The competition between Detroit muscle cars for sales dominance is coming to an end, but the Camaro is determined to go out with a bang. While it will be discontinued at the end of the year without a clear successor, the Camaro has made significant strides in narrowing the gap with its rivals. For years, it has lagged behind the Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang in sales, but now the margin is surprisingly close.
Just how close are we talking? In the period from April to June, Chevrolet sold 9,557 new Camaros. Although it remains in third place, it’s worth noting that Ford sold just 10,760 Mustangs during the same period. This is the smallest gap we’ve seen between these two rivals in a long time, and the sales trends are favoring the Camaro. Compared to the previous quarter, the Chevy has seen a remarkable 110% increase in sales, while the Mustang has dipped by 2.2%. If this pattern continues, Chevrolet may surpass Ford before bidding farewell to its beloved Camaro.
Even the Dodge Challenger, which has dominated the pony car segment as Detroit’s best-selling car for the last two years, is not performing as well as the Camaro. Dodge technically outsold Ford and Chevrolet with 12,904 Challengers, but that still represents an 11% decrease from the previous year. Overall, Challenger sales are down 5% compared to last year and it’s currently narrowly trailing the Mustang for the top spot.
| Vehicle | Q2 2023 Sales | Q2 YoY Change | YTD 2023 Sales | YoY Change % |
| Ford Mustang | 10,760 | -2.2 percent | 25,471 | -2.9 percent |
| Dodge Challenger | 12,904 | -11 percent | 24,275 | -5 percent |
| Chevrolet Camaro | 9,957 | + 110.3 percent | 17,337 | + 54 percent |
Granted, the Camaro had a poor sales year in 2022, but so did the Mustang. 2022 was Ford’s worst year for pony car sales ever, but the introduction of a new generation could reverse this trend. The 2024 Mustang, unveiled last September, will be available for sale later this year with more power from its standard 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder and 5.0-liter V8 engines.
Meanwhile, Chevrolet is offering a Collector’s Edition package for various Camaro trims as production winds down. The Dodge Challenger is also available in multiple special edition trims to commemorate the end of its production.
For more discussions on the history of Ford and other brands, check out this special episode of Motor1.com’s Rambling About Cars podcast, available below.
