GENERAL Motors has opened up about the end of its Chevrolet Camaro car.
It is now official that production of the sixth-generation Camaro will cease next January, that fate having long been anticipated.
The confirmation is bad news for Supercars, having only just begun its Gen3 era in which more than half the grid is running Camaros, although championship CEO Shane Howard has committed to the model until the end of 2025.
The Camaro nameplate may yet live on, but it is widely believed that will happen in the form of an electric-powered SUV – a far cry from the traditional petrol sports car.
Pressed on why the decision has been taken, a GM spokesperson told V8 Sleuth: “At the conclusion of model year 2024, the sixth-generation Camaro will have completed a strong nine-year lifecycle.
“Chevrolet made the decision now as a part of continuously evaluating our portfolio offerings for progress toward our EV future and sales demand.”
While not hiding from its grand plans surrounding electrification, no successor to the Camaro is being announced at this stage.
“GM has previously announced plans to transition to an all-electric portfolio in the future and has continued to introduce EVs across our brands over recent years,” said the spokesperson.
“But we aren’t making any EV announcements at this time.”
The news won’t affect the Chevrolet Racing portfolio in the very short term, at least.
“There will be no immediate impact on our racing program,” the spokesperson added.
“We will continue to use Camaro for the foreseeable future. The plan includes Camaro.
“You’ll see no changes in 2023. We will continue to race Camaro this year in all the series in which we currently compete with Camaro, including NASCAR and NHRA.
“We plan to continue racing Camaro in Supercars for the foreseeable future.”
Supercars has promoted its Gen3 project as hybrid-ready, although no firm plan has been conveyed on the introduction of such technology.
Founded in 1911, Chevrolet debuted its first-generation Camaro in the ‘60s.
Contrary to Chevrolet’s approach, Ford has openly spoken of its desire to stick with internal combustion engines in motorsport over electrification/hybridisation.
The Blue Oval launched its seventh-generation S650 Mustang range last September.
