It’s been a while since TFLcar checked in on pony car sales, but now that the half-year mark is past, it’s time to see how the quintessential American muscle cars are doing.
In a word, abysmally.
The Ford Mustang is still the king of the pony cars and has a nearly insurmountable 26,000-sale lead over the Chevrolet Camaro, but numbers are down nearly 17 percent for the month and nearly eight percent for the year.
Despite being the second-highest seller for the year, the Camaro dropped way down in June. Sales were off more than 42 percent for the month and are down 13.5 percent for the year. Both numbers are the sharpest declines of the bunch.
The Dodge Challenger has the smallest yearly drop so far, only six percent for the year, and its monthly decline of 20 percent puts it right between the other two.
It just doesn’t look like a good year for the pony/muscle car, no matter how good they are. Enthusiasts are spoiled by the competency of both the Mustang and Camaro as not only straight-line racers but cars that can handle a track or a twisty road. The Challenger may be more of a stoplight drag racer, but with an available 707-hp Hellcat engine, not much can beat it.
Pony Car Sales – June 2016
| June 2016 # | June 2016/2015 | YTD 2016 # | YTD 2016/2015 % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Mustang | 9,776 | -16.6% | 62,965 | -7.8% |
| Dodge Challenger | 5,479 | -20.0% | 34,607 | -6.0% |
| Chevrolet Camaro | 4,969 | -42.3% | 36,834 | -13.5% |
Check out this related TFLcar video of two of the cars in the segment, the 2016 Ford Mustang GT and the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro SS.
