GM’s Reuss: New Camaro EV Should Be Affordable, Fun, and Not a Crossover
General Motors has made it clear that when it comes to EVs, the company is fully committed (this story is from 2021), with a pivot in 2024 to being just sort of committed.
And while GM is pivoting, we wonder: Is this year’s last-call model truly the Camaro’s swan song? Was this really, truly, THE END?
For a Camaro powered by gasoline and tiny explosions, yes, totally. For a Camaro running on chemical reactions and whirring motors, we’re only getting started, suggests GM president Mark Reuss.
Ford certainly raised a few eyebrows when it rebooted the Mustang as the all-electric Mach-E crossover, with many owners of those eyebrows decrying the end of the world, calling for heads on pikes, or both. But the Mach-E has been a somewhat familiar way for Ford to help ease buyers into EVs, even if there’s not much pony-car about it. An EV Camaro won’t be a pony car in the classic sense either, but if Reuss has his way, it absolutely won’t be a crossover.
Speaking to Motor Trend last week, Reuss indicated he wants to see the Camaro return as a car that appeals to all buyers, not just the model’s diehard enthusiasts. We often tend to forget that millions of happy customers were attracted to the look of the Camaro over its multiple generations, rather than what powered it, so Reuss’ focus on a broad appeal makes sense.
Though there has been no mention of a production timeline and details are thin, Reuss said a Camaro EV could be priced in line with the upcoming 2024 Equinox EV, a compact crossover that will start at $34,995. A $7500 federal tax credit would knock that down to a price point below the outgoing entry-level Camaro, which could make an electric Camaro quite compelling for first-time EV shoppers, particularly those less interested in the head-snapping performance of thousand-horsepower equivalents. That said, it’s difficult to imagine we wouldn’t eventually see some sort of hardcore, tire-shredding, track-focused EV Camaro.
Given that two-door car sales are insignificant in today’s market, it is also hard to imagine an all-new Camaro EV would come equipped that way. So, not a crossover and not a coupe. That could leave us with a low-slung four-door, perhaps something from the Porsche Taycan school of sexy EV design? Not a bad option, but since we can’t read Reuss’ mind it could end up a seven-door, double-decker tuk-tuk when all is said and done.
In the meantime, we presume GM will continue to refine the Ultium EV architecture that underpins that upcoming Equinox, as well as the behemoth Hummer EV 3X, in order to package it for whatever the next Camaro might be.
So long as they make it look good, with a pony car bent, an affordable Camaro EV could be a downright electric proposition.
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Take that Equinox platform and do the modern take on the Nova which at least historically was available as a 4-door and sold well. Some design cues from gen 2 Nova could look really good in a modern interpretation.
Save the Camaro name for now. Maybe there is a business case to dust-off the C7 platform and give it a more Camaro-ish body look? This could appeal to the hardcore Camaro crowd and the traditional Vette audience that aren’t loving mid-engine. And keep doing mid-engine.
Give it retro 80s third gen IROC style and the GenXers will go nuts for them.
Not those one. No ICE, no manual transmission – no sale.
I had 2 different 3rd gens. They were trash.
Should have bought a notch back LX 5.0 instead.
In a radio interview before the intro of the 5th gen, Mark Reuss repeatedly mispronounced “Camaro”. He’s a good old boy that brought back an icon as a bloated, over engineered expensive mini-Corvette, in a segment that favored affordability.
If he is involved in a Camaro EV, count on it being worse, yet polished up real nice.
With exception of the Corvette, he is toxic to the GM portfolio.
First drop the EV. Second get away from the Retro deal it is played out.
The present car is bring out sold by the Corvette by a wide margin. many of the people who would buy the new Camaro just pay a little more for the C8.
Even as Electric it would difficult to get the price down too much as battery cost are still high.
What is interesting is the ad in Car and Driver. They have an ad for a new Trans Am. GM said it was not them and Car and Driver said it was not them. Is it marketing testing some thing? GM would have to know who is doing it as it used their Screaming Chicken and their Pontiac name.
Insiders say a coupe is being tested in a wind tunnel.
GM also needs a new model for NASCAR and Australian Touring Car.
Not sure who is thinking what or doing what but it will be worth watching as something is going on based on these comments ant the needs of the racing series.
They real key is cost and that is one giant mountain to climb in this day and age where the average car can be all most $50K
The Trans Am advertisement was a joke. It was defined as a joke in the fine print. I saw it.
No convertible, no sale.
I don’t mind EVs on principle, that principle being an alternative and a choice of propulsion.
What I do mind is the global warming lie behind it and the government subsidies and coersion (with borrowed money) artificially keeping it afloat.
If only we had the same resolve to promote and encourage domestic manufacturing. That would provide real benefit to the country and the environment.
A Mustang is a 2 door gas powered car. Electric and 4 doors is NOT a Mustang. Same with Camaro. I don’t care if they put an electric motor in a look alike body, just leave off the iconic names.
EV, no way. Won’t consider it. A more liveable interior that does not feel like being in a bunker and better interior and I would have considered the Camaro. The last two gen cars have been great driving cars I would not dare try to live with. An EV, forget it I want a V8 or a supercharged / turbocharged V8.
My guess is they are not gearing it towards crabby old men living in the past, but toward younger people not afraid of newer, more forward thinking technology. Same with the Cybertruck. You are not their target market.
GM hasn’t got the memo that the EV is dead.
“Affordable, fun, Camaro” reminds me of the ’73 Z/28 I ordered & bought for $4,117.29 out the door, in ’73 Dollars after a business-related discount. Fat chance of that happening again. Another car I should have held onto…
I agree with Reuss – don’t make it an SUV/CUV. I don’t care if it’s electric – for me that’s a plus, even if others disagree.
I. Just. Don’t. Want. An. SUV.
My wife and I are sort-of shopping for a new car. We agree that buying CPO is a good approach. Last weekend we strolled around a couple dealer lots; I came away quite disappointed. One of the dealers was an Acura shop. On their used car lot, with maybe 40 or so vehicles, there were four – four! – actual “cars” (a BMW 3 Series, a Camry, an Accord and an Acura something or other).
I just can’t.
I think that TIME has proven GM incapable of managing success. I never thought I’d be anything other than a GM guy….but the only GM cars I own are older than 50 years old. I’m not saying there weren’t good GM cars since then but….other than Corvette, they don’t exist today. Cadilac is the ONLY chance for GM and they will muck it up if they EV them too.
EVSNOT4ME
Same boat.
GM has some bright spots, but by and large they have a box, everything must fit in it, and anything outside the box isn’t considered. They called that a “paradigm” when I was in Engineering school and beat it into our little skulls full of mush that paradigms were bad.
I’ll still occasionally browse a GM website when we are searching for a new vehicle, but they consistently don’t have anything that fits our needs. So, we buy from other companies. Ten times in nearly 25 years. In fact, most folks back home in Flyover Farm country have plenty of square bodies next to the barn and late model Super Duties and Rams in service.
GM, Mary, and Mark Reuss are detached from reality.
OK, so they want to build more EV’s, fine. It’s all in the name of appeasing the EPA and chasing market capitalization. But I am against GM squandering yet another storied legacy nameplate to build another electric 4 door, lifted transportation appliance. Let’s just choose a new name, and let the Camaro name rest as it is. I’d rather remember it going out on a high note.
My thoughts exactly. I bought a new ‘77 Z28 when I was 20 years old and could afford it. Define an “affordable” Camaro in this day and age for a 19/20 year old.
My first new car was a 1978 Camaro. 305 V8 automatic, Rallye wheels, spoiler, cloth seats and console. I was 19 years old. And I could afford it. I can hardly afford a 5 year old Camaro right now. That’s is what is killing it. An EV Camaro will not be “affordable”, as none of them are. Good luck with this idea.
I have a great marketing idea for GM. Make a rear and all wheel drive gas powered 2 door and call it the Camaro. With the Corvette finally mid engined, like it should have been years ago, and the Firebird long gone, and the Dodge Challenger line gone a good chunk of the Camaro’s competition is gone. The Mustang is getting heavier and less pretty every year this car would sell in decent numbers without destroying its credibility( like you did with the Blazer name). Or you could make it 4 door, electric, or SUV and get some immediate and brief sales success from all of the fad chasers until they move on in 2 years and leave you high and dry.
Either make it look like a 1st or 2nd generation Camaro but a little updated Like Dodge did with the Challenger. Make it gas powered. You have the market to yourselves with Challenger not in production any longer.