Photo: General Motors
Although unconfirmed, General Motors is expected to keep the sixth generation of the Camaro in production until 2026. This information comes courtesy of WhichCar, which doesn’t mention the source for this hearsay or why GM would push the pony car so far into the future.
If the hearsay proves to be true, you can expect a serious update of the ‘Maro from a visual standpoint. Refreshed in 2019 and redesigned in 2020 over lots of criticism regarding the front fascia, the pony car from Michigan has slim to no chances at all of getting hybrid or all-electric powertrains.
There are two reasons General Motors isn’t going to work its magic on the hardware, starting with sales. The Camaro moved 8,366 units in the third quarter of 2020 in the U.S., which is very disappointing compared to the 13,851 Mustangs and 16,332 Challengers sold in the same period. But more importantly, Chevrolet still uses the first generation of the Alpha platform.
Joined at the hip to the Omega vehicle architecture of the Cadillac CT6, the Alpha is rocking four-, six-, and eight-cylinder powertrains without any electrified assistance. Chevrolet isn’t inclined to further develop the Camaro because of the aforementioned sales figures, and the Alpha 2 platform utilized by Cadillac is an internal combustion engine-only affair as well.
The biggest problem, however, is how irrelevant the ‘Maro is. There are high-performance alternatives with more doors and ground clearance out there, and lest we forget, Ford has the Shelby GT500, and Dodge uses the Hellcat engine in the Challenger with more than 800 horsepower on deck.
Last, but certainly not least, the WhichCar report doesn’t match up with an older report from Muscle Cars & Trucks. To make a long story short, the biggest of the Big Three in Detroit has reportedly pulled the plug on the seventh-generation model according to “multiple sources.” Considering that the chief engineer of the Camaro heads the EV program since January 2019, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the pony car shelved.
MC&T has updated its report since it was first published, adding that “ a Camaro EV could be in the cards” even though “the seventh-generation program is no longer happening.” Reading between the lines, I can definitely see General Motors taking inspiration from the Ford Motor Company with the Mustang Mach-E to keep the nameplate relevant.
There are two reasons General Motors isn’t going to work its magic on the hardware, starting with sales. The Camaro moved 8,366 units in the third quarter of 2020 in the U.S., which is very disappointing compared to the 13,851 Mustangs and 16,332 Challengers sold in the same period. But more importantly, Chevrolet still uses the first generation of the Alpha platform.
Joined at the hip to the Omega vehicle architecture of the Cadillac CT6, the Alpha is rocking four-, six-, and eight-cylinder powertrains without any electrified assistance. Chevrolet isn’t inclined to further develop the Camaro because of the aforementioned sales figures, and the Alpha 2 platform utilized by Cadillac is an internal combustion engine-only affair as well.
The biggest problem, however, is how irrelevant the ‘Maro is. There are high-performance alternatives with more doors and ground clearance out there, and lest we forget, Ford has the Shelby GT500, and Dodge uses the Hellcat engine in the Challenger with more than 800 horsepower on deck.
Last, but certainly not least, the WhichCar report doesn’t match up with an older report from Muscle Cars & Trucks. To make a long story short, the biggest of the Big Three in Detroit has reportedly pulled the plug on the seventh-generation model according to “multiple sources.” Considering that the chief engineer of the Camaro heads the EV program since January 2019, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the pony car shelved.
MC&T has updated its report since it was first published, adding that “ a Camaro EV could be in the cards” even though “the seventh-generation program is no longer happening.” Reading between the lines, I can definitely see General Motors taking inspiration from the Ford Motor Company with the Mustang Mach-E to keep the nameplate relevant.
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