First off, in the interest of full disclosure, we don’t know any more about the fate of the 7th generation Chevy Camaro than most online psychics. The only people that do know, at GM, have a habit of saying almost nothing about anything future product related. But speculation is fun. It was a great chance to have our friend, vehicle designer Micheal Castiglione, sketch up what he thought a 7th gen Camaro could look like in this age of MPG-driven aerodynamics. You can see more of Castiglione’s rendering artwork HERE. He does the Week To Wicked art, so check him out.
That said, it’s starting to look like 2023 will be a repeat of the year 2002 for the Camaro and its legion of fans. Those that remember the dark days of ’02, when the 4th gen Camaro ceased production with no replacement in sight, will get a serious case of deja vu soon when history looks to repeat itself. From everything we heard swirling in the rumor mill, initial work on the 7th gen Camaro at GM has ceased with the teams being assigned to stretch out the 6th gen’s shelf life (like adding new paint colors).
It’s not all bad news, though. Chevrolet is adding an LT1 model to the Camaro lineup, which will give cheaper V-8 power to the masses. Yep, where you used to have to get the SS package to gain a V-8, you can now do that with the less expensive trim package. For 2020 Chevy also ditched the front nose treatment that was reviled by just about everyone. There are also still strong rumors swirling about a 6th generation Z/28 variant.
Still, that doesn’t help us after 2023 when the flowchart ends for the 6th gen Camaro. When the 5th gen debuted for the 2010 model year, sales went through the roof, but since then sales have been trending steadily downward.
However, the main factor that will kill the 6th gen will be the end of GM’s Alpha platform, which the Camaro rides on. Newer designs, such as the Cadillac CT4 and CT5 use the A2XX platform, which we can assume would have been the basis for the 7th gen Camaro, as well. Add in that the Camaro’s biggest proponent at GM, its chief engineer Al Oppenheiser, was reassigned to the electric car team, and it’s easy to see why Camaro fans are feeling hopeless. One could also opine that this hints at an eventual electric Camaro.
Still, GM has never stated the Camaro is dead, just delayed, so most likely we will just be facing another hiatus like we did between the 4th and 5th generation cars. This seems more likely since the Camaro nameplate is one of GM’s more valuable brands and the car’s following is legion. We can only hope for a 7th generation of Camaro, but it looks unlikely until 2025 or 2026 at the earliest. But then again, Camaro fans have shown a propensity toward patience. Besides, it might be worth the wait.