The Dodge Challenger Just Outsold The Ford Mustang And Chevy Camaro Last Quarter

The Dodge Challenger  Just Outsold The Ford Mustang And Chevy Camaro Last Quarter
[Photo: Dodge]

Some surprising results from the latest sales reports.

This month’s round of sales data brings some clarity to the automakers’ performance over the past three months. Now that Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler report quarterly, we’ve been waiting to see what cars and trucks came out on top as we wrap up the summer season. Sales across the industry were a mixed bag this past month. Most automakers (still reporting monthly) were down from this point last year.

We’ve covered how each brand performed in September 2019 here.

One of the interesting trends we noticed had to do with some of the Big Three’s icons: the Chevy Camaro, the Dodge Challenger, and the Ford Mustang. The Camaro is technically the newest car of the three, so it must be performing well in the sales charts, right?

2019 Chevrolet Camaro SS
The 2019 Chevrolet Camaro SS had controversial styling, but there is a redesigned version coming in 2020.

Not exactly. Over the past quarter — GM managed to move 12,275 Camaros. That’s down 15 percent from this point last year, despite the redesign. The Ford Mustang is a similar story, with sales down 12.3 percent. Last quarter, Ford sold just 16,823 Mustangs. Granted, that’s better than the Camaro, but what about the oldest of the three?

Last quarter, the Dodge Challenger outsold the Chevy Camaro as well as the Ford Mustang. 18,031 Challengers found owners, more than either of its competitors. That’s not all, either, as Challenger sales actually increased by 21 percent. Despite being more than a decade old, Dodge’s warhorse improved over September 2018 (The Charger did even better, with sales increasing by 46 percent).

2020 Ford Mustang EcoBoost High Performance Package
The Ford Mustang’s sales fell 12 percent in the second quarter of 2019. [Photo: TFLcar]

To help visualize that, here are the numbers side-by-side:

CarQ3 2019Q3 2018Difference
Dodge Challenger18,03114,946+21%
Ford Mustang16,82319,191-12%
Chevy Camaro12,27514,448-15%

Some context

Starting with the slowest seller, the 2019 Chevrolet Camaro emerged to mixed reception. The issue was mainly with the V8-powered SS and it’s front end design. GM changed the design for the 2020 model year, so the current slow sales may result from people looking to the new SS.

The Ford Mustang has a wide range of options to suit owners’ tastes. From the base EcoBoost to the current GT350 (and the upcoming GT500), there are no fewer than eight different Mustang models. Despite the choice and recent updates, Ford’s iconic muscle car, and one of its few remaining cars period, isn’t attracting buyers as much as last year.

The Dodge Challenger is on an aging platform, and is the most expensive of the three to start. However, it also covers a wide range of tastes and budgets, from the base SXT to the Hellcat Redeye Widebody. There are also all-wheel drive options, and four different engine options depending on the model. As it stands, the Challenger is likely popular with fleets who can get them at large discounts, as well as muscle car enthusiasts who want some serious old-school fun.