Report: Camaro to be replaced by “performance EV sedan” in 2024

Automotive News is reporting that Chevrolet plans to keep several internal-combustion vehicles in the pipeline as it makes a switch to electric, noting that pickups, especially heavy-duty models, will still have plenty of consumers demanding the power density of fossil fuels. The Camaro and the Malibu, however, will reportedly “ride out the current generation before making way for EVs.” There is no suggested replacement for Chevrolet’s midsize sedan, but there’s a table embedded in the article that suggests the Camaro’s replacement is a “Performance EV sedan.”

This revelation isn’t entirely shocking, as some clues have suggested that Chevrolet might not have a plan for a future Camaro past the current sixth-generation, Alpha-platform model currently on sale. Al Oppenheiser—the chief engineer presiding over the fifth-gen and sixth-gen Camaros, who both honed the Zeta platform into a terrific performer and turned the current Camaro into the most driver-focused pony car on the market—changed his focus at the end of 2018 and has been working on electric vehicles ever since. Perhaps his Camaro expertise will have him working on this supposed electric performance sedan after his work on the GMC Hummer EV is done.

We’re hard put to find a silver lining in this news, if it truly spells the end of the Camaro, other than to point out that it has never been a better driver’s car than now. Unfortunately, achieving peak performance can often spells the end for any model’s widespread appeal and sales success. Of course, electric vehicles offer tremendous performance as well; but just as a Mustang crossover still sounds bizarre, the thought of the Camaro being replaced by a whispering four-door leaves a bad taste in our mouths. Perhaps it would soften the blow if said sedan were a truly fantastic performer. Could we see a return of the Chevelle?

We’ve reached out to Chevrolet for comment but haven’t heard a response. Automakers never like to comment on future products, or the lack of future products, so we’re not expecting to get any firm denial of this development unless the Bowtie announces news of a seventh-gen Camaro—which doesn’t seem likely. If you’d like to get the best-handling pony car Chevy’s ever built, you might want to hurry.