Chevrolet pulled the Camaro from production in late 2023, and the following demise of the Dodge Challenger meant the Ford Mustang ended up as the sole remaining V8-powered two-door pony car.
While Chevrolet hasn’t officially announced what the future holds for the Camaro nameplate – apart from saying it’ll return eventually – reports of its resurrection have included rumours of it coming back as an electric SUV to rival Ford’s Mach-E SUV.
No timelines have been set either, though GM Authority has spotted a trademark filing for the Camaro name in Cambodia of all places, with General Motors looking to use the name on another vehicle.
Carmakers trademark names all the time and though it’s no guarantee of a return, it’s odd for a name to be protected after the car itself has already left production – especially in a country where it was never sold.
The Camaro’s pony car segment was becoming increasingly niche by the time it left production, though the Mustang continues to be popular and the Dodge Charger – now both a sedan and coupe – has received a potent six-cylinder twin-turbo engine, with a V8 expected to come back too.
However, it’s far more likely the Camaro will go down the EV path, due to a bigger market for mid-sized SUVs compared to sports cars.
A previous report by MotorTrend claimed the returning Camaro would be positioned as a ‘fastback SUV’, rather than adopt the squared-off rear design as seen on the existing Chevrolet Blazer and Equinox EVs.
According to the publication, it could share some of its underpinnings and technology with the Blazer EV, such as an 85kWh battery pack in lower-end examples, while longer-range Camaros could be fed by a 102kWh pack.
The Blazer EV is available with a dual-motor powertrain in its flagship SS guise, producing up to 415kW and 879Nm – about on par with the final examples of the Camaro SS (339kW/617Nm) and ZL1 (485kW/881Nm).
An even more powerful flagship could be on the cards, potentially borrowing the tri-motor powertrain from the GMC Hummer EV, capable of producing up to 745kW (1000hp).
Earlier this year, GM Authority reported Chevrolet sources had said the new Camaro would need to be “affordable and attainable”, potentially ruling out an EV – especially now with US incentives for battery-powered vehicles being repealed.
GM executives have also previously failed to put out the Camaro rumour fire, with President Mark Reuss telling The Detroit News in July there are steps to be taken before the Camaro returns.
“I think that formula of beauty – and a little bit of functionality and fun – all of that is important [for the Camaro],” Reuss said.
“If we were getting back into Camaro, that piece of it is really important. That segment is declining – I think they [Ford] sold more [Mustang] Mach-Es than they did Mustangs.
“I think that would be a great formula, and we have the ability to do that.”
Despite going out of production nearly two years ago, the Camaro continues to be the race car of choice for Chevrolet in NASCAR’s Cup and Xfinity Series, as well as the Supercars Championship in Australia.
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