New Chevy Malibu, Cadillac CT6 to Debut in NY, Camaro Might Not

General Motors announced yesterday that the next generation Chevrolet Malibu will debut next month at the New York International Auto Show and with the new Cadillac CT6 also slated for a Big Apple debut, it has me questioning whether the next generation Camaro will be introduced alongside two other big time debuts.

We all know that the next generation Chevrolet Camaro is coming and while General Motors has shown off shadowy teasers during a few different auto show videos, the automaker really hasn’t had much to say about their newest muscle car. The company has rolled out some press releases recently detailing the history of the Camaro and pointing out that 2015 will be the final model year for the current 5th generation car, so we know that 2016 will bring about a new Camaro – we just don’t know when we will finally get to meet this new muscle car.

When the 6th gen Camaro was a no-show in Detroit, it was rumored that the 2016 Chevy muscle car would debut in Chicago or New York. When the Chicago show opened and closed without any mention of the new Camaro, we were left with just New York as the logical location for the debut of the newest American performance car. We are now forced to reconsider that expectation, as General Motors has announced that the next generation Chevrolet Malibu will debut in New York next month in addition to the new Cadillac CT6.

What We Know for New York
Right now, we know that the next generation Chevrolet Malibu and the all-new Cadillac CT6 large premium luxury sedan will make their grand debut at the 2015 New York International Auto Show. With the Malibu, General Motors is introducing a new version of a strong-selling car in what is arguably the most important car segment in the US market. If you look at the majority of the bestselling cars in America, they are midsized sedans which compete directly with the Chevy Malibu, so this new Malibu is a very big deal for Chevy brand and for GM. On the other hand, the Cadillac CT6 is the first page in the next chapter of the Cadillac saga, introducing a new model name approach with what should be the most impressive large Cadillac sedan ever.

So New York has the next new Chevy in the industry’s most important segment and a luxury sedan that will usher in the next era of the Cadillac brand. These are two major debuts for General Motors and honestly, I have a hard time imagining that GM will add a debut as important and as attention-drawing as the Camaro at the show where they already have major debuts planned.

While it is easy to say “there is no reason that GM cant debut the next gen Camaro alongside the next generation Chevy Malibu and the all-new Cadillac CT6”, but we need to consider the delicate nature of the automotive industry. Every day is a battle to draw attention to your brand and your company and every show is a major battle in the ongoing war. From day to day and show to show, each automaker only has so many big debuts with which to draw the attention of the masses. Since GM is using the new Malibu and the new Cadillac CT6 as their star attractions in New York, they aren’t as likely to also roll out the new Camaro.

What is Next for the Camaro?
if the next generation Chevrolet Camaro does not debut at the 2015 New York International Auto Show, it is hard to imagine where it will finally show its face. GM has made it pretty clear that 2015 will be the final year for the current generation and in today’s automotive climate, a car like the Camaro that is built for the 2016 model year would likely go on sale in August or September and begin reaching owners in November or so. New York is really the last major American auto show until Los Angeles in November, but if they are shooting for a full 2016 model year, waiting until LA would be a very, very late introduction for the 6th gen Camaro.

Unfortunately, right now we are left waiting to see if the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro does indeed join the new Malibu and Cadillac CT6 in New York and if it does not, we will have to start working to figure out what GM has planned for the 6th gen muscle car.