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It is no secret that the Chevrolet Camaro has not been selling well and it is even less of a secret that buyer trends in the American automotive world are shifting away from cars in general – particularly those which are built for high performance. According to a report from Muscle Cars and Trucks, the Camaro will be discontinued after the 2023 model year and in speaking with some insiders of our own, they provided information that supports another hiatus for the Chevy muscle car.
For those wondering, the team at Muscle Cars and Trucks has proven to have solid GM insiders in the past, so we would consider their information to be trustworthy.
Boom then Bust
When the Chevrolet Camaro returned to the company lineup in 2009 as a 2010 model year vehicle, it was a massive success. The model had been discontinued after the 2002 model year and the 8 year break led Chevy fans to rush to dealers to buy the new Camaro. As a result, Chevrolet had the bestselling muscle car every year from 2010 through 2014, but when the new Mustang and new Challenger were introduced for the 2015 model year, Camaro sales tumbled while the other two climbed on the success of the new models.
The newest Camaro debuted a year after the Mustang and Challenger, but unlike the Ford and Dodge, the Chevy did not see a big spike in sales with the new generation. In fact, sales of the sixth generation Camaro have reached modern record lows, even as the Mustang and Challenger held steady.
Some people have questioned whether Camaro sales were poor enough to lead to another discontinuation, and while sales numbers are lower now than they were from 2010 through 2014, they are still higher than numbers in the past. Based on that, I didn’t expect that General Motors would really kill the Camaro off, but with this new information, it sounds like Chevys muscle car could be going away again.
Don’t Say Goodbye To The Camaro Just Yet
So, this is pretty terrible news for Chevrolet and Camaro fans, but don’t say goodbye to the Camaro just yet. We know that the next generation Corvette will be a mid-engined machine, which creates some diversity between the two and it might create a gap in pricing. If the base C8 Corvette is considerably more expensive than the C7, it may drive some buyers to go with the less-expensive Camaro and that could help Camaro sales. If Camaro sales improve enough during the first few years of the C8, General Motors could be more interested in moving forward with the next generation muscle car.
Of course, a jump in Camaro sales doesn’t have any impact on the shift in American buying trends away from cars, nor does it have any impact on GM’s push for electric and autonomous vehicles. However, if C8 Corvette pricing rises and Camaro sales improve, the muscle car could be saved prior to the 2023 end date.
Watch 19 Stunning Shots of 2016 Chevy Camaro Exterior and Click To Subscribe To Torque News Youtube Channel for Daily Automotive News and Analysis.
See you in the next story where I have an update: Next Generation Camaro Delayed, Not Cancelled.
Patrick Rall @TheAutoBeard is the Managing Editor of Torque News. Please follow us on Twitter at @TorqueNewsAuto, Facebook and send us tips. You can also Follow Patrick on Youtube.
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Comments
I can see why Chevy Camaro is
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I can see why Chevy Camaro is ending. The 5gen Camaro was gorgeous, the 6gen was okay, but this latest refresh is ugly! I've had 3 5th gen Camaro cars. They did them a disservice with this latest refresh. Leave it alone.
Can't say I am surprised. As
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Can't say I am surprised. As a teenager who lusted after the gen 1 & 2 Camaro, these cars are more than a vehicle. They were a product of the times. Even GM's Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, and Oldsmobile divisions had competitive muscle cars. My Holy Grail is a 1969 Camaro Z-28 in hugger orange. M-22 "rock crusher" 4-speed manual transmission. My next and final is a 1970 1/2 Camaro Z-28. Its V-8 (350 cubic inches) was a very slightly detuned Corvette engine. Give me the split bumper option and call it good. I mourn what has happened to the Camaro namesake.
I was planning to get a 2019
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I was planning to get a 2019 Camaro. After I saw the changes, no way was I buying that ugly thing. Who designed it should be fired! Who approved the changes should be fired!
I suspect that the shift in
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I suspect that the shift in advertising budgets to SUVs and crossovers has more to do with the automaker's quest for more profits, rather than an actual shift in American buyer's tastes away from economy cars, sedans and sports cars. It is greed rather than need. I think that GM made a foolish mistake in killing off the Camaro previously, instead of designing and building a better car. It only gave it's competitors several years to satisfy Ponycar buyers without Chevy competition. The shame of killing off the Camaro in 2023 is simply that Chevy is doing so much right with the current Camaro. It is built on a great Chassis that is solid, but makes the Camaro notably lighter than the Mustang and Challenger. The current Camaro is a great handling car that truly can keep up with European and Japanese sport coupes as well as it's American rivals. I agree that the latest restyle of the Camaro's nose was a mistake, shown by how fast they revised it once the public weighed in. Plus Chevy hinted at an upcoming AWD/hybrid design that could provide amazing performance combined with great fuel economy. Could Chevy throw it all away in the name of better profits? Sure they could. GM has an unfortunate history of dropping cars at the very moment that they got them dialed in just right, like the Pontiac Fiero, Cadillac Allante/XLR, and the Chevy Volt.
I have always been a chevy
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I have always been a chevy guy, but when looking for a modern muscle car I went with a Challenger scat pack. The Camaro looks cartoonish, with that curved hood and weird back end. They should do a 1970 retro car and don't stray off into cartoon land this time.
Not surprised, 40% of the US
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Not surprised, 40% of the US workforce makes less than $18.50 an hour. The base Camaro is 26k. The average home costs 229k. You want people to buy a car, make it inexpensive enough for people to actually buy the car.
I wish Chevy would make a fun
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I wish Chevy would make a fun and affordable hatchback that can compete with a Ford Focus RS. The Sonic is already a fun car to drive. If they could just soup up the engine and suspension, it could be a popular car. People want smaller cars, but auto makers are getting greedy and focusing their efforts on making trucks and SUV's.
I wish Chevy would make a fun
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I wish Chevy would make a fun and affordable hatchback that can compete with a Ford Focus RS. The Sonic is already a fun car to drive. If they could just soup up the engine and suspension, it could be a popular car. People want smaller cars, but auto makers are getting greedy and focusing their efforts on making trucks and SUV's.