharp car. The video game interior, however, looks terrible and has no place in retro-inspired car.
What original type design is that, would it be a sedan long hood/short deck with sporty European inspired styling? Which is you know, what the very first Mustang was. It did become a little “muscular” from ’67 to ’73 but reverted back to the original premise from ’74 on (the Fox Mustang in particular was inspired by Audi and Volkswagen platforms). The current platform (S550 part II) is following a similar trend to the original 1st gen car as it has gained more aggressive styling over S550 (which itself drew a lot from the “ubiquitous Ian Callum coupe shape” and frankly keeping with Mustang’s original intent).
GM already has a low-volume, expensive halo model in the Corvette. In a world where sporty cars are a diminishing niche, I can’t imagine a business case for the new Camaro that makes sense.
While Mark Ruess said the Corvette will always be a Chevy sub-brand, if GM moved the Corvette into a standalone premium brand and shed the low-cost entry model there could be a case for an affordable sports coupe at Chevrolet. Frankly I don’t see why GM doesn’t wrap Cadillac (which I hear is taking over Corvette development as GM fires what it sees as redundant staff with the current Corvette team) Corvette and GMC into a premium experience like say Lexus, Porsche or BMW dealerships. The Corvette really has no place at Chevrolet anymore and the Z06 and ZR1 only drive home that point since a lot of Chevy dealerships don’t want to mess with those cars. The ZR1 will be the first Corvette that will breach 200k and buyers are going into dealerships and service departments that are mostly predicated on a low buck experience in the way they sell and treat their customers.
GM is still using the Camaro body in several racing series, most notably NASCAR. At some point one would expect NASCAR to force GM to use something that at least resembles an actual production body. However, NASCAR rules have always favored GM so it wouldn’t surprised me if they let GM run the Camaro for the next ten years. I also wouldn’t be at all shocked if NASCAR lets them use the Corvette name and decals.
If gm would listen to the customer it might be profitable
They did and GM fans got the 6th gen Camaro which the base soundly rejected.