When we think of modern muscle cars, one that comes to mind is the Chevrolet Camaro. Alongside of course the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger and Charger. But the Camaro hasn’t done well in recent years, especially in 2022. In fact, it's lagged behind the Mustang and those from Dodge when it comes to sales. And it feels like Chevrolet has all but given up on their muscle car classic. Chevrolet just can’t bring in the buyers for the Camaro.
Couple that with the fact that Ford and Dodge seem more interested in future-proofing their own muscle cars, and it is little wonder the Camaro is doing badly. The 2022 Chevrolet Camaro saw a big drop in sales. It is sad to see a former king of the modern muscle car world effectively be quietly moved into the background.
The 2022 Camaro Fails To Pull In Potential Buyers Anymore
For whatever reason, Chevrolet hasn’t managed to pull in the sales for the Camaro recently. More so in the last year or two. In 2022, it was the Dodge Challenger that was the most popular muscle car pulling in most of the muscle car sales at 55,060 sold. The Ford Mustang meanwhile was a respectable second with 47,566 deliveries across 2022. Then came the Camaro sales and oh boy are they bad. The Camaro managed just 24,652 deliveries across 2022. Although in good news, this was a 12.6% increase over the 21,893 of 2021.
While the Challenger ran away in the sales race, the Mustang did pull in good numbers, yet the Camaro simply didn’t pull in the customers. This despite an increase on 2021 sales. Some of this is perhaps down to the Camaro feeling stale ever since the sixth-generation was first introduced in 2016. But there is also the fact that recent model years have had numerous complaints. The 2017 Camaro for example had 128 complaints which builds up a reputation that’s got carried over into the 2022 model.
Has Chevrolet Given Up On The Iconic Camaro?
For all the talk about electrification coming to the automotive world, Ford and Dodge are at least trying to safeguard their muscle cars. For example, the 2024 Mustang is a big leap over the previous model in terms of the design, trim levels and engine choices. Dodge meanwhile of course launched the Charger Daytona SRT concept. This effectively showed us the electric future of the muscle car. Plus, the fact that Stellantis are serious about preserving muscle cars, in a very different form. And of course with the Camaro, Chevrolet have done absolutely nothing.
Various reports have said that Chevrolet will discontinue the Camaro after 2023. But there is no evidence to suggest they will do a Dodge and bring in an electric model. They certainly won’t be doing a Ford and bring in an all-new generation for the next few years. Other than a potential farewell edition coming to bid adieu, it looks like the Camaro is going to bid a pretty quiet farewell to the muscle car world. Clearly, they are doing something wrong as their rivals plan on how they can keep muscle cars in their lineups for the future.
Ford And Dodge Will Keep The Muscle Car Alive
Ford of course launched the 2024 Mustang in the latter half of 2022 and it was certainly well received. As possibly the last generation Mustang to feature an ICE engine, Ford produced something with a refined design over the last generation. It gave us hope that traditional muscle cars do have even longer. When the time comes for tradition to end then it looks like EVs are the way forward, the Charger Daytona SRT giving us a glimpse into that future. At least two of the muscle car manufacturers are making sure their models thrive.
Those other muscle cars offer an extra level of practicality that the Camaro seemingly can’t offer. The Charger in fact sold some 80,365 units in 2022 which was certainly an impressive figure. Since 2016 however, Camaro sales have fallen by 98.7%. A huge drop in the numbers.
Chevrolet’s Camaro Looks Set For A Quiet Exit
It very much looks like the Camaro is set for a quiet and dignified exit come the end of its run. Or should we say, undignified? Chevrolet are very much looking to have simply thrown in the towel with the Camaro. Poor sales, a lack of any major change in the last few years and the most lackluster attempts to revive its fortunes have all contributed to the downfall of the Camaro. It feels a little weird to say this, but the Camaro is no longer a king of the modern muscle car world. That is very much taken by the Ford Mustang and the stablemates of Dodge.
Sources: Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, NHTSA