It is the reflection of the quintessential American sports car,
an icon of muscle cars that captivated the entire world during its 57 years of life
, becoming one of the quintessential aspirational cars among lovers of power and speed.
That is why it is not surprising that the news has fallen like a bucket of cold water for locals and strangers:
General Motors
took over the rumors and confirmed that at the beginning of 2024 it will stop producing the
Chevrolet Camaro
to make room for new products in its portfolio. .
The news makes sense if one considers that GM is in the midst of a transition process:
it seeks to reach 2035 with a 100% electric catalogue
, a goal that clearly clashes with the huge V8 combustion engines of the Camaro, which then becomes an obstacle in that way.
Chevrolet Camaro.
But it's also a business issue: while the Camaro is doing well in competitive sports -- it's one of NASCAR's great cheerleaders, for example -- that's not reflected in sales, which year after year show a downward trend, moving away from the figures that
led it to total more than 6 million units sold in its rich history at dealerships.
Chevrolet Camaro SS.
Indeed, in 2022 GM registered the sale of 24,652 Camaros, a figure that, although it is slightly higher than the 21,893 of the previous year, can in no way be compared with the 72,705 units sold in 2016, when the sixth generation of the Camaro was released. product.
As reported by the company,
the last copy of this sixth generation of the Chevrolet Camaro will leave the Lansing plant in Michigan, United States, next January
.
And to put the finishing touch to this story, it will launch a collector's edition in many of its versions, including the top-of-the-range ZL1.
Carmen Electra at the presentation of the fifth generation concept at the Detroit Motor Show in 2007.
What happens next is unknown, because GM quickly made it clear that this cessation of production does not necessarily mean that the company will forever part with a trademark like this muscle car.
"While we are not announcing an immediate successor today, please be assured that this will not be the end of the Camaro story," Chevrolet Vice President Scott Bell said in a statement.
The Camaro has 57 years of history.
Whether that means a new generation of the Camaro in the coming years –electric, perhaps?–, or that they are indeed preparing a new launch to continue their legacy, remains to be seen.
Even GM spokesman Trevor Thompkins didn't comment on the company's plans for the Camaro.
“At the moment we are not saying anything specific,” he commented.
Chevrolet Camaro: living history
With the help of many film and television appearances,
the Chevrolet Camaro became one of the most recognizable sports cars on the planet
almost from its launch in 1966, when General Motors aimed to take a piece of the success it was garnering over the years. then the Ford Mustang.
1966 Chevrolet Camaro, first generation.
Based on the Chevrolet Nova platform, and sharing many components from other products in the GM catalog,
the Camaro has always stood out for its mechanical offer,
which included an inline 6-cylinder engine up to a V8 with maximum power and performance.
For this reason, available with a coupe or convertible body, it initially had three variants: the base one;
the Camaro RS, with some mainly aesthetic modifications;
and the most radical SS, or Super Sport, where they put all the meat on the grill, reaching up to 375 CV –which would later be surpassed by new versions–.
1970 Chevrolet Camaro, second generation.
Over the years and decades, the Camaro has undergone several design and performance modifications.
In fact, one of the first obstacles it had to overcome was the change in logic –and the restrictions that began to be imposed– in fuel consumption after the oil crisis of the 1970s, to which GM responded with lighter variants. And small.
The days of consuming 20 liters per 100 km were a thing of the past.
To the increasingly pressing regulations, in the 80s was added the landing in the United States of Japanese sports cars and all the noise they generated, which motivated the design of a new generation of the Camaro, still muscular and aggressive, although definitely more stylish. .
1982 Chevrolet Camaro, third generation.
It was the framework, however, so that they also made more controversial decisions, such as the use of the 90 hp 2.5 four-cylinder engine,
considered by many to be the worst muscle car in history.
The 1990s found Chevrolet renewing the Camaro identity once again, in tune with market trends and building on the momentum of another of its successes, the Corvette.
To the point that the new edition of his quintessential American car mounted the same 5.7 V8 as the supercar, to which he added an even more rounded aesthetic and in tune with the Asian competition.
1993 Chevrolet Camaro, fourth generation.
The 21st century began with news similar to what was known today:
Chevrolet discontinued the Camaro in 2002
, abandoning the muscle car segment to focus its production on the high demand for SUVs.
2010 Chevrolet Camaro, fifth generation.
It was 7 years later, and with the impulse of the cinema again -it was the success of "Transformers", on time-, the Camaro returned to the ring, but with a return to the basics: behind were its days of seeking to compare itself with what it others did and in its fifth generation it showed a retro look, full of nods to the past and assuming its role as a huge and powerful American car.
Presentation in 2016 of the sixth generation, the current one.
That was also the premise for its sixth and last generation, the one launched in 2016: more aggressive and sharper but without losing extreme sportiness, with a lower and wider silhouette than its predecessor, powerful V8 engines and latest generation
technology
.
Several versions are or were on the market of this sixth Camaro, including the SS, with a 6.2-liter V8 engine, and the even more radical ZL1, which mounts a supercharged block that far exceeds it in delivered power: from 461 to 658 hp.
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