WHY OUR 2024 CHEVROLET CAMARO SUV "IROC-E" DIGITAL CONCEPT WOULD LEAVE FORD'S MUSTANG MACH-E IN THE DUST
Big changes are afoot at General Motors these days. It plans to transition all of its brands, including Chevrolet, to making only electric vehicles by 2035. One step forward in implementing the Bowtie's plan is the Blazer EV, which will be available this summer.
Meanwhile, the last gas-only Chevrolet Camaro will roll out of the factory early next year, leaving a muscle car-shaped gap in the line-up. Assuming that the Blazer EV lacks performance and that the new gas-powered Corvette SUV won't see daylight until late 2024, a question remains. Will there be a Chevy EV SUV that can put the Ford Mustang Mach-E in its place?
An ingenious answer comes from HotCars artist Rostislav Prokop, who has designed a 2024 Chevrolet Camaro EV SUV "IROC-E" concept. This render is a tip of the hat to the outgoing Camaro while meeting the need for a Chevy SUV that will challenge the Mach-E on its own turf.
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A Four Door Chevrolet Camaro SUV Dubbed The "IROC-E"
When it comes to designing a Chevy that can chase down the Mustang Mach-E, Prokop's Camaro hits the sweet spot. Like the Mach-E, its heritage reaches back to the heyday of muscle cars. Yet this Chevy is free of the Blazer EV's utilitarian K5-to-crossover lineage. And, from a practical standpoint, it's not the luxury performance SUV we expect the 2025 Corvette SUV will be.
Instead, this SUV wears the familiar, sleekly muscular look of the soon-to-be-departed 2024 Camaro, with a sloping nose and an attitudinous chin spoiler. Its slit-like headlights and taillights also echo the coupe. The beefy shoulder line leads back to a rear quarter window that kicks up to a small but aggressively-angled rear spoiler at the roofline.
Look Out Mach-E, This IROC-E Is More Than A Dad Cab
Those with a need for speed would appreciate the IROC-E's dual-motor power, which would make 600 hp and could do 0 to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds. This output beats out the Mach-E GT's 480 hp and 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, putting the power of Prokop's SUV more in line with the much-vaunted, 456-hp Tesla Model Y or the quick 578-hp Kia EV6.
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It would be easy to imagine this special Camaro as a daily driver, but it's also one that punches well above its weight. If Chevrolet ever decides to produce an EV SUV like this, Ford and even Tesla would really need to step up their game.