After a few sad decisions in December, the start of 2024 is unlike any other for the American pony and muscle cars sector. Alone, the S650 seventh-generation Ford Mustang is soldiering on with virtually no threats to its existence.
Competition breeds innovation, and innovation usually brings success. Unfortunately, that is not the case anymore for the traditional war between the Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro, and the Dodge Challenger plus Charger. At least for now, that is.
General Motors initially ordained the 2024 Chevy Camaro to end production and send the sixth generation of the iconic pony car into retirement this January. It wasn't meant to be, though – convertibles were dropped from manufacturing in November, and the final coupe was born as a ZL1 in December.
Concurrently, Stellantis also wrapped up the story of the Challenger and Charger this past December, with the final coupe and muscle sedan signaling the end of the Hemi V8 era. We don't know what will happen with the Challenger nameplate going forward, given that a new Charger will adopt the two-door fastback body style and spring to life sometime later this year with EV power and (allegedly) Hurricane inline-six mills under the hood.
Well, at least Dodge will have an answer to the 500-hp Mustang Dark Horse if the upcoming Charger coupe arrives with the Hurricane H/O (high output) sporting 520 or 540 hp like on the Jeep models or the 2025 Ram 1500 lineup, respectively. How about Chevrolet? Officially, the Camaro nameplate is dead but not buried yet – it could come back somewhere sometime.
But for now, nothing is coming for the 2025 model year. Not in the real world, at least. Meanwhile, the imaginative realm of digital car content creators doesn't want to leave the market potential of muscle cars untapped by Chevy. Some pixel masters only have eyes for a Chevelle revival, while others would very much like to see the Impala make a glorious comeback.
Interestingly, Muhammad Maulana, the virtual artist behind the 'TalkWheels' channel on YouTube, presents us with his vision for Camaro's mightier replacement that mixes and matches the Chevelle and Impala into just one thing – a two-door muscle car labeled 'Impala Finale.' It's pretty easy to understand the desiderate – it has two doors like the Camaro but a larger footprint like the Impala and a brawny AI-designed attitude like a Chevelle.
Even better, the pixel master envisions this Chevy Impala Finale revival as the unofficial beginning of a new era by making the design project the template for a hypothetical muscle car sporting hybrid power. So, wouldn't it be great to see the Impala return with a detuned powertrain borrowed from the all-new, first-ever C8 Corvette E-Ray?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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