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Volvo: Safety Beyond the Star RatingsEscalade, Corvette, and Camaro to Become GM Sub-Brands
GM looks to shake things up by gracing their most popular nameplates with their own sub-brands.
It’s All in the Name
The automotive industry’s recent spate of nostalgia-heavy marketing has given us a new Bronco, a new Integra, a new Hummer, and an EV crossover masquerading as a Mustang. One might take the lesson that nothing is sacred when it comes to automotive marketing, but the real lesson is the enormous value recognizable/popular nameplates represent for carmakers.
So it should not surprise us to hear the rumors coming out of GM that the carmaker is planning to spin off not one brand, the Corvette, but three brands, adding Escalade and Camaro to the list. It is likely all three will see electrified vehicles as part of this new branding effort.
Corvette
Already confirmed by GM, the Corvette name will be spun-off into its own sub-brand starting with 2025 model year cars. In addition to the C8 Corvette and car-of-the-year darling Z06, the C8 Corvette line will expand to include the new E-Ray hybrid Corvette. Car & Driver reports that we could see the return of a ZR1 model and possibly a supercar-esque hybrid Corvette bearing the name of Zora Arkus-Duntov, the man responsible for shaping the Corvette into a sportscar legend. Hybrid electrification is all the rage in supercar design, from Koenigseggs to Ferraris, so it makes sense that Corvette wants in on the game too.
Additionally, GM plans for full EVs to be part of the new Corvette sub-brand. Initially, this would include a Mach-E-type performance electric crossover and a four-door “coupe,” both built on GM’s Ultium EV platform.
Escalade
Rumors are, GM plans to expand their sub-brand strategy to both the Escalade and the Camaro. In the Cadillac’s case, the Escalade name will cover a new bevy of vehicles starting with a new smaller three-row SUV directly targeting Porsche’s upcoming three-row offering. An Escalade minivan is also in the works for the Chinese market, which has an unquenchable thirst for swanky minivans. Don’t be surprised if we also see all-electric Escalade as well, given GM’s ambitious push in that direction.
Camaro
Though the Camaro has been relegated to an also-ran in the ever-shrinking muscle car market, the name remains iconic. Iconic enough, in fact, that GM sees it as best suited for a sub-brand spin-off as well. Reportedly, the most likely scenario for a Camaro sub-brand would be to mimic the twin paths of Ford’s Mustang Mach-E and Dodge’s push into performance EVs. This would reportedly take the form of three to four electric vehicles and include a 2+2 performance EV as well as two- and four-door versions of an AWD lifted crossover.
While nothing has been officially confirmed by GM regarding the Escalade and Camaro sub-brands, often these kinds of rumors prove themselves out. They’re all the more likely given GM’s big moves in autonomous driving and electrification, where hyped-up sub-branding might help market the expensive new tech.
