What’s Really Going On With The Future Chevrolet Camaro
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Word spread rapidly this week that GM had allegedly decided to cease development of the seventh-generation Camaro, reportedly suspending the Camaro program indefinitely, with the current, sixth-generation Camaro being sunset in 2023. So GM Authority has dug in to bring you the latest on the situation.
The Plan All Along
In speaking to various sources familiar with future GM plans, we weren’t able to get a clear consensus on the matter, while official requests for comment from GM/Chevrolet resulted in non-answers that diverted attention to the 2020 Camaro changes, including the new LT1 trim level. Luckily, we can turn to other forms of information to get a better idea of what’s going on beyond the headlines.
In talking to sources who spoke to us on the basis of anonymity, we got a uniform message that the current, sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro will, in fact, be discontinued at the end of the 2022 calendar year. With the gen-six Camaro launched for the 2016 model year, an end of life in 2023 would give the mainstream sports car an eight-year-long lifespan. According to sources, a seven- to eight-year-long run has been the plan all along. In other words, the sixth-gen model was always supposed to live until the 2022-2023 timeframe. The more pertinent question is: what’s coming after?
The Platform Conundrum
Over the past few months, GM/Chevrolet started initial development work on the seventh-generation Camaro on the Alpha 2 platform, which is a slightly progressed version of the first-gen Alpha chassis used by the sixth-gen Camaro (the Cadillac CT5 uses Alpha 2). Our sources tell us that the decision to use A2 for the seventh-gen Camaro was a decision that was frowned upon. That’s because Alpha – no matter the generation – is considered a “legacy architecture” that does factor into GM’s plans to have the entire vehicle portfolio riding on four highly-flexible vehicle sets by 2025. Here’s where things start to get really interesting.
The only GM vehicle set capable of supporting a car like the Camaro is VSS-R (Vehicle Strategy Set – Rear drive). GM is planning to use VSS-R to underpin all future rear-drive cars (as opposed to SUVs or trucks) with a longitudinal powertrain orientation. The problem is VSS-R is the last GM vehicle set to go into production, and is not scheduled to launch until the 2025 calendar year on the second-generation Cadillac CT6.
And therein lies the problem: the sixth-gen Camaro is scheduled to end production in 2023, while the only platform vehicle set that could theoretically underpin the seventh-gen model won’t be ready for another 18-24 months, according to our sources. Faced with those circumstances, GM explored two strategies for the Camaro program:
- Develop the seventh-gen Camaro on VSS-R, while either discontinuing the current sixth-gen Camaro or extending its lifespan by a year or two, or
- Take the Camaro in a whole different direction, reimagining the Camaro entirely
It would appear as though The General has instead elected for the second option.
Reimagining An Icon
GM has made it crystal clear that its vision for the future is electric, with zero emissions (along with zero crashes and zero congestion). The automaker plans to roll out an entire onslaught of electric cars in the next few years. Despite the fact that the very few people are buying EVs at the moment, The General is pushing full steam ahead to bring to market 20 new electric cars by 2023. In fact, we recently learned that GM has doubled the resources allocated to the initiative, like assigning Camaro chief engineer, Al Oppenheiser, to lead GM’s electric vehicle program.
Part of GM’s electric initiative is a new, all-electric vehicle platform that we can currently refer to as BEV3. The architecture is being developed to be ever-flexible. It will be capable of supporting all kinds of body styles and all three drivetrain configurations – front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive, and all-wheel-drive. In fact, it’s that very flexibility that GM is hoping will enable it to reach the scale necessary to become the first automaker to turn a profit on EVs. It’s also worth noting that BEV3 will incorporate elements of VSS-R, which is what led us to report earlier that the next-gen Camaro will ride on that vehicle set.
Either way, our sources tell us that a two-door mainstream sports car for Chevrolet is part of future GM electric vehicle plans. That much was even foreshadowed by GM itself in a 2017 slide, above, announcing the EV strategy. Whether that vehicle will actually wear the iconic Camaro name, or be called something else entirely, is currently unknown.
So while all of the above is still subject to change, last we heard, GM has both canceled and not canceled the seventh-gen Camaro, while refocusing its attention to another project that will completely reimagine the mainstream sports car. We’ll update you as we learn more. In the meantime, subscribe to GM Authority for more Camaro news, Chevrolet news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Let’s face it, a $60k overweight techno-ponycar is not what it’s all about. See an 18 or 20 year old in a Civic with a set of wheels and a muffler is the epitome of coolness for 1/3 the cost.
Ruffled some feathers here huh?
Nope you’re just a dumb A$$
A good car should have fossil and electric energy
I hate to say this but Barra is digging GM’s grave
I grew up with Camaros. I live in Wisconsin. I had about every generation along the way. All those cars, I could only drive six months a year because of the snow. So it’s harder for me to justify buying a new Camaro that will sit in my garage for six months waiting for the weather because of the rear wheel drive. I want a rear wheel drive Camaro with EV front assist to get me better traction when it’s slippery, to get better mileage when I go out of state, and to get me out of the hole when I leave a stoplight in a hurry. Is that too much to ask? I’m sure I’m not alone. If GM made that, I would already own one. Can I get a what what?
Why is GM sacrificing the pony car Chevrolet Camaro an American made car an forcing new Cadillac models down our THROATS with models made in CHINA, WHATS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE!?? Why is GM NOT MAKING CARS THAT PEOPLE WANT? Like the Corvette, a Chevy made sport car front engine RWD! No they spent MILLIONS of dollars reinventing the wheel now to recoup some of the wasted money they spent on a mid engine Corvette,the Vett was never made to be Mic engine! If I want a mid engine I’d but a Ferrari ! But I’m for the original Chevy sport car ,that isn’t mid engine!
I 100% believe Camaro is not going anywhere and they will introduce the Seventh Gen Camaro with a few All Electric models.
LS and LT will be the only gas options.
SS, 1LE and ZL1 will be Electric.
This will help them with their Horsepower battle with Mustang and Challenger.
Design will likely be based off the early 1970s.
They won’t end the Chevy Camaro. It’s going to just be reborn. I do predict a 1 year hiatuses but we’ll see
No, they had best give a hybrid option not JUST an all electric version. I do not want to have to stress to find a damn charging station which is very rare in many places.
You mean you’ll be stressed out plugging in your Garage every night haha. Just messing with ya.
I personally have zero issue with EV’s but I would love for GM to offer both ICE and EV versions of Camaro.
I’ve always been a Chevy guy but since GM has moved a lot of there car making to Mexico and China from US and Canada I will not be buying GM any more. GM thinks there the only car maker out their, very arrogant of them to think that. Fords new GT 500 mustang looks more for me to buy.
So pretty much exactly what I predicted on the last thread and got made fun of.
I am Glad GM decided this instead of doing another lackluster (NOT PERFORMANCE) Camaro. Great decision by GM!!!
The problem with GM is that it they base everything off of unrealistic volume expectations. There are many manufacturers who make low, mid and high volume models, but GM’s model is that everything must sell 100K/yr or its a failure. They would be wise to build in agility to their thinking such that certain models, such as the Camaro and Corvette are acknowledged to be limited production vehicles. I would pay $60K for a Camaro SS if it was excellently styled, had an excellent power train and were limited in production to make them more unique on the road.
Currently, with 8-cylinder models ranging from the $30’s to the $60’s and seeing one at every street light, this lowers the appeal for a segment of the community who value exclusivity. Yes, I know the Camaro was never designed to be a high-end vehicle, but rather a true muscle car to compete with Ford and Dodge, but times have changed. There would be no shame in breaking that tradition and allowing the Camaro to ascend in stature to fill the gap left by the change in Corvette model.
If GM changed their business model to expect to make 15-20K/yr, they would sell those in a heartbeat and still be able to focus efforts on other future road map vehicles.
I was a Camaro Z28 owner for 22 years. Sold it and bought a new Mustang GT. 460 HP, 0-60 in 3.9 sec and at a far less cost than a comparable Camaro. Thought I would miss my old Camaro after 22 years, but with this new Mustang, I wave bye-bye every time I pass a Camaro on the road. And the service at the Ford dealership is far superior to that of Chevy, at least in my city.
Hi Shodan,
Serious question out of sincere curiosity – with Camaro far in your rearview mirror and your obvious satisfaction with the Mustang, what has you hanging around a GM site on a Camaro blog?
Thank you electric and hybrid owners ! ! ! Thanks to you, I drive my 460 HP Ford Mustang with absolutely zero guilt . . .
Enjoy it while you can! Technology marches on, and hopefully your zero-guilt will continue when gas spikes back up. I’ll continue driving past gas stations, not knowing or caring what the price of gas is, while being happy my dollars aren’t going to regimes in the middle east. To each his own, though!
If General Motors were any kind of smart, they would realize the gold mine they have with the Chevrolet Camaro and the opportunity they have in front of them moving forward. First of all, I’m quite sure that this new VSS-R platform will have a performance variation being the Alpha-2 Chassis so I wouldn’t worry too much about that. As far as design goes, I think Chevrolet has stretched the reincarnation of the first gen (67-69) Camaro as far as it can go. It would be nice to see a modern rendition of the ’70-’73 Camaro body style which would give the car a more fastback design and hopefully a lower belt line with a better greenhouse and a different interior layout. What would also be nice would be for Chevy to bring back a few different colors like the entire 1987 Camaro paint chart. As far as trim levels, Chevrolet has a plethora of Camaro trim levels to Choose from. a Base level Camaro Sport, a hybrid Camaro LT and Electric Camaro LT-E, a Camaro RS-327 5.3L w/ 360hp/380tq, a Camaro Z/28 offering both a 1LE and an IROC package, a Camaro SS and the Camaro ZL1 at the top of the list. The Z/28 should offer a 435hp 5.7L V8 pushrod version of the new LT-family V8 and be basically what the 2020 Camaro LT1 trim is. The Z/28 1LE should be a more track-tuned version of this (just like all 1LE cars are) while the Z/28 IROC would be a more well appointed trim level of the Z/28 featuring a ground effects package, unique wheels, spoiler, hood, lights, interior, etc. The next Gen SS would take the place of the 5th Gen Z/28 with a blend of the current gen SS-1lE but offering the car in a 10-speed automatic as well as the manual, giving the car about 500hp with the 6.2L being bumped up to 6.5L or 396ci. Topping this off would be the 7.0L Supercharged ZL1 blending the rotating assembly from the former LS7 with the modified heads and supercharger from the current LT4 to produce a GT500/Hellcat rival making 700+hp.
I still think that Chevrolet should also bring back the Chevelle to the mix as a Charger competitor. It’s not that people don’t like sedans anymore, its the fact that companies dont make sedans people like. Make the Chevelle in different trim levels, Chevelle Hybrid, Chevelle Laguna-E, Chevelle SS-346 435hp 5.7L, Chevelle SS-396 500hp 6.5L and Chevelle SS-427 700hp 7.0L. If the Charger can bring back the 392 name and the Mustang can bring back the GT 5.0, GT500, GT350 and Boss 302 name then Chevy should be able to bring back some names as well.
Beyond this, a true off road Tahoe, a True off road Silverado, a Silverado SS 1500, a Silverado Cheyenne 1500 (replacing high country and adding performance) and a RWD based performance SUV (Durango R/T fighter/SRT fighter). this would be what I would say that Chevrolet should focus on. I’m not against hybrids and electric cars and I believe they have their place (Buick). I think Buick and GMC should merge together and Buick be the car lineup and GMC be the SUV/Truck lineup and then leave Cadillac as the high end premium line and that would be it.
Buick should focus on economical, electric/hybrid vehicles, considering they are extremely popular in china. GMC is for america
To: Genral motors and the world
Subject: product portfolio research
Urgency: NOW
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2019/11/three-row-chevrolet-blazer-officially-revealed-in-china/
At least the “blazer” (I call it nomad) has an actual segment. This blazer is just a traverse with a nomad body. The nomad wasn’t a bad idea but this and the trailblazer are just junk. When I went on the chevy website and saw the trailblazer I was so happy. I thought they were finaly going to make a real small suv. I thought it would be a sexier version of the holden trailblazer or something of the sort. Now I know it just slots in between the equinox and trax. When will they learn that they’re just dividing and decreasing profit.
Here’s what I mean: you have profit divided into 3 segments (or thirds). Each segment is decreased by 10(or 1 tenth) for R&D/building cost. The more segments, the more you lose from R&D/build cost. All you need is:
Compact cuv (equinox) Midsized Cuv (nomad), Full sized cuv (traverse), Supermini (aveo and sonic), Midsized sedan (chevelle and malibu), Compact sedan (cruze and nova), Full sized sedan (impala and caprice), Wrangler like compact SUV (tracker), Midsized SUV (s10 blazer), Full sized suv (K5 tahoe, K5 blazer, Suburban, Suburban HD), midsized truck (S10 colorado), Compact truck (LUV), and full sized truck (silverado). That is 15-17 segments (depending on if the HDs get their own segment, probably do). Chevy currently is aiming at 15-16 segs. Whats the diff? Well, if you put all cuvs in one factory/chassis(vss-C), All sedans (excluding cruze, Aveo and sonic) and camaro in another factory/on another chassis(VSS-alpha3), other cars in the next (vss-f), Full/mid sized trucks and SUVs (vss-T), and everything else on VSS-R. Corvette would be a hand built front engine BEAST (more on that in the comments section of the rendering of a front engine C8).
Just 6 chassis for almost 20 cars! This cuts build costs, while R&D is inevitable. The fewer factories also cuts costs because factories work the same as segments. Fewer factories, less money spent as a whole and more can be put into the factories. This means the factories have to either, number one, be faster (crank out more cars on one line), making it harder for factory workers, or, number two, have to be more complex/bigger (more lines). Number one is solved by using robots and leaving people workless. The reason you dont want to do number two is cost, but robots are expensive too. The solution to number two is solved via the money saved by fewer factories. All in all, it is roughly the same amount of money, spent smarter. The leftover money could be saved, or used for better working conditions and THEN when all is established, profits come in. Note- Please don´t hammer me with specs and numbers. I have not done any calculations.
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2018/07/chevrolet-avalanche-k5-blazer-cobalt-ss-astro-s10-tracker-chevelle-trailblazer-ss-silverado-ss-front-engine-corvette-need-comeback/comment-page-2/#comments
1: Merge the colorado and s10 names for the midsized segment. Go LUV truck!
2: Mabye bring back the corvair monza name for the mid engine supercar and just corvair for a cayman/boxster type of car.
Corvette should be front engined!
3: The tahoe replaced the c/k blazer. An offroad tahoe would be awesome. Maybe a removable roof tahoe? A two door? An s10 colorado based s10 blazer?
4: An xt6 based trailblazer would be a great competitor to a grand cherrokee or durango. How ’bout an LT1 powered SS for the SRTs and an LT4 ZL1 would hang with the hellcat/trackhawk. tahoe/suburban SS anyone?
5: CT5 based chevelle and malibu? CT6 based impala, bel air, caprice, and monte carlo? CT4 based Nova?I say Chevelle ss should have options of a LT2 and an LT454 (a tuned up LT2 bored out and/or upstroked to 454 CID and then with a longer throw to increase torque). LT4 impala, LT1 nova.
6: LT1 would never fit in an s10 blazer/colorado unless the next gen one could. Otherwise they could put the 3.6 tt or 5.3. LT454 could work for a siverado/suburban/tahoe SS. Maybe we could be lucky enough for an LT5 “TrackBoss” (not that I think we’ll get any of these).
7: If jeep turned the cherokee/comanche s10 blazer/colorado sized, we could get a mini wrangler and a wrangler sized, wrangler like, tracker.
8: A cruze ss would actualy be pretty awesome. I would like an LTG tuned to 330hp.
I’m still think’n about an avalanche or astro
K5 blazer could have been a tahoe on the truck chassis with no 2wd version and removable rear cap/doors. LS 4×4 would be base, then LS Z71, LT z71, LTZ z71, High country, SS454, trailboss (for high speed off roading), and rockboss (for crawling).
No v6. 3.0T duramax or 5.3 on LS and LT. Optional 6.2 on LTZ and standard on high country. LT2 trailboss and 6.6T Duramax for rockboss. Also the trailblazer would be XT6 sized but, would be a full Unibody RWD/4WD SUV. Avalanche would be a specialty truck like the K5 but with suburban/tahoe suspension and everything else. Astro could be very fun as a production version of the express. The “blazer” could be called the nomad. A miata rivalling li`l ray woul be awesome
Read more: http://gmauthority.com/blog/2018/07/chevrolet-avalanche-k5-blazer-cobalt-ss-astro-s10-tracker-chevelle-trailblazer-ss-silverado-ss-front-engine-corvette-need-comeback/#ixzz65T3ffZ7g
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2019/10/whats-going-on-with-the-chevrolet-rs-sub-brand/
Let GMC be the caddilac of trucks and make it the only brand to have that special tail gate. 3 coupes, challenger like monte carlo, mustang like camaro, and hand built, front engined corvette. 5 sedans, Sonic (subcompact), Cruze (compact), Nova (CT4 based) , Chevele (CT5 based), and Impala (CT6 based). (please excuse my poor spelling/grammar because I’m only 10 years old and I type fast)
Monte Carlo (more of a true muscle car than a ponycar)
LS/LT: 3.6L v6, ls completely base, lt with medium comfort and available redline appearence pack.
RS: 5.3L V8 and decent luxury with more aggresive looks than lt and ls
LT1: LT1 RS
SS: 585hp tuned LS7 powered monster with hood scoop, brembos, borla, and big ducktail spoiler, like the one on the ats v
Chevelle
LS/LT: 3.6L v6 or 2.0t, ls completely base, lt with medium comfort, available redline appearance
RS: the same as monte carlo
Malibu: super luxury trim
SS/Malibu SS: LT1 upstroked to 454, tuned up to 600hp, huge brembos, classic alpha chassis handling, and dual hood scoops
GS: LT5, zl1 1le gear, blue only, gs stripes
Corvette
Stingray 376 and Stingray ’63 edition: LT2, Z51 available on 376, 63 has split window and wheels from original
Stingray 427 and 427 ’67 edition: 427 from monte carlo ss, z51 available on normal 427, ’67 has the hood scoop, side pipes, and wheels from original ’67 427 vette
GS: Track oriented vehicle, 427, blue only with red gs stripes
Z06: AWD LT5 supercar
camaro
LT: 3.6L V6, basic needs, available redline and 1le packs
RS: 404hp 3.0tt, ss gear, available redline and 1le packs
V8: lt with LT1 and 5.3 available, redline and 1le packs
SS: LT2 and 427 versions, 1le available
Z28: LT2 track beast
IROC Z: AWD LT4, replaces current ZL1
ZL1: LT5 drag strip king
There would be a mid engine, 4.2 tt corvair monza GT, for anyone who missed the c8 and a small miata like car with the looks of the 130R but with the rally headlights of the old sonic.
also, I think the current ‘Blazer’ midsized crossover should be called nomad and the trailblazer lineup should go like this:
LS/LT: 2.7t
LTZ/ LTZ Premier: 3.0tt
SS: LT2, hood scoop, aggresive exhaust
Z26: LT4, track ready with GLA45 type wing with visible carbon fiber
Trim rundown:
LS: Bare essentials, Matte black grill LT: More average with what most people would buy, bodycolor grill
LTZ/LTZ Premier/LTZ High country: Chrome, nice interior, sometimes better engine/ LTZ with max chrome and RS engine
Malibu/cheyyene/caprice/LN/High country/LX: Crazy luxury, RS engine
SS: High performance Z: Normally above SS ( Z=(IROC Z, Z28 & ZL1 for Camaro, Z51, Z06 & ZR1 for Corvette, Z24 & Z26 for other cars and ZR2, Z71 and ZRX for trucks)
Avenir should stay as the luxury trim for buick, and regal wuold be there flagship rwd sedan/coupe. GS would be like ss for buik and the gnx would be a limeted edition drag racer. Pontiac could come back with g6, g5, g8, fb, t/a, tempest, Gran prix, and gto. GTO would be a pontiac monte carlo or basically a g8 coupe. G8-Full sized v6/v8 sedan G6- Nova G5-G6 coupe, Tempest- midsized coupe/sedan, Grand prix- gt car.
Firebird
se- 3.0tt
Esprit- LT1 bored out to 400cid
Formula- track ready with LT2
Trans Am- LT1 upstroked to 455cid
Trans Am Superbird- LT5
SD455- SC 455 drag car
GXP lineup
G8- LT4
G6/G5- LT2
GTO- 427
G4/Vibe- ATS 2.0t
tempest- 427
grand prix- 4.2tt
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2019/08/what-a-front-engine-corvette-c8-might-have-looked-like/
This drawing and the C8
This might not be the prettiest thing (not even close), but I like the idea. The C8 is a great car but NOTHING AT ALL about it screams corvette. First they decide that the corvette has to be a supercar and therefore mid engine, no manual. What next, V12? Back when Zora`s time, the corvette was just a 2 seat muscle car. back then, better handling (i.e. mid engine layout) would do it good. once the c4 came around, the corvette started earning its reputation of leaving mid engine and rear engine cars in the dust. Therefore, the reason is lost that the corvette should go mid engine. If there shouldbe a mid engine corvette, it should at least take some design cues fo the classics, or at least 4 round tail lights.
What I think the C8 should be like
First of all, this is NOT a prediction. OK, so if the C8 were to be front engine, I would start with the C7. The C8s dct would be optional with 6 speed manual standard. All models would get RWD and AWD modes (Z06 would be AWD only). Ive heard the C8s dampers are even better than the ones in the C7 Z06 Z07, so that would be included in the Z51. Z51 would also include a black blade spoiler, bigger brakes and wheels, and extra 10hp. There would be 2 engine options in the stingray, LT2 (376) and a 580hp 427 (427). There would also be 2 heritage packs available on the stingray, ’63 on the 376 and ’67 on the 427. The heritage editions would not be equiped with Z51, but Z51 suspension would be optional.
The ’63 would include a split rear window (for the coupe), wheels kind of like those found on the 1963 stingray, a special retro interior, and ’63 edition badges. The ’67 editin would include chrome sidepipes, the original hood scoop, special interior, big chrome 5 spokes, and ’67 edtion badges.
The vehicle would have circlar LED tail lights, headlights like the C7s but they bent sideways like on the f12 tdf but more exagerated. Behined the bent part would be vents, eack facing the same wayas the bent part of the light. The backwards side scoops would be larger than those on the C7 and more like those on the c6 All models except for ’67 would have hood scoop like that on the 2009 ZR1. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/147281850290609405/ link to vette with side scoops I liked.
GS would be a very track oriented model with no AWD and a 670hp 427. Z06 would basically be an AWD version of the C7 ZR1 (non ZTK) but with the styling I described before and all of the spioler bodycolor except for the upright side parts. Z07 would get stiffer springs, big wing, and other more track oriented equipment. ZR1 would be more of the cruiser/Super GT. It would get an 800hp 6.2L SC V8 and really luxurios interior, no wing.
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2019/09/gm-plans-chevrolet-silverado-zrx-to-fight-ford-f-150-raptor-ram-1500-rebel/#ixzz65TDk52Jk
vbondjr1 says:
September 23, 2019 at 5:08 pm
Chevrolet DOES NOT NEED A RAPTOR FIGHTER!!! It doesn’t. The ZRX needs to be a good, off road trail truck. Knobby wide Off road tires, 4″ Lift, under body pannels, running boards with rock sliders, water barrier pannels on the bottom of the engine compartment, Cold air intake, dual exhaust, big brakes, washable interior, premum stereo system a sprayed in bedliner, fender flares, lower body armor cladding, brush guards, black metal front and rear bumpers, etc. That’s what this truck need. Chevrolet needs this, a true SS Silverado along with a sporty RST silverado, and a Luxury muscle Silverado 1500 Cheyenne (bumping out the High Country) along with a Cheyenne Classic (two-tone, 2″ lift, knobby tires, 18″ wheels, classic badges, blue bowties, classic interior cues, etc) along with an Tahoe-Blazer (same as the Silverado ZRX) a Tahoe SS, and a Tahoe Limited (same as Cheyenne with the theme of the ’99 Tahoe Limited). This along with a new Camaro and a Charger fighting Chevelle would bring alot of people back to Chevy. Let buick have the hybrids/electric cars and Cadillac have the Premium stuff. Let Chevrolet be fun again. I guarentee if Chevy went back to being a more inexpensive (not cheap) fun exciting brand like it was before. Chevy would crush dodge and in some areas, Ford
I will post a followup comment with my new ideas.
(this is not the followup)
@Longestcommentever
@nerdystuff
@gearheads
I meant # not @
(this isn´t the follow up either, just more info I forgot to include)
vmbondjr1 says:
The problem with GM is that they are afraid to be what they could and should be. GM needs to go back to being “An American car company for the American people.” That’s not to say that GM shouldn’t concern themselves with the global market but GM needs to focus on the home front, which is America.
As far as this whole “what is the RS?” GM should break down their trim levels a little better and they should be uniform across the board. LS=Luxury Sport, LT=Luxury Touring, RS/RST=Rally Sport/Rally Sport Truck, SS= Super Sport, Z=(Z28 & ZL1 for Camaro, Z06 & ZR1 for Corvette, Z24 & Z26 for other cars and ZR2, Z66, Z71 and ZRX for trucks)
Honestly, GM could save itself a lot of money by eliminating redundant models and a lot of pointless trim levels. At this point, every single vehicle in the Buick lineup is an absolute lost cause. The same goes for GMC. The Buick brand holds relevance though as this would be a great brand for GM to dump all of its hybrid and electric vehicles and have everything under one umbrella. Buick could have a few electric models under the Electra umbrella, the Electra, Electra 225, Electra Park Ave, and Electra Riviera along with the Buick Avista Hybrid performance model in both coupe and sedan along with the Buick Avenir which would no longer be a trim level but a crossover that would have both an electra model and a hybrid model.
As far as GMC goes, all of the GMC Models are really just fancy Silverados but they are really nice models so I wouldn’t necessarily just trash them. What I would do would be to add a few more useful models to the Silverado lineup, such as the Silverado Sierra and the Silverado Cheyenne. The Silverado Cheyenne would have all of the features of the Sierra Denali and would slot above the Silverado High Country while the Silverado Sierra would slot in right below the High Country being that it would be the Sierra SLT or Elevation, The Silverado Trail boss would become the Z66 with the 5.3L and the Z71 would have the Sierra AT4 equipment with the 6.2L while the ZRX would be the off road beast with a 480hp 6.2L. Same thing with the Canyon and Colorado. The Colorado would have a Canyon trim level that would basically be the SLT trim level on the Canyon while the Colorado High Country would have all of the same equipment as the Canyon Denali. The Silverado would receive both an RST model and an SS model. The RST would come with a high output 400hp 5.3L with sport suspension, Brembo brakes, dual exhaust, 20″ wheels styling upgrades, etc. while the SS would come with a 480hp 6.2L V8 engine, recalibrated 10-speed auto, AWD, larger Brembo brakes, 24×12″ wheels and tire package, magnetic ride, lowered, chassis upgrades, quad exhaust exiting before the rear tires, aero upgrades, short bed, crew cab, SS interior, Kicker Stereo system, blacked out trim, black housing LED headlamps and taillamps and the return of the red outline black Bowtie grille and the Chevrolet logo across the tailgate with the red bowtie and the “digital” Chevrolet name spelled out. The RST Colorado would get the 2.7L Turbo with a sport tuned suspension, exhaust, bigger brakes, styling, etc.
As far as the SUVs go, this is where GM needs to look at what Ford did with the new Explorer and what Dodge is doing with the Durango and realize that FWD SUVs are not the thing to do. It’s time to return to the real Chevy Blazer and the Trailblazer and the time is now. Ford is about to have a Bronco family of vehicles and it’s time that Chevy did the same with the Blazer. The Tahoe needs to return to the Blazer name and have a two door Blazer and a four-door Blazer-Tahoe. along with a Colorado based Blazer-10. The 3.0L Duramax, the 5.3L and 6.2L Should be present in the full size blazers while the Blazer-10 should have the 3.6L and the 2.7L The Trailblazer needs to be a “Camaro-inspired SUV” just like the Durango is inspired by the Charger and it should have an RS and SS model with the RS having an LT1 and the SS having the LT4. Lower trims should receive the 2.7L and the 3.6L The Suburban should move to the 2500 Chassis and like the 2500 series pickups, there should be an off road 4×4 Scottsdale version with a Duramax Diesel along with a heavy duty gasoline engine like what ford did with the 7.3L, preferably in a Chevrolet 7.4L 454ci V8 setup. That would easily complete the truck and SUV lineup and give Chevrolet an amazing selection that would not only be desirable but amazingly profitable.
As far as the car lineup goes, Chevrolet needs two coupes and one sedan, the Camaro, the Corvette and the Malibu. My suggestion VSS-R everything!!!!!! For those of you who don’t know VSS-R stand for Vehicle Strategic Set-Rear wheel drive. There is no need for front wheel drive when you can have all-wheel drive on a rear wheel drive platform. The Corvette is simply Amazing as it is now. The C8 platform is awe-inspiring and the look is to die for. The Camaro’s Alpha platform is near-perfect. What needs to happen with the next Generation Camaro is that it needs to go back to being a Camaro. loose the 1967-68 styling and bring back an evolution of the sleek and sexy Camaro. a front engine, rear wheel drive alpha-2 chassis with an evolutionary look of the 4th gen but with more cabin space and usable trunk/hatch area. Like the Corvette, the Camaro should be all V8 engine options with an 455hp LT1 Z/28, 495hp LT2 SS, 650hp LT4 IROC-Z and a 755hp LT5 ZL1 option as well as a 5.3L V8 RS Version as the base Camaro.
The Malibu should evolve to be what the Chevrolet SS sedan should have been. A muscle car sedan with the hearts of the Camaro, Offering the Malibu with an AWD version with the 2.7L Turbo I-4 as a base LS car, a 3.6L LT AWD, a 5.3L RS V8 RWD, an SS LT1, a Chevelle RS LT2 and a Chevelle SS LT5.
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2019/10/whats-going-on-with-the-chevrolet-rs-sub-brand/#ixzz65THbXVR2
The camaro needs to be a hatchback, 2+2, sports car with a not-garbage interior and better front visibility. LS would have a bodycolor grill and okay interior powered by LSY. LT would have chrome, somewhat good interior and v6 (a good sounding I6 would be COOL). The Sport model would be available with a 365hp 327, A 410hp 350, and a 460hp 376. The sport would also get LT interior, slited hood like on 2020 LT1 camaro, aggressive front intakes, large blade spoiler, and quad exhaust tips. The SS396 would get good interior, hood scoop, 500hp 396, quad exhaust, white SS logo replaceing bowtie on front and black circle with chrome rim and white SS logo inside replacing rear bowtie, aggressive front intakes, brembos, 6th gen zl1 spoiler, and better dampers. SS427 would be SS396 with 585hp 427. Z/28 would be a record breaking track monster powered by a 530hp 396. ZL1 would be a 790hp monster with a luxury interior and a drag strip mode. The chevy Bolt ESC would be an electric camaro. IROC Z would be a 700+hp performance camaro.
The camaro would have headlights and front facia of the 130R, and taillights of the C8. The SSs would get 4 ropund headlights, the inermost ones being smaller, mimicing the 70 1/2-73 camaros. 1LE wouldbe available on all non Z camaros.
There would be a monte carlo, being a sort of younger persons coupe. It would get modern looks, big rear seats, and okay handling so that it would not compete with camaro.
Boy,
Do you even own a Camaro ? Let alone ever driven a super car ? All have poor side and rear view..
As enzo said only need to look who I’m passing next.
That’s call the forward approach !!! If you knew that I would not laugh at you again and again !!!
I’m 10 years old for crying out loud!
Why did I ever post this comment? Now people are going to say “put you crayons away”……..spoke to soon. If only they knew…….
a>5 a<10 a+5=(5-(10-a)+10
DON'T CALL ME A KID
Boy,
Sorry , did not mean to hurt your feelings KID.
okay.
Also, I never said rear view. No sports car hatchback has good rear view. YOU said it needs good front view and the camaro doesn’t have that.
I’m still laughing at you again. Lol.
Fair.
Just out of pure curiosity, how old are you?
The camaro SS, Z28, and ZL1 would be low volume.
Fair.
Just out of pure curiosity, how old are you?
Just celebrated my 14th birthday.
So I guess were both (kinda) young enthuosiasts. What was the displacement of the highest CID car you’ve ever riden in? Mine is 470.
I don’t bite. Just curios.
572 cid. 1000+ hp
Where does the corvette fit in all of this EV nonsense? Surely, chevy performance has SOME idea of how to save the ‘vette.
It will probably die in the ashes after Barra figures out that its not ‘profitable’. Barra isn’t digging GM`s grave, she already has.
I’m a dreamer
LT1 6.2L V8 460hp 465lb-ft
LT2/2- 6.5L V8 505hp 480lb-ft
LT4- 6.2L SC V8 650hp 650lb-ft
LT5- 6.2L SC V8 755hp 715lb-ft
LT427- 7.0L V8 585hp 560lb-ft
LT454 HO- 7.4L V8 620hp 700lb-ft
LT350- 5.7L V8 430hp 440lb-ft
LS364- 6.0L V8 370hp 490lb-ft
LS454- 7.4L V8 450hp 600lb-ft
LD3- 6.6L T V8 700hp 1200lb-ft
LD1- 3.0L I6 277hp 460lb-ft
LT327- 5.3L V8 370hp 390lb-ft
LTG1- 1.4L T I4 140hp
LTG2- 1.5L T I4 175hp
LTG3- 2.0L T I4 230hp
LTG4- 2.0L T I4 270hp
LTG5- 2.7L T I4 320hp 340lb-ft
LE1/T- 3.0L TT V6 404hp
LE2- 3.6L V6 310hp
LE2/T- 3.6L TT V6 480hp 440lb-ft
Enough put your crayons away. ???
It’s my nap time, mommy said so ?
What?!?! I can’t just list engines on a CAMARO blog? Also, I can barely remember the last time I colored in one of my car drawings.
If only I could always delete comments.