The Auto Writer

Has The Camaro SS Been Canceled?

If you want to strike fear into the hearts of Chevy Camaro enthusiasts, all you have to do is mutter the word canceled and bedlam breaks out.  But, who can blame them?

Many a Camaro fan has been nervously watching the fortunes of General Motors slip with one eye while keeping their focus on the pending release of the revived Camaro with their other eye, giving themselves one big headache in the process.

Clearly, the news from the RenCen in Detroit has been gloomy these past few months, casting doubt into the minds of many that General Motors will be around much longer. The automaker is prepared to ditch Saab, Saturn and Hummer and has plans to trim Pontiac to a stump. Though the company seems ready to support Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC you can’t help wonder how these brands will fare going forward.

High Performance Is Going, Going, Gone

Last week’s news that GM was scrapping its High Performance Output Vehicle operation (HPOV) sent a chill through the auto world. Gone will be a bunch of specialty models outfitted with souped up engines, sport trim and the like, cars like the Cadillac CTS-V, Chevy Cobalt SS and the Pontiac G8 GXP. With the Camaro set to debut on March 17th, what does this news mean for the future of the Camaro SS?

Given the precarious position of GM, the Camaro SS will roll out as planned as long as GM plans to stand with the Camaro. So far, we have every reason to believe that the Camaro will roll out on schedule and the high performance version will be among the models available for sale.

Maybe Five Years For The Camaro SS

What we can deduce from GM’s announcement is that the Camaro SS will remain around as long as the newest generation Camaro is in production. If GM returns to health and the Camaro does well, then the Camaro SS should be available through model year 2014. By 2015, the next generation Camaro should be rolled out, minus the SS.

Of course, it is way to early to tell where GM is going given that the company only submitted its recovery plan to the federal government last week.  General Motors (and Chrysler) are sailing in unchartered waters, therefore there is no guarantee that any particular division or model will survive for the long term.

So if it is a Camaro SS you want, then I’d make my purchase sooner rather than later. No one could have forecast that GM would be in its current plight just a few months ago, with few of us able to imagine where the company will be in the weeks, months and years ahead.