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GM Lansing Grand River Gears Up for EV Production, Camaro’s Future Is Uncertain

Towards the end of 2018, the chief engineer of the Camaro was elevated to head honcho of the EV program. Al Oppenheiser, therefore, is the big kahuna for all things BEV, including the Chevrolet Bolt EUV and full-size electric pickup trucks.
Chevrolet eCOPO Camaro Concept 7 photos
Photo: Chevrolet
Chevrolet eCOPO Camaro conceptChevrolet eCOPO Camaro conceptChevrolet eCOPO Camaro concept2019 COPO Camaro2019 COPO Camaro2019 COPO Camaro, 2019 eCOPO Camaro, 1969 COPO Camaro
Half a year after General Motors announced this change of roles, “multiple sources” told Muscle Cars & Trucks that the biggest of the Big Three in Detroit canceled the Gen 7 Camaro program. “The nameplate will likely be shelved once again after 2023,” they said, but the Golden Bowtie has yet to confirm or deny their statement.

Adding fuel to the fire, Automotive News understands that the Grand River assembly plant in Lansing, Michigan will be retooled for BEV production. The first vehicles with all-electric propulsion are said to roll out as early as 2024, coinciding with the Camaro’s demise mentioned in the previous paragraph. Intriguing, isn’t it?

Along with the Camaro, the CT4 and CT5 luxury sedans from Cadillac are also facing an uncertain future. Automotive News believes that both may go electric, but that doesn’t sound feasible considering the Alpha vehicle architecture of the two models. The Alpha also underpins the Camaro Gen 6, the ATS, as well as the CTS.

Electric Cadillacs feature a different naming convention as well, ending in -iq instead of starting with CT- like the aforementioned sedans. The Lyriq and Celestiq will both feature the BEV3 vehicle architecture, designed around Ultium battery technology for front-, rear-, and all-wheel-drive applications for all GM brands.

Don’t, however, bid farewell to the Camaro just yet. The eCOPO concept may serve as a preview of the pony car’s next incarnation if Chevrolet can make a business case for an e-sports car, and lest we forget, General Motors teased a short-deck coupe at the EV Day media event earlier this year. An electric Camaro, therefore, shouldn't be ruled out.

On an ending note, “the product cadence of our evolving EV portfolio” from General Motors’ 2019 Sustainability Report doesn’t mention a thing about the pony car, leaving us only with speculation for the time being. The Chevy survey with hybrid assistance for the 2.0- and 6.2-liter Camaro from two years ago? Yeah, that didn’t bear fruit either.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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