The Chevrolet Camaro‘s comeback as a Holden Commodore SS-style four-door sports sedan fitted with a V8 engine, rear-wheel drive and a manual transmission has reportedly been delayed by about 12 months.
According to GM Authority, the seventh-generation Camaro – which was previously reported to enter production in Michigan in late 2027 for the 2028 model year – is now expected to debut as a 2029 model.
The report says the first ever four-door Camaro will be based on an updated version of General Motors’ Alpha 2 rear-wheel drive architecture, which is also expected to underpin future Cadillac and Buick sedans.
The architecture is designed to accommodate longitudinally mounted engines and rear-wheel drive.
GM has recently unveiled a new 6.7-litre naturally aspirated LS6 V8 for the 2027 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Grand Sport and Grand Sport X.
The new engine produces 535hp (399kW) of power and 520lb-ft (705Nm) of torque, making it the most powerful base engine yet fitted to a production Corvette.
GM has not confirmed the LS6 for the born-again Camaro, but GM Authority has identified it as a potential powertrain for a high-performance version of the new model.
The Corvette pairs the LS6 with a dual-clutch automatic transmission, but GM Authority reports the next Camaro will offer more than one transmission choice, including a manual.
The returning Camaro could go toe-to-toe with a four-door version of its arch-rival, the Ford Mustang, with both muscle cars set to revive the V8-powered sports sedan formula previously offered in Australia by the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon.
The Camaro, a two-door coupe and convertible originally launched for the 1967 model year, was last produced for the 2024 model year. However, Chevrolet said when it announced the end of the sixth-generation model that it was not the end of the Camaro story.
The last Camaro was officially made available in Australia via selected HSV and Holden dealerships in late 2018 after it was converted to right-hand drive by Walkinshaw Automotive.
But sales wrapped up in early 2020 after about 1500 examples were produced – long before the nameplate joined the Ford Mustang in Supercars racing under the motorsport category’s Gen3 regulations in 2023.
The previous Camaro 2SS sold in Australia was powered by a 339kW/617Nm 6.2-litre naturally aspirated LT1 V8. It was available with both a six-speed manual and 10-speed automatic, with the latter priced from $89,190 before on-road costs.
The flagship Camaro ZL1 launched in mid-2019 was fitted with a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 producing 477kW and 881Nm, and was also offered with a six-speed manual. Australian pricing started at $159,990 before on-roads.
The fresh Camaro news comes just days after Ford reportedly revealed a four-door version of the Mustang at a US dealer event earlier this month.
According to Automotive News, Ford told its US dealers it intends to produce a four-door, petrol-powered Mustang. It could go on sale before the end of the decade, although Ford has not yet publicly confirmed any Mustang sedan plans.
A four-door Camaro would echo the layout of Chevrolet SS, the name given to the Australian-built Holden VF Commodore exported to the US from 2013 to 2017.
There is also historical symmetry on the Ford side: the original 1964 Mustang shared significant underpinnings and components with the US-market Ford Falcon, which was released in North America and Australia in 1960.
Neither the new Camaro nor the four-door Mustang has been officially confirmed by GM or Ford for Australian showrooms, and it remains unclear whether either new V8 sedan will be produced in right-hand drive.
But while the Camaro has never been produced in RHD ex-factory, the Mustang has been a global model for two generations now, starting with the sixth-generation S550-series in 2015.