Final Camaro Rolls Off Assembly Line

Matthew Guy
by Matthew Guy

It’s the end of the line (again) for the Chevy Camaro. According to reports, the brand has wrapped up production of the model entirely, a few weeks past its best-before date thanks to delays partially brought on by UAW strike action earlier this year.


Insiders at GMAuthority.com say their sources indicate the last Camaro was built yesterday, December 14th, bringing to a close the sixth-generation chapter of this tire smoking book. Initially, a stop build date of late November was suggested, a date which was met for convertible production but extended for assembly of the final two-door hardtop coupes. Order books for the 2024 model year closed in early September.


Company spox have been mouthing suggestions that this week’s production halt “is not the end” of the Camaro story, presumably with the company having some sort of electric vehicle bearing the same model name up its corporate sleeve. We see how such a marketing exercise has transpired for the Blazer nameplate, culminating in the spectre of an EV crossover which counts front-wheel drive as part of its planned powertrain availability. If the same configuration crops up for Camaro, you best be sure we’ll all be dusting off our acid-washed jean jackets and mullet wigs before marching on Ren Cen with haste.


Those two items are standard company issue at TTAC, by the way.*


*Wigs? No no, we mean the genuine article mullet -- Ed.


For motorsport fans wondering out loud if the likes of Chase Elliott will be piloting Malibu-branded racecars next year, fear not. Chevy has committed to running the Camaro name in multiple series for 2024, including NASCAR and IMSA. Same goes for the NHRA and the Supercars Championship. We’ll have to wait and see what’s in the hopper beyond next year. It’s a good-looking hot rod in most of its motorsport iterations, so this gearhead is feverishly hoping an equally attractive whip appears in 2025.


Through the first three quarters of this year, Chevy has moved 24,688 Camaro coupes and convertibles, a healthy jump of nearly 30 percent from the year prior. In contrast, Ford managed to sell 35,315 Mustangs, about equal to the same time frame 12 months ago, while Dodge sloughed off 35,350 Challengers (down from 42k) and 63,647 Chargers (flat). Yeah, I know the latter is a sedan but the point remains.


In any event, this leaves the Mustang as the last man standing in Detroit - at least in terms of this segment. Think there'll be any sort of a reprise beyond the expected EV aspirations?


[Image: GM]


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Matthew Guy
Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

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  • EV-Guy EV-Guy on Dec 18, 2023

    I would have liked to see an EV sports coupe in the works before Camaro ended - looks like a missed opportunity for GM to retain some market share. Electric makes sense here:

    1) Higher performance

    2) Buyers willing to pay more for that performance

    3) Less likely to be used on long trips - fast charging network less important.

    • Art_Vandelay Art_Vandelay on Dec 19, 2023

      I can’t think of a segment less likely to embrace an EV than Camaro buyers. You are more likely to get them to give up Marlboros


  • Wjtinfwb Wjtinfwb on Dec 19, 2023

    I really hope the Camaro lives on a V8 gas-fueled car and if it does have to go out, ends it's run with some type of flagship like the GT500 Mustang or the Hellcat Last Call editions. The last thing this storied model name needs is some half-baked limited range EV that can get to 60 in 3 seconds, once, then needs a 30-minute recharge. GM's new Ultium platform is causing all sorts of headaches as the below article written by an EV fan club mag shares. The 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV Left Me Stranded In Rural Virginia (msn.com)

  • Slavuta CX5 hands down. Only trunk space, where RAV4 is better.
  • Kwik_Shift_Pro4X Oof 😣 for Tesla.https://www.naturalnews.com/2024-05-03-nhtsa-probes-tesla-recall-over-autopilot-concerns.html
  • Slavuta Autonomous cars can be used by terrorists.
  • W Conrad I'm not afraid of them, but they aren't needed for everyone or everywhere. Long haul and highway driving sure, but in the city, nope.
  • Jalop1991 In a manner similar to PHEV being the correct answer, I declare RPVs to be the correct answer here.We're doing it with certain aircraft; why not with cars on the ground, using hardware and tools like Telsa's "FSD" or GM's "SuperCruise" as the base?Take the local Uber driver out of the car, and put him in a professional centralized environment from where he drives me around. The system and the individual car can have awareness as well as gates, but he's responsible for the driving.Put the tech into my car, and let me buy it as needed. I need someone else to drive me home; hit the button and voila, I've hired a driver for the moment. I don't want to drive 11 hours to my vacation spot; hire the remote pilot for that. When I get there, I have my car and he's still at his normal location, piloting cars for other people.The system would allow for driver rest period, like what's required for truckers, so I might end up with multiple people driving me to the coast. I don't care. And they don't have to be physically with me, therefore they can be way cheaper.Charge taxi-type per-mile rates. For long drives, offer per-trip rates. Offer subscriptions, including miles/hours. Whatever.(And for grins, dress the remote pilots all as Johnnie.)Start this out with big rigs. Take the trucker away from the long haul driving, and let him be there for emergencies and the short haul parts of the trip.And in a manner similar to PHEVs being discredited, I fully expect to be razzed for this brilliant idea (not unlike how Alan Kay wasn't recognized until many many years later for his Dynabook vision).
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