Zac Quinn 
The rumors of a Chevrolet Camaro EV are back, but just how serious are they? GM President Mark Reuss was recently cited in a report that thinks it’s a good idea. According to the report, a Camaro EV would not a high horsepower muscle car, but rather a step back to the Camaro’s roots, where it initially offered broad appeal to consumers at a low price. But that’s not all, as Ford CEO Jim Farley also has plans for the Mustang, contemplating the possibility of a V8 Sedan that could offer greater appeal to the masses than the two-door performance car we have today.
Camaro EV: Could It Happen?
Starting with the Camaro EV, the car itself could have a similar price tag to that of the 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV compact crossover, which has a starting price of $34,995. Sure, that’s not much cheaper than the base 2024 Chevrolet Camaro LT1, but as Motor Trend points out, when factoring in the $7,500 federal tax credit (which may or may not exist by this hypothetical point in time), the price drops to $27,495, which would make this hypothetical EV pretty affordable.
For some reason, Motor Trend is using an electric family SUV as a reference point to form the narrative around an electric Camaro, which shows you just how much of a stretch this narrative is, and the story didn’t even provide a quote from Reuss, making it unclear what he actually said. Perhaps a better reference point of a starting MSRP would be, oh, maybe the Ford Mustang? Looking downmarket, the Mazda MX-5 Miata and Toyota GR86 sports cars hover just under the $30,000 USD mark. But are way, way down on power (and size) compared to what the Camaro has historically offered.
In our opinion, making the Camaro even smaller probably wouldn’t pay off in sales. Chevy tried that with the sixth-gen from the fifth-gen, and despite performance improvements, customers simply pulled away, while the Dodge Charger and Challenger muscle cars saw sales growth at the Camaro’s expense. Speaking of electric muscle cars, Dodge actually took the risk and will soon begin production of an all-electric Charger, but sentiment hasn’t been the warmest, to say the least, while the hairy-chested brand image of Dodge may keep new customers away.
Of course, all of this hinges on significant growth in EV adoption and demand. Currently, it’s simply not there for GM, despite strong offerings like the newly-launched Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, and others. This means that with such low volume, an “affordable” Camaro EV, as unappealing as that sounds, remains out of near-to-medium term reality.
What about a Camaro hybrid? It’s been on the table before, but again, it’s not likely to be as affordable as people would like.
Ford Mustang Sedan Rumors Return
Regarding two additional doors, Ford CEO Jim Farley recently spoke with Autocar about potential Mustang variants and specifically mentioned a possible sedan version. It’s already clear the company isn’t afraid of experimenting with its iconic flagship with the introduction of the Mach-E, and given how successful and beneficial that endeavor turned out to be, the possible Mustang sedan could also be a hit. However, unlike the possible Chevrolet Camaro EV, Ford won’t make this Mustang Sedan an electric vehicle. Instead, it would be powered by a V8 engine and could offer either two pedals or three, depending on what the customer decides to order.
Compared to the Camaro EV rumors, a Mustang Sedan powered by an internal combustion engine feels more likely. However, it’s unclear if it could work with the current Mustang’s architecture. Globally, Ford offered a V8 sedan under the Ford Falcon name, utilizing the Ford E8 platform, but it was largely exclusive to the Australian market, and has been discontinued since 2018. The S650 Mustang, like the S550 before it, uses what’s called the Ford D2C platform, and we have yet to see a sedan come from this architecture. It’s possible that Ford is looking at the CD6 platform for this, which underpins the Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator, and are built out of the Chicago Assembly plant in Illinois.
Farley seems enthusiastic about the idea, and so are we. All it takes is a glance at the previous generation Dodge Charger to see just how successful a four-door V8-powered muscle car can be.
