Back in the mid-1960s, after the Ford Mustang debuted to huge success, Chevrolet got to work on its response. That car would become the Camaro—but that’s not what the company originally called it during its development. The Camaro was codenamed the Panther, and for some reason, General Motors just filed a trademark for that name here and now in 2025.
As uncovered by GMAuthority, the automaker filed the application on May 23, 2025, with the US Patent and Trademark Office, designating the Panther name for use on automobiles. However, it’s unlikely Chevy will introduce a next-generation Camaro anytime soon with any sort of Panther branding. A report earlier this year alleged that the higher-ups within the automaker dismantled the weak business case for the sports car, making the Panther trademark all the more unusual and a Camaro revival unlikely.
Chevrolet Camaro SS Collector’s Edition
Production of the sixth-generation Camaro ended in late 2023, but sales for the sports car had been declining well before its demise. Sales reached over 70,000 units in 2016, and it was wildly popular when it debuted. However, sales dwindled to less than 6,000 in its final year on sale, and you were still able to find a few new ones on dealer lots as recently as this February.
Despite Chevrolet never using the Panther name for a full-blown model, the automaker did pay tribute to the codename on the Camaro Collector’s Edition. The car featured a panther badge on the steering wheel and a panther integrated into the front fender script, and the car wore Panther Black metallic tintcoat or Panther Black matte exterior paint.
Granted, automakers trademark names all the time that they never intend to use. GM just recently filed a trademark for Pontiac, but that doesn’t mean the brand is making a comeback. That said, with Chevy lacking a Mustang competitor yet again, we hope that this new trademark actually means something.