Chevrolet Camaro Gen Six Heads Off Into the Sunset, Collector’s Edition Confirmed

Gen Six rolled out in May 2015 for the 2016 model year with a choice of six- and eight-speed transmissions. The 8Lxx was eventually replaced by the 10Lxx in V6- and V8-engined variants. The introduction of the 10-speed automatic marks the beginning of the bitter end for the Camaro, which is going the way of the dodo next year.

There were plenty of missed opportunities on GM’s part, missed opportunities that led to the Camaro’s downfall in sales. Last year, for example, the arch nemesis of the Mustang totaled 24,652 deliveries in the United States compared to 52,414 Mustangs and 55,060 Challengers.

For starters, General Motors refused to shoehorn the dual-injected LT5 engine of the C7-generation Corvette ZR1 in the engine bay of the Camaro. It would have created a Hellcat-beating muscle car, one that would have ripped at the strip with a good set of drag radials.

GM also canned the Z/28 early in development, a track-oriented variant rumored with the flat-plane crankshaft V8 of the C8-generation Corvette Z06. It’s hard to imagine that LT6 engine in a front-engine vehicle, but then again, that’s how the rumor mill works. We also have to remember that the LT6 of the Corvette Z06 was designed with a dual-clutch transmission in mind, not the Ford-developed 10Lxx of the sixth-gen Chevy Camaro.

Gen Six production will come to a screeching halt in January 2024 because Lansing Grand River Assembly will be retooled for building electric vehicles. There is a wild rumor in regard to an electric four-door sedan featuring the Camaro nameplate, which may come to fruition given that Corvette is expected to become a standalone brand consisting of the mid-engine sports car, an electric sedan, and an electric SUV (gasp!) to boot.

The rumor could very well turn out false. General Motors recently announced a big investment for the next generation of small-block V8 engines, which are certain to be used by the C9 and full-size pickup trucks. Why not the seventh-generation Chevrolet Camaro as well? But alas, due to the lack of any concrete information, only time will tell what GM has in store for their pony car.

As expected from the final year of a performance-oriented model, Chevrolet has rolled out a Collector’s Edition package for the RS, SS, and ZL1 trim levels. Although the finer details aren’t available at press time, Chevrolet did mention that said package is a tribute to all things Camaro. It also pays tribute to the first generation thanks to a little panther in the R of the Camaro badge.

Panther was the codename used by General Motors for their Mustang-rivaling pony car, which entered production as a ’67 model. When asked by the media what Camaro actually means, general manager Pete Estes told the automotive press that it’s a small and vicious animal that eats Mustangs. On that note, the Mustang lives on to see another combustion-engined generation, the S650. Dodge, on the other hand, has reimagined the Charger as a three-door electric coupe.