Back in the '80s, we never really pined for the Camaro. It seemed like a poser muscle car (even the IROC-Z didn't float our boat). And then in the '90s, we were even less interested. The streamlined look just didn't do the Camaro name justice and looked more like a spaceship than a muscle car. The current and sixth generation Camaro finally did things right with the performance to match (finally). And now that everything (except for the interior) has been done properly, news is floating around that there will be no seventh-gen Camaro.
Word on the street is that the seventh-generation Camaro program has been "suspended." This means that when the current generation Camaro ends its life in 2022, the Camaro badge is "likely to be shelved." Though it's by no means confirmed by GM and Chevrolet, things don't look good for one of the best driving cars in the American stable. Sales are eclipsed by the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger, and the drama behind the grille change for the 2019 model didn't help matters much.
Part of the reason why the end of the Camaro may happen is that it's based on a platform that might get kicked to the curb. GM's has been working on a new modular platform known as Vehicle Set Strategy (VSS) that uses four sets for all vehicles. The new Chevy Trailblazer and Buick Encore GX are already base on the new VSS for crossovers, so the die has almost been cast.
This isn't the first time GM would be known for shelving the Camaro. The fourth-generation Camaro was canceled back in 2002 and stayed dead for seven years until the fifth-gen car arrived totally new in 2009. And the Camaro has to evolve to stay relevant. It might get some form of electrification if and when it's revived in a seventh generation that currently has no set date or confirmation of any kind.
There are few cars in the industry like the Camaro. It's powerful, has garbage ergonomics, can only really seat two people, and caters to enthusiasts and muscle car devotees almost exclusively. That's a small market segment to begin with. The Ford Mustang hangs on by a thread as the only passenger car in the Blue Oval's lineup. The Dodge Challenger is also very niche but soldiers on, as well. Even far more practical four-door sedans aren't surviving these days in the wake of the crossover and pickup truck onslaught.
The face of the auto industry is changing. Where once staple vehicles like the Ford Taurus and the Chevy Impala were entrenched, models we relied on are disappearing. The Camaro might just become another casualty of the changes taking place. Muscle cars are industry oddities, so they will have to adapt or die. Ford is exploring an electrified Mustang, even. Will the Camaro follow suit? Only time will tell.
