The Chevrolet Camaro bowed out of production late last year, but the nameplate isn't being retired.
A new seventh-generation Camaro is planned, and General Motors President Mark Reuss spilled some details in an interview with Motor Trend published last week.
Reuss, whose first car was a 1967 Camaro, said he wants the next generation to return to its roots of being a fun and affordable car with sporty dynamics to help it appeal to a wider audience. This would be in contrast to the steep upward trajectory in performance for the Camaro over the past two generations, culminating with the 650-hp ZL1 of the sixth-generation car.
Reuss also said he wants the car to be an electric vehicle based on GM's flexible Ultium EV platform and battery technology set. He said its base price could match the $34,995 base price of Chevy's Equinox EV. That's slightly higher than the base price of the sixth-generation Camaro in its final year, but with incentives, some buyers could drive away with a car costing less than $30,000.
GM president Mark Reuss announcing Detroit-Hamtramck EV investment
But adopting the Ultium platform will result in delays, which may be the reason Chevy hasn't said when the new Camaro will arrive. Reuss in his interview with Motor Trend said GM still needs to further scale up battery production. There are plenty of high-priority Ultium-based EVs that need batteries right now, such as Chevy's Silverado EV and the related GMC Sierra EV, plus a new Chevy Bolt EV arriving in the next 12-18 months and multiple electric Cadillacs.
Reuss didn't say whether the Camaro will still be a coupe (and convertible) for its next generation. There have been rumors of the nameplate returning as a sedan or possibly even a crossover akin to the Mustang Mach-E. Though hardcore fans may dismiss the change, shaking things up may be good for a nameplate whose annual sales in recent years averaged less than 30,000 units.
Reuss' comments come shortly after Ford CEO Jim Farley said he never wants to turn the Mustang into an EV. He also said he wants to keep the V-8 in the Mustang for as long as possible. The V-8 was dropped from the Charger for its 2024 redesign, and based on Reuss' comments it will likely never return to the Camaro as well.
