Photo: Chevrolet
The failed joint venture with AvtoVAZ was the last hurrah of General Motors in Russia, and the biggest of the Big Three in Detroit still hasn’t cracked this market. As a matter of fact, Chevy has just phased out the Camaro in this part of the world.
This leaves the Traverse crossover and Tahoe body-on-frame utility vehicle as the only Chevrolet nameplates available in Russia, and both are pretty niche given the purchasing power of the average car buyer. According to sales figures for 2019, the best-selling utility vehicles in this market are the Hyundai Creta and Renault Duster.
While on the subject of sales, care to guess how many ‘Maro units were moved from January to October 2020? According to the AEB – a.k.a. the Automobile Manufacturers Committee - make that 42 examples of the breed. The golden bowtie isn’t doing too hot in the United States either because the Camaro lags behind the Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang in the first three quarters of the year.
Another reason the pony car was bound to fail in Russia is the choice of engines, namely the 2.0-liter turbo and nothing else. Adding insult to injury, it’s detuned from 275 to 238 horsepower while the torque rating stays put at 295 pound-feet (400 Nm).
Last, but certainly not least, pricing. At 3 million rubles or more than $39,000 right off the bat, the Camaro is within the reach of very few people. Chevy tried to drive sales by offering two special editions of the American pony car based on the 2.0-liter model with second-rate performance figures, but that didn’t work as intended either.
But wait, there’s more! “Multiple sources” told Muscle Cars & Trucks that “the nameplate will likely be shelved once again after 2023.” General Motors hasn’t confirmed the report to this day, but pulling the plug on the seventh generation shouldn’t come as a surprise given how much money will be spent on electrification in the coming years.
Happily, however, Ford and Dodge aren’t prepared to abandon this segment. The Blue Oval will roll out the S650 in 2022 and FCA has confirmed three more variants of the Challenger and Charger before the next-gen models roll out with hybridized transmissions.
While on the subject of sales, care to guess how many ‘Maro units were moved from January to October 2020? According to the AEB – a.k.a. the Automobile Manufacturers Committee - make that 42 examples of the breed. The golden bowtie isn’t doing too hot in the United States either because the Camaro lags behind the Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang in the first three quarters of the year.
Another reason the pony car was bound to fail in Russia is the choice of engines, namely the 2.0-liter turbo and nothing else. Adding insult to injury, it’s detuned from 275 to 238 horsepower while the torque rating stays put at 295 pound-feet (400 Nm).
Last, but certainly not least, pricing. At 3 million rubles or more than $39,000 right off the bat, the Camaro is within the reach of very few people. Chevy tried to drive sales by offering two special editions of the American pony car based on the 2.0-liter model with second-rate performance figures, but that didn’t work as intended either.
But wait, there’s more! “Multiple sources” told Muscle Cars & Trucks that “the nameplate will likely be shelved once again after 2023.” General Motors hasn’t confirmed the report to this day, but pulling the plug on the seventh generation shouldn’t come as a surprise given how much money will be spent on electrification in the coming years.
Happily, however, Ford and Dodge aren’t prepared to abandon this segment. The Blue Oval will roll out the S650 in 2022 and FCA has confirmed three more variants of the Challenger and Charger before the next-gen models roll out with hybridized transmissions.
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