R.I.P: The Chevy Camaro Is Dying a Slow Death
The Camaro lived a long and healthy life as a muscle car. Unfortunately, the Chevy Camaro appears to be on its way out, suffering a lack of interest from both buyers and designers at GM. How are the sales numbers in 2021 compared to 2020, and is there any hope for this once-loved sedan?
Recent Chevy Camaro sales by the numbers
According to the year-end sales numbers released by GM, Chevy only sold 29,777 units of the Camaro in 2020. The heydey for the Camaro was back in 2014, with 86,297 units sold. In 2019, the sports car still sold an acceptable 48,266 units. Between 2020 and 2019, that’s a 38.3% change over one year.
In worse news, the entire Chevy brand fell 11.2% year over year. Other GM brands fell as well. Buick was down 21.4%, Cadillac down 17.1%, and GMC 8.8%. GM fell 11.8% overall for the year, selling 2,547,339 units in 2020 down from 2,887,046 units in 2019.
Recently, Muscle Cars & Trucks reported that the Camaro might not be in the lineup much longer. It has been rumored that an electric Camaro might replace the current gasoline-powered version in 2024. But for now, the news remains dismal. There is a 2022 Camaro slated for release sometime in early next year, but even that looks dismal.
What’s next for the Chevy Camaro?
Publications rumored that a limited “heritage” edition of the 2024 Chevrolet Camaro would be coming out. It might be labeled as a Collector’s Edition and would be limited to 2,000 units. While that might seem like a smart move, it also seems like a sad end to the Camaro heydey. If this did happen, it would be limited to a bright yellow color. Perhaps a final move to revisit the Transformers Bumblebee Camaro fan base.
Muscle Cars & Trucks says some reports claim the 2024 Camaro would get a 650 hp LT4 V8. These horsepower numbers would match the power of the new Blackwing Cadillac CT5-V, which is built in the same factory. Another source, Lethal Garage, claims the Camaro would get 670 hp in a nod to the original 1967 Camaro. All of this is just conjecture for now until Chevrolet decides to comment further.
According to the sales numbers for the first part of the year, Chevy sold under 10,000 Camaros. That likely won’t break last year’s record of 29,000. There isn’t much news about the 2022 Camaro yet, except it is delayed like many other cars. The 1LE is also only getting one powertrain option.
Distance makes the heart grow fonder, even with cars
Buyers seem to be keen on the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger over the Camaro these days. Perhaps while there is a ruthless charge toward electric vehicles, it is time for the Camaro to take a break. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, so perhaps sales would be more robust if the Chevy Camaro went away for a few years.
Chevrolet halted production of the Camaro back in March due to supply chain issues. Many automakers reduced production on slower-selling vehicles to keep output up on other models. For now, it seems that the Chevy Camaro will be seeing the sedan graveyard sooner than later.
