Pony Cars’ Ranks Thin as 6th-Gen Camaro Bows Out
While production is to end in January 2024, the 6th-gen Camaro will continue participating in NASCAR and other motorsports series, Chevrolet says.
The roster of American muscle cars grows shorter as Chevrolet announces production of the sixth-generation Camaro will end in January 2024.
The announcement follows Dodge’s unveiling of the ’23 Challenger SRT Demon (pictured, below), the final version of the Stellantis brand’s Last Call series of Challenger models. Dodge also is discontinuing the Charger this year as it renovates and retools the Canadian factory where both muscle cars are built to produce electrified models.
That leaves the Ford Mustang as the last of the original high-performance, rear-wheel-drive pony cars introduced in the 1960s and 1970s by the then-Big Three automakers – General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. The Challenger is in its third generation after being re-introduced in 2008 as a rival to the fifth-generation Mustang and Camaro.
Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170
All three nameplates saw sales decline as Americans turned away from sedans in favor of CUVs and SUVs and electrified vehicles began to penetrate the market. Camaro deliveries slipped from 50,963 in 2018 to 24,652 in 2022, according to Wards Intelligence data. Challenger sales held up better, falling from 66,716 in 2018 to 55,060 last year; Mustang went from 75,842 in 2018 to 47,566 four years later.
Chevrolet hints the 6th-gen Camaro, on the market for the past nine years, is not the end of the line for the nameplate.
“While we are not announcing an immediate successor today, rest assured, this is not the end of Camaro’s story,” Scott Bell, vice president, Global Chevrolet, says in a news release.
The Lansing, MI-built Camaro will continue to compete in motorsports including NASCAR, IMSA, SRO and NHRA and the Supercars Championship.
“Chevrolet’s products and our relationship with our customers benefit from motorsports,” says Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president, Performance and Motorsports. “Our plan is to continue to compete and win at the highest levels of auto racing.”
Chevrolet will pay homage to the nameplate by offering a Collector’s Edition package on the ’24 Camaro RS and SS, and on a limited number of ZL1-equipped vehicles available in North America. More information on the ’24 Camaro line and Collector’s Edition package will be released closer to the start of orders this summer.
Other performance cars discontinued for 2023 include the Acura NSX, Ford GT and Lamborghini Aventador.
Ford Mustang-23
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