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The new Camaro is in a pathetic state. Chevy has given up on it. There is nothing really new to say about it, so they’re making a huge deal about some new colors. And numerous auto sites are actually running with this “news.” But the only real news about the 2022 Camaro is that it exists at all.

The Camaro brand is priceless except when there is poor stewardship

2022 Chevy Camaro in new Vivid Orange color
2022 Chevy Camaro | GM

For such a legendary brand, Chevy sure is giving it little to honor that legacy. Rather than adding some compelling options, it is taking many away in an effort “based on customer demand.” Especially disappointing is the elimination of the 1LE packages, and both the turbo-four cylinder and V6 optional engines. 

Oh, and Chevy has killed the Wild Cherry and the Shock & Steel design packages because, well, they weren’t much to rave about in the first place. But the big news is that “Shock Yellow” and the Wild Cherry Tintcoat remain. That’s some news.

So with nothing left Chevy is raving about new colors. Some sites are exclaiming, “We get to see a 2022 Chevy Camaro wearing the new Vivid Orange Metallic hue.” Like it gets the first look at a twin-engine Camaro for the first time. Wow!

New colors are all that’s left to hype for the 2022 Camaro

2022 Chevy Camaro pace car in blue
The Corvette-exclusive Rapid Blue color is featured on Camaro and will make its debut as an available option on the 2022 Camaro | HHP/Harold Hinson

But wait. There is actually a second new color for a total of two-yes two new colors! Since there is nothing to say, pundits are giving the lowdown of everything there is to know about said new color. It’s called “Rapid Blue.”

The background is that it was first made public at the 2021 Daytona 500. Gee, that’s some story. And not only that, but it is available on the C8 Corvette. And for those that don’t remember, it was a summertime color option on the 1968 Ford Mustang. So there’s that. 

In all this is a dreadful sendoff for such a storied Chevy brand. There just isn’t enough staff, budget, or stamina left at GM to warrant any dignified take on the last of the Camaros. But for years it represented what Chevy Performance really was.

The real performance Chevy was not the Corvette but the Camaro

1969 Camaro in Hugger Orange
1969 Camaro | GM

Many think it was and is the Corvette. But the Corvette has always been a compromise. For years the independent rear end was a weak link for serious track runs or drag racing. And for many years the smogged, detuned V8 was a joke. Plus, it only seats two people. 

The Camaro was a car you could race, wrench, wreck, and still take the family out for Puffy Tacos on a Friday night. And it held records in Trans Am, drag racing, Pikes Peak, and more. Chevy even gave up on it for a few years only adding to its inevitable dance with bankruptcy. 

Building a recognizable brand is priceless. Just ask Coca-Cola and Disney. But it takes work and superior stewardship. Squandering that brand establishment is a serious waste and a mark of poor corporate decisions. Camaro deserves better.

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