Chevrolet Camaro Program Will Keep Momentum Following 1LE And ZL1

Yesterday, we had the utmost pleasure to sit down once again with the man when it comes to Chevrolet Camaro, Al Oppenheiser. During our lengthy sit down, which revolved around the hottest topic as of recent, the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, we were able to dig a little deeper into the sixth-generation Camaro program as a whole, and understand even more about the 2017 ZL1.

After the past 10 to 12 months, we felt the question warranted itself, as we asked Oppenheiser if the Camaro team will be letting off the gas for a bit and click into cruise control. To recap, the Camaro team has launched the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS, the V6, a convertible, a 2.0-turbo, the 2017 Camaro 1LE, and now, the 2017 Camaro ZL1. That’s a lot of hardware for the past year.

“We’re never going to cruise,” Oppenheiser stated. “The market is always changing, and there is always someone who wants to come after you, and with this announcement, we know no one is going to sit still anywhere else,” employing Ford and the Mustang program won’t shrug the Camaro off.

He then went on to discuss heritage and future product alike, something Oppenheiser felt was solidified with the fifth-generation car, stating the naming strategy pulled from the Camaro’s lineage, while having each variant earn their way into the portfolio.

“I think anything we do from here on out will have to earn its way in as an appropriate use if we decide to bring back another name.”

So, like a new Camaro Berlinetta?

“Yeah, you know, I was joking this morning that the next camouflaged car you will see is a Berlinetta with t-tops, because that seems to be what everyone wants. We introduce an awesome car like this ZL1 and I still get emails asking about t-tops.”

To wit, the latest camouflaged car we’ve seen is likely the next-generation Camaro Z/28. If we can connect a few dots from what Oppenheiser has to say, and the momentum on the Camaro team’s side, the Z/28 could arrive sooner rather than later.