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Chevrolet Camaro.

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Chevrolet Camaro illustration.
Chevrolet Camaro illustration.
Chevrolet Camaro illustration.

The Chevrolet Camaro is gone, but not for long.

When we said goodbye to the 4th generation in 2002, most of us thought that was the end of Chevrolet’s affordable sports coupe. But in 2006, GM showed a great-looking concept based on the 1st generation design. It went into production in 2009 to become the 5th generation Camaro.

The 6th generation was just a remake of the 5th one. Something Bob Lutz has commented on by saying this: “The Camaro, an even better car, sinks into quasi-irrelevance. You can’t tell it from the previous one. ‘The same as before, only smaller’ has never been a winning formula in a fashion-conscious segment. The current Camaro, although fabulous, missed the mark.”

We already know a 7th generation will probably see new body styles like a sedan and especially an SUV. But the coupe and convertible are also rumored to be part of the next Camaro family. All of these cars will be based on GM’s Ultium platform or a future revised version of it.

As far as the design, I think the Camaro should “go retro” once more. The first illustration above shows an obvious sleeker redesign based on the 6th generation and the first one. Which would be the easy way.

The second illustration shows what a retro-futuristic design based on the 4th or 4th generation could look like. With the return of the fastback and huge glass rear hatch. Which I personally think would be really nice and would compete well against the upcoming Dodge Dharger EV since it will also be a hatchback. The 3rd illustration shows a more futuristic design with very little inspiration from past generations. Which could also be a possibility.

I really hope we hear more about the next Camaro and where GM’s design is heading soon. There are so many great possibilities. But also so many ways to mess things up…

Which one do you prefer among the illustrations above?

Conversation 26 comments

  1. Wow, I have to say that the 2nd pic looks way better than I could have imagined a 4th-gen inspired design could look like. It looks REALLY good.
    But then again, so does the first car (which would be a continuation of the 6th-gen design). The problem with retro styling like with the 2nd car is that at some point people get sick of it and it tends to not age very well. The nostalgia for 80s/90s design was super hot a couple of years ago, and that continues into 2024, but by the time a new Camaro comes out, will people still want retro? Who knows, but GM has never been good at timing market trends – they just take way too long to react to change. That’s why the 1st car is equally as good looking and might be a safer bet for an upcoming Camaro.

  2. Definitely the first one, looks much more elegant to me. Kind of Audi-esque. I like more contemporary and smooth flowing designs these days.

  3. I think all 3 muscle cars look better when they look back at older designs. Even the new Mustang cannot get rid of some cues from the retro inspired 2006 model. And the new 2025 Charger is obviously a call back to the great 1960s and early 70s designs.

  4. I’m just trying to figure out what the true difference between a Blazer SS EV and Camaro SUV EV would be.

  5. all these drawings are pipe dreams from designers who have nothing else to do while waiting for the time to leave work, thy will never happen. people love shoe box styled SUV, sports uility vans.

  7. An unpopular to admit flaw of the 6th’s planning: Aimed at a Millennial generation that disdains the blue-collar roots regardless of styling or BMW-snob engineering.

  8. An unpopular to admit flaw of the 6th’s planning: Aimed at Millennials that disdain the blue-collar roots, regardless of styling or BMW-snob engineering.

  9. Definitely The First Version. The Last Two Are Butt Ugly… It Needs to Be Sleek, Sporty, and Attractive. Modern and Forward Looking. There Are Several Concepts Out There, That Would Be Absolutely Awesome to Bring to Life. Be Bold. Don’t Be Afraid to Challenge Porsche, Lamborghini or Ferrari In Looks.
    Do It!!!

  10. The first design with fastback huge rear window and retro features is my favorite…Also, I read about bringing the Impala nameplate back for 2025, showing similar drawings to the first design listed here…whatever happens, I like to see both models return to the original advertisement from the 50s and 60s, ” Apple Pie and Chevrolet in the USA”…Chevrolet was a staple that everyone could associate with…

  13. Just stop already. The only car that has any retro muscle car appeal was the Challenger. Ford mustank looks hideous, Camaro is getting farther away and dodge screwed the pooch with a four door sedan charger. Either make it actually look Retro, advertise them as cheap knockoffs, or just discontinue production. Nothing will ever compare to the looks of classic American muscle cars.

  15. I like the first one! But it need to get some the exotic treatments of the GT and McClaren

  16. The first pic definitely looks like where today’s Camaro could progress too. The sec pic looks like a retro 4th gen Camaro. I Like the lines on both of these. The 3rd pic is absolutely horrible! Ugly front end!! If this is where the Camaro is heading just leave it dead instead!

  17. They have to get rid of Barra. How long does it take to see the winning Challenger effect. I owned a ’17 camaro it was simply too small very uncomfortable. Style must be functional not just compact. You can just focus on trucks that are unrelisble when other automakers’ coups and sedans are on a rampage. Barra is just buildung a scrap yard.

  18. The other commentors that said “get rid of Barra” are right as rain. No one with any common sense who understands the historical lineage of this iconic American musclecar is going to buy it in an EV. The whole thrill and persona of this car is its audible bliss and power of its roaring V8 engine. GM must be hoping to lose money.

  21. Ok, I have a 2012 Camaro SS RS convertible, in my opinion the 69 was the best looking Camaro ever built. The 1970 was 2nd in line.
    The 5 gen did a nice job with the retro look. But like “woods” said , the challenger takes the prize when it comes to bringing back that muscle car look. Although I’m not dodge person. Scrap all the Camaros from the 90s and try to bring it back, absolute rubbish!

  22. I just wanted to add and answer to the original question and fix a couple of typos from my previous comment.
    1) the first rendering is the only one out the three that has a chance, the other 2 look like the futuristic looking cars that dealers were building in the 80s and 90s , all rubbish!
    2) I mean stop ” trying” to bring back a generation of the 90s or 80s as a retro, they were terrible to begin with and they had no muscle, is muslce the point.
    Also , I’m not sure what I think about an SUV.
    You either want a muscle sports car or an SUV , you can’t retro and SUV.
    Although I think Ford did and ok job bringing back the bronco, but what is with these tiny engines ? A 3 cylinder 1.5 liter turbo, really? Junk! Put in a 351cu twin turbo, like they teased about years ago.
    I had a ‘1979 when only a 2 door was an option in a bronco, they would have created an absolute killer gold mine if they used the body lines from the 1979 version. These new 4 door Broncos basically look like a jeep.

  24. The first pic looks the best. If they are going EV with the next Camaro just forget about it. C

  25. As of 2024 the Camaro is no more. There is no new generation in the works. There won’t be one this time. GM realizes they don’t sell.

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