Say Goodbye to the Camaro.

[cb_13]

Ford and FCA are better at bringing retro back - but the Bronco is an SUV,

The original Bronco was also an SUV

 

[cb_13]

You mean the boomers that finally got their millennials out of the basement.

Millennials are 40 now so they would be those 40-50 year olds.

 

[Wylie6G72]

Had a 2011 V6 RS convertible. Good looking cars before the multiple facelifts which got worse every time. Dubious build quality and a troublesome roof, but it was fun to drive and easy to maintain. Traded it for a 2018 Mustang convertible, which has been far less troublesome. But that's kind of apples to oranges, because I'm not comparing the 2011 Camaro to a 2011 Mustang, of which I have no knowledge. Sad to see it go away again, but rest assured that name plate will be back, most likely on a whining SUV.

 

[4WD]

The Car Pro said he’s been told it will be back …

Gee - Reckon it will be electrifying ?

 

[Shel_B]

Never mind ...

 

[nthach]

The original Bronco was also an SUV

Totally forgot about that.

It’s a shame GM didn’t bring the Blazer back as a Colorado-based SUV. Instead, it’s a cute-ute.

 

[Cujet]

Introducing the 2026 Camaro SS-E.

Fully featured, with available triple motor AWD, Ultium pouch cell 64KWh battery packs and 211 mile range at 40MPH.

 

[userfriendly]

Totally forgot about that.

It’s a shame GM didn’t bring the Blazer back as a Colorado-based SUV. Instead, it’s a cute-ute.

True, but GM had to build what sells. Dealer inventory in Canada for the Blazer, Acadia and others on the same platform from Cadillac and Buick are less than the time it takes for them to roll off the truck and dealer prep.
Gone are most of the sales staff from dealerships. The sales manager and finance department handle most of the transactions now.
There's talk about putting the 2.7L "truck" engine in the Blazer & Acadia, side saddle with the 9 speed.

 

[userfriendly]

Introducing the 2026 Camaro SS-E.

Fully featured, with available triple motor AWD, Ultium pouch cell 64KWh battery packs and 211 mile range at 40MPH.

Looks like it has a Canadian Ham Radio operators license plate. VE....

 

[nthach]

True, but GM had to build what sells. Dealer inventory in Canada for the Blazer, Acadia and others on the same platform from Cadillac and Buick are less than the time it takes for them to roll off the truck and dealer prep.
Gone are most of the sales staff from dealerships. The sales manager and finance department handle most of the transactions now.
There's talk about putting the 2.7L "truck" engine in the Blazer & Acadia, side saddle with the 9 speed.

For GM, a lower cost BOM and rationalizing the parts bin is always a good thing for the balance sheet but they haven’t really learned from the 1980s.

They’re taking a big gamble with the Blazer EV though.

 

[KJH]

Its no wonder that muscle/sports cars are dying when I read internet comments about late model offerings. Impossible to please in terms of looks: simultaneously ridiculed for looking too untrue to the original and also not concept car level radical. Complaints about visibility and ride height from drivers who apparently cannot handle anything lower than a CUV. Performance factor solely measured in 0-60 times in comparison to EVs.

I'm not saying the latest camaro is some masterpiece of design, the small trim details and materials especially were off. But the silhouette is good, its a well sorted long-wheelbase RWD chassis, and its got a great V8 with all the downstream bits to support it. What did you guys want?

I know the answer and I think most of you do to, "fun" cars aren't desirable anymore. The new muscle cars are trying to appeal to two opposite things at the same time: the nostalgia of older customers, and the hypothetical idea of fun to the youth. The old timers want a sunday cruiser that says camaro on it, and todays youth's idea of fun and freedom is not a muscle car, its an iPhone with wheels.

I fully expect cars like the new Z will also be ridiculed more than it already is in 3 years time.

 

[userfriendly]

For GM, a lower cost BOM and rationalizing the parts bin is always a good thing for the balance sheet but they haven’t really learned from the 1980s.

They’re taking a big gamble with the Blazer EV though.

Learned what from the 1980s?
This could easily turn into a ice vs ev, like the 100s of thick vs thin threads.
That 33 year old Vanilla Ice song keeps going through my head with every ev denier's post.

Stuck in the past? The first thing I remove from a new car or truck are the stickers that announce engine size, 4x4, transmission and HD.
Even the hood designs suggest dual overhead camshafts on a V8.
EVs will eliminate all of that small package compensating nonsense. Like phony hood scoops, dual exhaust and engine noise from the speakers.

Breaking news and case in point; Cadillac Blackwing owners can now get their deck lid badge.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

The original Bronco was also an SUV

They sure were and they were well made. Top quality and reliable from the first to last of that original run.
I owned a full sized 4x4 Bronco I wish I still had today. They simply re-designed the old out of style "station wagons"
no one liked. Made a car/van type of vehicle and called it the SUV. They been adding to its features ever since.

 

[Allaneddie]

They sure were and they were well made. Top quality and reliable from the first to last of that original run.
I owned a full sized 4x4 Bronco I wish I still had today. They simply re-designed the old out of style "station wagons"
no one liked. Made a car/van type of vehicle and called it the SUV. They been adding to its features ever since.

SUVs are station wagons on stilts.

 

[Ed in Tx]

Might have already been brought up but I missed it...

What will GM call their car in NASCAR if "Camaro" goes away?

 

[cheesepuffs2]

In my opinion, GM really missed an opportunity with the Camaro. In my opinion, the 68-69 era, and the 71 era, had among the best iconic aesthetics of any muscle cars. I think most would agree. The forward stance, big round headlights, aggressive but not ridiculous appearance. GM also had other extremely popular retro models like the 77 Firebird and the "Nightrider" Trans Am.

So obviously, if you're a GM design engineer, you'd garner all that emotional throwback and put together models that aesthetically throw back to those, right? Rrriiggghhttt??? No. Instead, you do a cash grab and use the name with nothing that remotely reminds anyone of a Camaro or Firebird. It was an absolute mistake and I just cannot understand why GM execs are so dumb and seem to have no idea what consumers want sometimes.

I drove a friend's Camaro about 10 years ago. I was underwhelmed. It was too low, like sitting on the ground. It felt extremely cheap and visibility was atrocious. GM missed a real opportunity IMHO.

As much as I don't like EVs, if they do revive the Camaro I would strongly advise a true retro look.

Wait, what? The gen 5 and gen 6 Camaros are inspired by the first gen Camaro. I don't know how you can say they don't remind anybody of a Camaro. They can't literally just make the '69 again.

 

[leadcounsel]

Wait, what? The gen 5 and gen 6 Camaros are inspired by the first gen Camaro. I don't know how you can say they don't remind anybody of a Camaro. They can't literally just make the '69 again.

You're joking. Right?!

1966 Camaro, arguably one of the most beautiful designs for a muscle car.

Here is a typical (2018) Camaro. There is no resemblance whatsoever, and it looks like an Asian car. Literally looks nothing like anything that came from that era, at all. Doesn't look anything like any Camaro before. I absolutely hate the looks FYI.

Meanwhile over at Ford and Dodge, they got it right.

1960s Mustang:

There is no doubt, this is a Mustang:

Dodge did it best IMO.
1970 Challenger

2012 Challenger, is unmistakable as anything else.

 

[cheesepuffs2]

@leadcounsel you can't see the coke-bottle rear quarter panel crease, the shape of the rear quarter windows, the pointed shape of the nose, the way the headlights and upper grille interact with each other, the long hood and short deck proportions? It isn't supposed to be an exact clone, it's supposed to be a lineage.

 

[leadcounsel]

@leadcounsel you can't see the coke-bottle rear quarter panel crease, the shape of the rear quarter windows, the pointed shape of the nose, the way the headlights and upper grille interact with each other, the long hood and short deck proportions? It isn't supposed to be an exact clone, it's supposed to be a lineage.

Um. No. The shape of a rear window, and an obscure rear corner panel crease, are insufficient to be a throwback.

Take cues from Ford and Dodge. They perfectly replicated while modernized their classics. That Camaro abomination looks like a Honda Civic or Nissan or some other Asian track car.

 

[cheesepuffs2]

Um. No. The shape of a rear window, and an obscure rear corner panel crease, are insufficient to be a throwback.

Take cues from Ford and Dodge. They perfectly replicated while modernized their classics. That Camaro abomination looks like a Honda Civic or Nissan or some other Asian track car.

Rear quarter panel creases on these car are not obscure. The whole point of what made many muscle and pony cars look brawny and appealing was that quarter panel shape:

https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/8291260

That, plus the proportions of the long hood, short deck, and fast roofline, are exactly what separate the styling of the Camaro from that of a Civic or Nissan.