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IS GM CRAZY ENOUGH TO MAKE A CAMARO SUV?

Thankfully, We Have Contrary Details

Camaro SUV rendering Chevrolet

It’s perhaps an overdue move to expand the Corvette into a family of vehicles – an idea said to be worth $12 billion USD. But leave it to some of the more spreadsheet-driven decision makers over at General Motors to possibly abuse such a concept. The latest word is that GM is looking at taking the Camaro name (yes, the Chevy muscle car going away after 2023) and expanding into a brand all its own to include an electric SUV in the future. The same report also claims that a Cadillac Escalade brand expansion is in the works, and could include everything from a luxurious Land Cruiser fighter to a minivan-type vehicle for China.

Did April Fool’s Day move to December?

Speaking of, I once wrote a tongue-in-cheek article on April 1st several years ago in a previous life about Escalade becoming a brand of vehicles. At the time, the folks at Cadillac didn’t seem too enthused, as people apparently believed it. Was I simply predicting the future? Planting a seed of inspiration to eventually bear fruit? Suppose I’ll never tell, and GM would never credit me regardless. But I’m also not about to declare such a story some sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. Yet.

General Motors SUV Cadillac LT4 Supercharged V8 ICE internal combustion engine
Image copyright Mattheus Pach, Muscle Cars & Trucks

Camaro Brand, Escalade Brand: What’s Really Happening

According to our intel – which has delivered time, and time again – there is nothing to immediately corroborate the notion that General Motors is going to expand the Chevrolet Camaro nameplate into a brand, or the Cadillac Escalade into a brand. It’s possible that some interesting proposals are at work deep in the GM Design Studio, but that doesn’t mean that plans have solidified any further than that. It’s also possible that GM is “evaluating” such an idea, but such a strategy shift remains fluid at the time of this writing.

So, Camaro fans, rest easy for now. There doesn’t appear to be a Camaro SUV or sedan in the works. Cadillac Escalade enthusiasts: there isn’t an Escalade minivan that’s been green-lit for production just yet. As for you Corvette curmudgeons out there: you’ll soon be seeing an electric sedan with a cross-flagged logo on it, followed by an electric Corvette SUV. It’s for your own good.

Perhaps seeing the success of the Ford Bronco brand is keeping Chevy up at night. After all, Ford resurrected a beloved nameplate, did so correctly (unlike the Blazer), and expanded that nameplate to include a more entry-level product with the Bronco Sport. And also includes those customers in brand events like the Bronco Off Roadeo.

Or, perhaps coming back from an auto show in the dystopia of Los Angeles which celebrated simulacrum (a “sporty” Prius and an “off-road” Porsche 911), GM marketers may be left dizzy with post-modernist assumptions that vehicles and nameplates are simply “blank slates” that can be molded and crafted as their unearned sense of genius sees fit. It’s truly a strange time for the automotive industry.

Here’s a better idea than a Camaro SUV: bring back Pontiac.

Corvette SUV GM Design Electric Vehicle

Written by Manoli Katakis

Muscle Cars & Trucks was founded by Manoli Katakis - an automotive media veteran that has been covering the latest car news since 2009. His journalism has uncovered dozens of major product changes, updates, plans, and cancellations long before automakers were ready to make things official.

Some highlights over the years of his reporting include the uncovering of the Zora trademark before anybody else reported on the coming of a mid-engine Corvette, as well as the dead-accurate reporting of the coming of the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, two years before it hit the market, and even before the debut of the concept vehicle. This type of reporting has immediately continued here, with reports of the original seventh-generation Camaro plans being shelved, as well as what's in store for the Chevrolet Silverado.

Some of his work can be found on massive automotive media outlets, such as Motor1. He also has been a guest on the 910AM Radio Station with Detroit News auto critic Henry Payne, as well as the enthusiast-oriented Camaro Show podcast.

Over the years, Manoli has interviewed various automotive industry titans, leaders, and people that make things happen otherwise. These include figureheads such as GM CEO Mary Barra, GM President Mark Reuss, automotive aftermarket icon Ken Lingenfelter, Dodge firebrand Tim Kuniskis, along with various chief engineers of vehicles such as the Ford F-150 & Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro & Corvette, and many more.

At MC&T, Manoli is taking his journalism expertise, deeply planted sources, driving abilities, and automotive industry knowledge to new levels, covering more vehicles and brands than ever before. This is the place where you will continue to read groundbreaking stories about American performance vehicles, pickup trucks, and sport utility vehicles. Here is where you’ll also read insights and quotes from various automotive subject matter experts on the latest relevant products, as well as some of the latest official news from their manufacturers.

Fun facts: he also once beat Corvette Racing driver Tommy Milner in an autocross with a Chevrolet Bolt EV. The biggest vehicle he’s ever driven is a John Deere mining truck. Besides a go-kart, the smallest vehicle he’s driven has been a Hyundai i10. He’s also spent time in the cockpit of various American performance vehicle icons, including the fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, Dodge Challenger Demon, and Ford Mustang GT350R. He has reviewed dozens of trucks, SUVs, and performance vehicles over the years.

One of his favorite new vehicles on the market today happens to be the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison. He is also a card carrying member of the Sports Car Club of America, and regularly participates in Detroit Region autocross events.

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