A year ago we would have laughed. Even a few months ago we said “no way.” Now? After seeing this sketch from GM Design we think that Chevy really is considering a Camaro SUV. At least it is worth considering, right? So here it is. Now that the Mustang brand has embraced the SUV variant of a sporty Mustang why not? 

The Camaro brand is just not as sacred to Chevy as the Mustang brand is to Ford

The Mustang E-Mach sold out its first year rather quickly with online ordering. We’ll bet that got GM’s attention. And let’s be honest, the Camaro brand is just not as sacred to Chevy as the Mustang brand is to Ford. There was a period where it didn’t even sell a Camaro. And without a Camaro showing up in GM’s plans for assembly plants after 2023 it looks like the Camaro is on the outs.

But what if it just needs to be reimagined? What if that Camaro faithful would rather have an SUV than a two-door coupe in 2022? This sketch was done by Youngho Jung who is the Exterior Design Team Manager at GM Korea. 

Chevy screwed up when it christened its latest whatever crossover as Blazer

Here’s the deal; Chevy screwed up when it christened its latest whatever crossover as Blazer. So now it no longer has that iconic name to call a Bronco fighter. You know, like it did in the 1970s. So where does Chevy look to revive an iconic name to push an SUV? Yeah, that’s why with Camaro cues it is right back in the ballgame that Ford sort of has a hold on right now. 

Let’s imagine this truck with a 6.2-liter V8 packing almost 500 hp? That sounds a lot better than the Trailblazer’s 1.3-liter 155 hp stomach pump, doesn’t it? Or abandon gas-powered internals altogether and go the way the Mach-E has gone. Stuff four electric motors-one for each wheel, to power this beast. 

The electric Camaro SUV plays right into its euphoria over electric vehicles

Going the electric route has not hampered Mach-E sales, so why should it do anything but increase a Camaro SUV’s sales? GM is all-in on electrification. It seems like every press release we get is about one EV or another. Or how GM is doubling down on this synergy or that. This electric Camaro SUV plays right into its euphoria over electric vehicles. 

Time will tell but GM has an iconic brand with the Camaro that it could parlay into an SUV with recognition, hype, and a certain presumption by the public. That presumption is that a Camaro SUV will convey whatever it is that a Camaro coupe is supposed to convey. Maybe it’s muscle, or style, or Chevy heritage? 

Whatever it is GM has an iconic brand name that it won’t use for another sporty couple. That’s because in the 2020s there aren’t coupes. It’s SUVs and pickups all day long. So it can leverage a positively perceived iconic brand and apply it to an SUV.