Along with the Ford Mustang, the Chevrolet Camaro led to the rise of “muscle cars” in the United States.
The Camaro is one of those budget sports cars that deliver an astonishing performance at an affordable price.
This article contains several must-know statistics about the Chevrolet Camaro models.
You’ll get sales figures, CO2 emissions rates, theft figures, and many more. Let’s dive into it!
Table of Contents
How Many Chevrolet Camaro Have Been Sold in the US Per Year?
The Camaro debuted way back in 1965 and has posted decent sales over the course of its production history.
Asides the Ford Mustang, the Chevrolet Camaro is perhaps one of the bestselling American-made sports cars.
Coming into the new millennium, sales of the Camaro dropped for some reason. This continued until General Motors stopped manufacturing the Camaro in 2002.
However, GM’s redesign of the Camaro in 2008 yielded results, particularly in terms of sales.
Coming off a seven-year production hiatus, the Camaro saw annual sales climb to 81,229 models in the second year after its re-introduction in 2009.
The next year saw GM sell 88,249 Camaros in 2011, which is the highest number of Camaros sold in one year.
GM would go on to sell an average of more than 80,000 models per year for the next four years.
While Camaro sales have peaked, the beloved muscle car is still selling in considerable numbers.
Before we dive into the sales numbers for each year you should check out our list of the good and bad years for Chevrolet Camaro.
Here is a table showing annual sales figures for individual Camaro model years:
Year | No. of Units Sold |
1996 | 66,896 |
1997 | 55,973 |
1998 | 47,577 |
1999 | 40,726 |
2000 | 42,131 |
2001 | 35,453 |
2002 | 28,404 |
2003 | 127 |
2004 | 1,124 |
2005 | – |
2006 | – |
2007 | – |
2008 | – |
2009 | 61,648 |
2010 | 81,229 |
2011 | 88,249 |
2012 | 84,391 |
2013 | 80,567 |
2014 | 86,297 |
2015 | 77,502 |
2016 | 72,705 |
2017 | 67,940 |
2018 | 50,963 |
2019 | 48,265 |
2020 | 29,775 |
What Year Did the Chevrolet Start the Camaro Model?
The Chevrolet Camaro started production in September 1966 for the 1967 model year.
In releasing the Camaro, Chevrolet hoped to compete with the wildly successful Ford Mustang.
The similarity between the Camaro and the Mustang at inception was quite strong.
For example, the Camaro had the same rear-wheel-drive and front-engine layout found on the earlier Mustangs.
Chevrolet has offered the Camaro in the same configurations since the model’s debut in 1967.
Buyers can get the Camaro either as a sport coupe (with 2+2 seating) or as a convertible. Both models have always used RWD and a collection of V8 and V6 engines.
As said earlier, Chevrolet stopped production of the Camaro in 2002, starting a hiatus that lasted until the 2009 model year.
This was due to a drop in demand for sport coupes like the Camaro and factory issues.
Chevrolet later restarted production of the Camaro at its Oshawa, Ontario, Canada factory in 2008.
Since then, production of the Camaro has continued unbroken to this day.
Here are all generations of the Chevrolet Camaro:
- First generation (1967-1969)
- Second generation (1970-1981)
- Third generation (1982-1992)
- Fourth generation (1993-2002)
- Fifth generation (2010-2015)
- Sixth generation (2016-present)
How Is the Fuel Economy on Chevrolet Camaro?
On a normal day, nobody buys a sports car if fuel economy is a big consideration for them.
However, the Chevrolet Camaro is proof that sports cars don’t have to sacrifice gas mileage for performance.
From what we know, the Camaro’s four-cylinder engine has the best gas mileage in the lineup.
The V6 and V8 engine are more powerful, but you won’t get frugal fuel consumption from them.
The base model is the best option if you don’t want to become a regular visitor to the gas station. In fact, the base model is great for daily driving, since fuel costs are manageable.
The next best option in terms of fuel consumption is the Camaro’s 3.6L V6 engine; you’ll get at least 22 mpg (combined) from any of the V6 engines.
The V8 engines are the furthest from being fuel efficient. So, we’ll advise you to get the v8 only if you’re willing to spend more on fuel for top performance.
Here are gas mileage figures for some 2020 Chevrolet Camaro models (based on EPA estimates):
Model | City/Highway MPG | Combined MPG |
Chevrolet Camaro 2.0L V4 | 22/31 | 25 |
Chevrolet Camaro 3.6L V6 | 19/29 | 22 |
Chevrolet Camaro 6.2L V8 | 16/27 | 20 |
Chevrolet Camaro 6.2L V8 (Supercharger) | 13/21 | 16 |
How Quickly Does Chevrolet Camaro Depreciate?
Prospective buyers will be thrilled to know that the Camaro has some of the best resale values in the sports car market.
Demand for the Camaro remains strong due to the model’s offering of strong performance at a low price point. This means owners can sell their pre-owned Camaros at high prices, without depreciation affecting vehicle value greatly.
The 5-year depreciation rate of an average Camaro is 44%. Thus, your Camaro should hold about 56% of its value even after it has undergone five years of use.
J.D. Power rates the Chevy Camaro as one of few sports cars with good resale values. The Camaro was part of the top three models on J.D. Power’s 2020 list of “midsize sporty cars” with the best resale values.
Only the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger have better depreciation rates.
Did Chevrolet Recall Any of the Camaro Models?
Chevrolet has issued 41 recalls for the Camaro since it started production of the models in 1967.
Among the Camaro model years, the 1984 and 1986 models have the highest recalls (7).
When buying a used Camaro, check if there are any recalls for it. Then ask the owner if he has had the recall-related issues fixed.
For the most part, recalls have declined for the Camaro models in recent years. This goes to show that the reliability of the Camaro models has improved.
Here is a table showing recalls for the Camaro since the 1996 model year:
Model Year | No. of Recalls |
1996 | 5 |
1997 | 6 |
1998 | 4 |
1999 | 5 |
2000 | 4 |
2001 | 4 |
2002 | 5 |
2010 | 3 |
2011 | 3 |
2012 | 5 |
2013 | 3 |
2014 | 4 |
2015 | 2 |
2016 | 1 |
2017 | 1 |
2020 | 1 |
How Much Do the Camaro Models Pollute?
Pollution statistics vary wildly on the Camaro models, since fuel consumption varies.
The more efficient models have average pollution figures while the less-efficient variant are the big, bad pollution monsters.
Using Chevrolet’s standard 2.0L V4 engine is the way to go if you want to reduce your carbon footprint while driving the Camaro.
The bigger V6 engine also has reasonable carbon emissions (for a sports car).
The V8 Supercharger models consume the most fuel and have the highest emissions in the lineup.
We don’t think you have any business racing the V8 Camaro if you’re concerned about reducing environmental pollution.
Here are pollution figures for some of the 2020 Camaro models:
Model | Greenhouse Gas Emissions | Emissions Rating |
Chevrolet Camaro 2.0L V4 | 353 grams per mile | 5/10 |
Chevrolet Camaro 3.6L V6 | 397 grams per mile | 5/10 |
Chevrolet Camaro 6.2L V8 | 451 grams per mile | 4/10 |
Chevrolet Camaro 6.2L V8 (Supercharger) | 571 grams per mile | 2/10 |
How Much Can the Chevrolet Camaro Models Tow?
The Camaro is a small sports car, so it doesn’t have the towing capacity of bigger vehicles like trucks and SUVs. In fact, it is advisable not to tow anything with the Camaro.
But, if it’s necessary to tow with your Camaro, keep it at 1000 lbs or lower.
Do NOT attempt to tow above the limit, as the transmission and engine could overheat and fail.
How Reliable Is a Chevrolet Camaro?
Given the Camaro’s pedigree, its poor reliability is quite surprising.
The vehicle even made a 2020 Consumer Reports’ list of the least reliable models on the market.
In a similar vein, RepairPal rates the Camaro badly on the reliability front. The Camaro gets a barely above average reliability rating of 3.5/5.0 and ranks 21st out 24 midsize cars for reliability.
Even J.D. Power doesn’t think the Camaro is reliable as well, giving it a dismal 2/5 predicted reliability rating.
The poor reliability ratings for the Camaro should signal that reliability is not its strongest suit.
The silver lining in all of this is that maintenance cost on the Camaro is not particularly exorbitant.
Per RepairPal, annual maintenance costs of the average Camaro should be around $585.
While this is higher than the average for midsize cars ($541), it is still lower than the average for all vehicles ($719).
Please also read our article about cars with great ambient lighting.
How Safe Is a Chevrolet Camaro?
Whether you’ll be using your Camaro as a daily driver or racing it, you’d want to be certain the car has decent safety performance.
Based on our research, the Chevrolet Camaro is incredibly safe to drive.
The 2020 Camaro was awarded an excellent five-star safety rating after performing well on various crash tests.
It also received an overall score of ‘Good’ from the IIHS, getting impressive results on most of the IIHS tests.
Besides, the Chevy Camaro also has a sturdy frame that increases stability and safety.
Then there are other advanced safety features designed to keep passengers safe while driving. These include:
- Forward collision alert
- Lane change alert
- Teen driver technology
- Side blind zone alert
- Rear traffic cross alert
If you love muscle cars, make sure to check out our article about how long the Ford Mustang lasts.
What Is the Typical Buyer Demographic For this Model?
According to J.D. Power, the Camaro is particularly popular with females, which makes it an oddity in the midsize sporty coupe segment.
Also, Camaro buyers, with a median age of 50 years, are younger than other buyers in the segment who have a median age of 52 years.
Another difference between midsize sporty coupe buyers and Camaro buyers—the latter are slightly more affluent.
The average Camaro buyer has a median annual household income of $106,686 while that of the average buyer in the segment in $105,910.
Other things to know about the Camaro’s buyer demographic is that they think practicality and fuel economy are necessary considerations when buying a vehicle.
They also want a versatile vehicle that can satisfy their needs—a shared trait with other segment buyers.
Make sure to also read our article about great cars with push-button to start.
Chevrolet Theft Numbers
We have compiled theft-related data for the Chevrolet Camaro models from 1990 to 2014. All the data is from the NHTSA Theft Rate Database
Year | No. of Models |
1990 | 288 |
1991 | 159 |
1992 | 422 |
1993 | 93 |
1994 | 93 |
1995 | 428 |
1996 | 495 |
1997 | 270 |
1998 | 159 |
1999 | 123 |
2000 | 177 |
2001 | 193 |
2002 | 121 |
2010 | 190 |
2011 | 196 |
2012 | 249 |
2013 | 258 |
2014 | 295 |
References
https://carsalesbase.com/us-chevrolet-camaro/
https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/chevrolet/camaro/2020/reliability

