‘Spicy’ high-performance V8 Chevrolet Camaro coming
A new performance flagship to the returning Chevrolet Camaro lineup is expected to feature an even more powerful V8 engine.
The Chevrolet Camaro’s return is yet to be made official, but insider information has given us a good look at what the nameplate’s revival will look like.
After production of the two-door Camaro ended in late 2023, rumours of its resurrection have circulated, mostly perpetuated by specialist publication GM Authority, which has claimed insider information suggests the model will come back later this year or in 2027.
The publication’s latest sources say there will be a new flagship variant to lead the Camaro’s high-performance charge, described by one insider as “spicy”, while another said fans will be “very happy” with the offering.
No details have been provided about what the high-performance Camaro will entail, though GM Authority speculates it could be powered by the 6.7-litre LS6 V8 engine, the first of the new sixth-generation General Motors small blocks which recently launched in the C8 Corvette.
Jordan Mulach
The engine could even score a supercharger, similar to the LT4-powered Camaro ZL1 which served as the flagship of the sixth-generation Camaro.
According to previous reports, the reborn Camaro won’t be a traditional two-door coupe (or convertible) like every previous generation of the model, and will instead become a four-door - though not in what’s known as the traditional ‘three box’ sedan profile.
Expected to adopt coupe-like design cues, the new Camaro is still expected to be the spiritual successor to the likes of the Chevrolet SS, which was a rebadged VF Holden Commodore sold in the US.
The new Camaro, regardless of what form it takes, will reportedly ride on an evolution of the platform which underpinned its predecessor, Alpha 2 - or potentially adopting the Alpha 2-2 moniker.
This means it’ll continue to be rear-wheel drive, while insider sources have said the new Camaro will be available with an automatic transmission (of unknown gears) or a six-speed manual, the latter of which has been a hallmark of performance variants in previous generations.
Ford is also understood to be planning to launch a sedan version of the Mustang coupe, which would bring it back into the petrol-powered passenger car segment.
A report by Automotive News in August last year claimed a Mustang-derived four-door sedan could launch as soon as early 2028, at least in the US.
A Mustang sedan was reportedly previewed to North American dealers last year, and prior to this Ford CEO Jim Farley told media outlets it could launch a four-door version of the pony car, as long as it has “all the performance and attitude of the original.”
Earlier this month, Ford’s director of US marketing, Andrew Frick, was asked by Automotive News if the brand could once again build sedans, given recent hints dropped by Farley.
“There is a percentage of the customer base that still buys sedans. It’s a lot smaller than it once was. It used to be 50 percent, now it’s 16, 17 percent,” Frick said.
Jordan Mulach
“We have a really great Mustang that people consider a car. We look to expand on the Mustang family as we move forward.
“I think, for us to do it, it’s going to have to make sense within our portfolio. It’s going to have to make sense within a family that we may already offer. And it’s going to have to be very cost-effective for us to do it.
“That’s what we’re focused on in general with a lot of our new affordable products. We want the concepts to be right and the costs to be even better.”
