The muscle car market feels like its on the brink of another extinction event. Whether its regulatory pressures, high prices, inflation, constrained supply, or that customers are upgrading to more versatile fun machines like the Ford Bronco and Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, the sales figures tell us that the segment just isn’t what it used to be. That’s especially true for the Camaro nameplate. At one point a sales champion roughly a decade ago, the athletic sports car seems to have fallen out of favor in recent years, with even the more premium Corvette outselling it these days. As it stands, the plans that were in place for the seventh-generation Camaro are no more, as MC&T first reported back in 2019. Moving forward, the Camaro nameplate may be reborn as something that’s a departure from tradition, but those plans are not yet solidified. Even so, the GM Design Instagram page seems to be pulling at our heartstrings once again with what looks like to be a Camaro-based interior with a few significant changes. You can see the image just below:
The most noticeable difference between the production sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro we see today and this GM Design interior sketch is the display screen, which merges driver-centric instrument panel with the infotainment system in the center. We see a similar technique today in the current-generation Cadillac Escalade. Additionally, the steering wheel appears to be adopted from the C8 Corvette, with a pair of downward facing spokes and a “squircle” shape with a flattened top and bottom. The center console is otherwise very sixth-gen Camaro, with cupholders shaded to the right to keep out of the way of a busy arm rowing through the six-speed manual transmission. The low-positioned HVAC exits are also present and accounted for. Rounding out the differences are pull-tabs on the seat bottoms, likely to quickly adjust seating position, and a red switch just aft of the shifter, which looks like an electronic parking brake, but could also cover a repositioned ignition button.
As for whether or not this interior design sketch was destined for a more high-budget refresh of the sixth-generation Camaro, or a seventh-generation Camaro that never was, we’ll likely never know. And this isn’t the first time GM Design teased a very realistic looking Camaro sketch that piqued our interest. Recall what looked like the sixth-generation Camaro Z/28 that never happened? I certainly do.
Maybe this is all subliminal work by designers to keep the Camaro conversation going. Or maybe it’s all circumstantial. Either way, we love to see it. It’s just a shame it’s not real.
Image via GM Design.
