End Near for Chevy Camaro — and Perhaps New Beginning
General Motors will end production on the current generation of the Chevrolet Camaro early next year. What’s next for the iconic muscle car? It’s not clear yet, but GM has hinted that the Camaro nameplate could return at some point.
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The Camaro’s sixth generation debuted for the 2016 model year and will wrap up after the 2024 model year, which begins production this summer. Over this period, the Camaro has moved more than 800,000 units in the U.S., although sales have declined in recent years. The Camaro is also a mainstay in NASCAR, NHRA, and many other racing series.
“As we prepare to say goodbye to the current-generation Camaro, it is difficult to overstate our gratitude to every Camaro customer, Camaro assembly-line employee, and race fan,” said Scott Bell, the vice president of Global Chevrolet.
To mark the end of the Camaro’s run, Chevy will offer a Collector’s Edition package that can be applied to RS, SS, and certain ZL1 trims. Chevy hasn’t yet released information on what the Collector’s Edition package will include, but it’s expected to pay tribute to the first-generation Camaro that went on sale in 1966.
Photo: Chevrolet
The Camaro joined the Chevrolet lineup for the 1967 model year and went through four generations before it was phased out after the 2002 model year. It then returned for a fully redesigned fifth generation in 2009.
The sixth-generation Camaro lineup showcases the ultra-powerful ZL1 — the most powerful production Camaro ever, thanks to a 650-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine. Also available are a 455-horsepower V8, a 335-horsepower V6, and a 275-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo. The Camaro is available as a coupe or a convertible and boasts a wide range of performance upgrades and custom appearance packages.
The end of the sixth-generation Camaro doesn’t mean the Camaro name is going away altogether. “While we are not announcing an immediate successor today, rest assured, this is not the end of Camaro’s story,” Bell said last month.
It’s possible that the Camaro could reappear as an electrified model. Chevrolet is transitioning to an all-electric lineup, and upcoming models like the Blazer EV SS and the Corvette E-Ray indicate that high-performance vehicles will continue to play a key role in Chevy’s future.
A longtime editor/writer and recently transplanted Hoosier, Caleb Cook lives in Xenia, Ohio. His favorite activities are reading and listening to music, although he occasionally emerges from the heap of books and vinyl records in his basement to stand blinking in the sunlight. Once fully acclimated to the outside world again, he can be observed hanging out with his wife, attempting a new recipe in the kitchen, attending movies, walking the dog, or wandering into a local brewery to inquire about what’s on tap. See more articles by Caleb.