Is Chevrolet Performance Dying?

Is Chevrolet Performance dying and headed for the Oldsmobile/Pontiac graveyard? General Motors announced on November 15 it was was killing 1,000 white collar jobs globally, but with this news came rumors that among the corporate casualties were top Chevrolet Performance personnel and that the performance division itself could be axed.

Known for its crate engines, Connect & Cruise engine/computer/transmission packages and vehicle upgrades, among other things, Chevrolet Performance is an integral partner with the automotive aftermarket and racing. Its demise would signal a serious shift away from enthusiasts and grassroots motorsports. One drag racing sanctioning body recently had the last year of its contract cancelled and supposedly several circle track sanctions also lost support and sponsorship.

Nicky Fowler, the vice president and manager of Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center, the largest Chevrolet Performance dealer in the country, says he was told that General Motors is fully committed to the future of Chevrolet Performance, but part of Friday’s layoff included the top people in Chevrolet Performance’s marketing, communications, and product strategy department.

Its demise would signal a serious shift away from enthusiasts and grassroots motorsports

Among those affected were Jessica Earl, Chevrolet Performance’s Marketing & Brand Protection Manager. Several engineers were supposedly reassigned as well. According to one source, there are millions of dollars—perhaps tens of millions of dollars—in back orders, many of which may never be filled. The majority of the layoffs were people employed or assigned to the Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan.

Chevrolet emphatically denied that Chevrolet Performance would be killed off. “Absolutely not,” says Traney Thames of General Motors North American Brand Communications. “We are focusing on ongoing technology development of our products to meet the needs of our customers where they work, live, and play.”

Chevrolet remains committed to performance parts for our customers and dealers,”

Chevrolet Performance has been a vital part of the street scene for decades. The ZZ4 350, ZZ427 and 502HO and crate engines changed the way enthusiasts powered their street muscle. Instead of waiting six months to a year (often way longer) for an engine builder to assemble your powerplant, a credit card and a few clicks of a mouse were all you needed to procure a dyno-proven engine assembled with 100 percent new parts. The Ram Jet 350 revolutionized the hobby, making fuel-injected engine swaps simple for the masses, especially those weened on carburetors. Later came LS and LT engines, small-block, big-block and LS/LT components, not to mention Connect & Cruise and E-Rod systems—the latter a boom for those in states like California, where truly emissions-compliant engines are mandated.

While Chevrolet Performance (nee GM Performance Parts) was also a great source for OE quality components and goodies for non V8-powered cars like the Cobalt SS and HHR SS, its greatest success stories were always the crate engines. The pinnacle came a couple of years ago with the ZZ632/1000 Deluxe, which utilized the latest in big-block cylinder head technology and made 1,004 naturally-aspirated horsepower at 6,600 rpm and 876 lb-ft of torque at 5,600 revs—on 93-octane pump gas, no less.

Certainly, there are plenty of well-established, reputable companies doing aftermarket GM crate engines nowadays, but only one was an OE outfit.