Rumor: Chevrolet to Kill Off the Camaro After 2023?
Photo: GM
The Camaro has been a near-constant fixture of the Chevrolet lineup since 1967, having only taken a brief sabbatical from 2002-2009. Despite being so synonymous with Chevy performance, it appears that the muscle car may be looking at another temporary layoff before entering its next generation — if not its potential demise.
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An article from MotorTrend this month suggests that Chevrolet could kill off the Camaro at the end of the sixth generation. Last June, rumors suggested Chevrolet canceled next-generation Camaro development. Those rumors were later adjusted to suggest that it was only being delayed indefinitely. According to MT, the team that would be working on the seventh-gen Camaro is instead working on extending the lifespan of the sixth-gen.
The terminus point for the current-generation Chevrolet Camaro appears to be 2023. General Motors will kill off its Alpha platform, which is what the Camaro rides on. Per MotorTrend, Chevy likely wouldn’t roll out a next-gen Camaro on a new platform until 2025 or 2026. While this doesn’t seem to spell out the Camaro’s absolute death, MotorTrend notes that “signs point to Chevy fundamentally altering or killing the Camaro off entirely.”
Could the Camaro go electric?
Riding on a new platform like the A2XX, which underpins the Cadillac CT4 and CT5, could constitute such a fundamental change. It’s also noted that while former Chevrolet Camaro chief engineer Al Oppenheiser moving into the role of head of EV development leaves the nameplate without one of its strongest advocates, it could potentially lead to the creation of a fully electric Camaro down the line.
Whatever the future holds for the seventh-generation Camaro, the sixth-gen version has plenty of legs left underneath it. Chevrolet is rolling out four new packages for 2021, giving drivers plenty of reasons to check it out. The exceedingly powerful Z/28 is also rumored to be making its long-awaited comeback sometime in the near future.
And even if Chevrolet bids adieu to the Camaro after 2023, it likely wouldn’t kill it off for very long. When brand cachet is an automaker’s best friend, a name like Camaro is too powerful to let lie dormant like some slumbering Elder God.
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Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.