2023 Marks End Of Road For Chevy Camaro, Ford Mustang’s Greatest Nemesis

Cars as we’ve known them are changing. The EV revolution is ending much-loved model lines and long-standing rivalries. While the change has been slower (and relatively less destructive) in India, it is quickly transforming the way we see and use cars in some countries in Europe and North America.

The latest victim of this silver tide of EVs and impending ICE ban is the Chevrolet Camaro, which will be gone for good (at least as an ICE muscle car) after the last sixth-gen model rolls off the line in January 2024. As a tribute, the carmaker is offering a Collector’s Package for the Camaro as well. 

Wait, what? Is it really the end of the road for the Camaro?

For now, all we know is that GM won’t revive the Camaro after the last unit rolls off the line in January 2024. In other words, there will be no seventh-generation Camaro after more than five decades of its existence, the model line is coming to an end. But is it, really? Here’s what a GM executive had to say: 

This isn’t the first time that the Camaro has been discontinued. In 2002, GM pulled the plug on the model owing to dwindling sales. But after an eight-year hiatus, GM brought back the model for its fifth generation in 2010.

So, it’s clear that the Camaro as we know it is going away, but it’s likely not the end for the “Camaro” name brand. In the future, we could see a “spiritual” successor to the Camaro, probably an electric vehicle that may or may not have a muscle car body type.

Origins story: the Mustang-Camaro rivalry 

Back in 1966, the Ford Mustang was becoming popular as a good-looking and relatively affordable sportscar for the masses. General Motors (GM), too, wanted a slice of this new niche that the Mustang had created in the sedan segment. Hence, similar to how Ford made the Mustang from the commuter-spec Falcon sedan, GM built the first-ever Camaro using parts from its ‘60s Chevy Nova.

Since then, the Camaro has thrived for six generations alongside the Mustang and Dodge Challenger – the trinity of surviving, modern-day muscle cars. The next few years will see Ford launching the 2025 Mustang and Dodge its first electric muscle car based on the Charger Daytona concept. So, why is GM killing the Camaro?

Why is the Chevy Camaro being axed? 

That’s down to two main reasons. First, the Camaro stands for big V8 power, rear-wheel drive, a loud exhaust and equally loud aesthetics. Tesla and other carmakers have already demonstrated that EVs can match V8 power, but the near-silent electric drivetrain has little to offer for loudness. In this regard, Dodge’s solution is a complex device with an amplifier and tuning chamber that the carmaker calls the “Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust.” But developing such a system requires an even bigger R&D budget for GM, which brings us to the second reason for ending the Camaro – money. 

The sixth and current-gen Camaro has been around since 2016, so it’s arguably time for GM to replace the sportscar. However, US states such as California have already set a 2035 deadline for the sale of pure ICE vehicles, making the future bleak and uncertain for IC engine development as well as ICE cars, especially for a big V8-powered muscle car such as the Camaro.

But an all-electric Camaro is expensive to develop, too. GM already has a set of cutting-edge battery packs called “Ultium”, but an EV Camaro will need a major surgery to accommodate an EV powertrain. Developing a ground-up Camaro like Dodge would be even pricier. At this time, GM is already working on multiple EVs, such as the Cadillac Lyriq, GMC Hummer EV and other Chevrolet electrics.

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The news of the Camaro’s demise will surely break the hearts of petrolheads the world over. But on the bright side, we’re excited to see what comes next from the carmaker. Discontinuations are fairly common in the car world and we hold the greatest of cars close to our hearts, carefully maintaining and keeping them going. And don’t forget, the Camaro might be going away, but the Corvette is here to stay.