The Chevy Camaro is one of the most iconic cars in American history, and it’s stuck around for a long time. Like any other car, Chevy ultimately cares about how well the Camaro sells, and it’s not selling well right now. Here’s a look at the Camaro’s steep and steady decline in sales that doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.

The Chevy Camaro has more than a pandemic problem

Like most automakers, the Camaro didn’t do well during the pandemic. The Camaro’s pandemic story was pretty similar to everyone else. In March and April, the economy crashed, and car sales took a steep dive. Not that long after, the Camaro saw some improvement after the initial crash in sales. However, the Camaro’s sales problems continue to persist. 

According to The Drive, the Camaro’s sales were “utterly collapsing” during the pandemic. In the second quarter of 2020, Chevy sold a mere 6,675 Camaros. However, Chevy was unable to stop the bleeding, despite other cars selling very well during the recovery phase of the pandemic. The Drive wrote that, in the second quarter of 2021, Chevy only sold 2,792 Camaros. 

This is less than half of the Camaros that Chevy sold at the same time last year. GM Authority wrote that this was a 58.17% drop in sales compared to last year. The Camaro’s year-to-date numbers are a bit better, but they’re still not good. By this time in 2020, Chevy had sold about 13,860 Camaros. So far in 2021, Chevy’s only sold about 9,881 Camaros. This represents a 28.71% drop in year-to-date sales compared to 2020.

Why is the Chevy Camaro’s sales collapsing?

The Drive wrote it’s probably not an issue with the segment. Other muscle cars, such as the Ford Mustang and the Dodge Challenger, have continued to sell well. The Drive said that, in the second quarter of 2021, both the Challenger and the Mustang had sold about 15,000 units each. Combined, they represent 91% of the segment. For comparison, the Camaro represented 21% of the segment last year.

There are many explanations for the Camaro’s decline, and one of the bigger factors was the chip shortage. Since the Camaro isn’t as popular as a truck or an SUV, the Drive wrote that Chevy might have prioritized chips for trucks and SUVs instead. According to GM Authority, the Camaro may not be popular because GM hasn’t advertised it as much. But, one other possible explanation has to do with the Camaro itself. 

GM Authority said that the Camaro’s sales might have suffered due to its “less-than-optimal cabin visibility, a lackluster dash, and instrument panel design, sub-par interior material quality.” Those weren’t the only issues with the Camaro. For instance, GM Authority said that the latest generation of the Camaro had “little differentiation” from the last generation. 

The Camaro’s future

When a car’s sales start dropping every quarter, that’s usually bad news. It almost always means that the automaker will kill the car. But, due to how iconic the Camaro is, that’s not extremely likely. Chevy will probably continue the Camaro, but changes will happen.

The Drive wrote that, according to rumors, Chevy would keep this generation of the Camaro going until 2026. As such, Chevy has a lot of time to improve on the Camaro. On the other hand, GM Authority thinks that Chevy may offer more incentives for the Camaro. GM Authority also said that Chevy might try advertising the Camaro more.

That said, the Camaro will still have a future in NASCAR. In fact, it’s currently one of the next-gen cars that NASCAR is testing.