Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger Outsold the Chevy Camaro by Double
2021 has been off to a good start with new car sales, except for the Chevy Camaro. In the first quarter of 2021, the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger outsold the Camaro more than two to one. What’s going on with the Camaro and why are buyers overlooking it for other similar options?
How many Ford Mustang, Dodge Challengers, and Chevy Camaro have sold?
According to Good Car Bad Car, the Ford Mustang has sold 17,244 units so far in 2021. The Challenger sold 15,097 units, and the Camaro sold 7,088. Car Scoops says the Challenger sales have jumped 24% in the first quarter of the year.
Ford Mustang sales dropped about 4.4% over last year, but it is now the best-selling car in Ford’s lineup. For the Chevy Camaro, sales dropped 1.3%.
The Corvette sold 6,611 units so far this year compared to 21,627 units in 2020. That separates the two by only 478 cars sold.
Pickup trucks and small cars are having a moment, in addition to electric vehicles. Reliability seems to be overcoming the need for speed, if you will.
Why the decline for the Camaro?
The decline for the Camaro has been steep in the past few years. The highest sales year for the Camaro was back in 2012 when Chevy sold 91,314 units. In 2018, that dropped to 50,963 units, and in 2020 it was 29,777 cars sold. But the 7,088 number for 2021 so far is pretty dismal.
Drivers seem to generally agree that the visibility for the Camaro is a huge drawback. The interior is dark and low to the ground, with many blind spots. This makes it harder to drive safely.
It has been rumored that the Camaro is at the end of the road. GM already announced they were killing off the Camaro once but took it back. The company also announced the end of gas-powered vehicles in 2035. With the push for electric cars, drivers have different priorities.
There is also a lot of competition in the sports car arena. Many drivers who might be interested in the Camaro probably go for the Mustang or Challenger instead. It seems the Camaro has been pushed out of the competition altogether.
Mustang and Challenger sales also dropped
As noted previously, sales for the Dodge Challenger are at 15,097 for the first quarter of 2021. In 2020, the sales were at 52,955. A high for the Challenger was in 2018 with 66,716 units and has been falling since then.
The Mustang had its best years back in 2006 when it sold 166,530 units. In 2015, Ford had another high with 122,349 units sold. Since then, it has been on a decline. In 2017, the sales slowed to 81,866, and that was down to 61,090 in 2020.
So the decline isn’t just with the Camaro. All similar muscle cars are declining in sales while drivers move to different vehicles entirely. Perhaps there are plans to totally revamp the Camaro into an electric car to really capture the current market.
If that’s the case, Chevy might be onto something. Since there is a huge push for brands to have an all-electric fleet, it would make sense that Chevy is working hard on something behind the scenes.
