Ford Mustang vs. Chevrolet Camaro vs. Dodge Challenger - U.S. Sales Since April 2009

Discounting this current month of August 2011, the reborn fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro has been on sale for 28 months. When we say "on sale" and "Camaro" in the same sentence, we actually mean "fighting against the Ford Mustang" for 28 months, right? And in the last couple years there's been another cross-town rival with which to do battle, the Dodge Challenger.

Back in 2002 we thought this war had been waged and it was never to be fought again. The automotive climate wasn't fit for a muscle car fight. Of course, Ford knew how to market the Mustang, and in 2005, Ford proved it knew how to style a Mustang, as well. 

Even when Dodge and Chevrolet began showing concept versions of the next Challenger and Camaro in response to the praises showered upon Ford's reinvigorated Mustang, it didn't seem likely that sales of these if-or-when muscle cars would skyrocket. 

Here we are in mid-2011, however, and the Camaro makes frequent appearances on GoodCarBadCar.net's list of the Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America. Sometimes the Mustang joins the Camaro in taunting conventional mainstream cars which are unable to crack such a list.

It's true, the Challenger hasn't been quite as big a hit, but don't let yourself believe that Dodge wasted time and money developing its muscle car. Not at all. Just a few months ago, in March 2011, Dodge sold 3989 Challengers in America. That figure was greater than Porsche's total U.S. volume in March, higher than what Audi managed with its A4, better than Hyundai's total Genesis Coupe and sedan sales.

The Good Car Guy has compiled five charts and one table to help you understand the U.S. muscle car market since the Chevrolet Camaro went back on sale in April 2009. Here are a few pertinent facts before you delve into the details.

• The Ford Mustang has been #1 in this three-car segment only seven times since April 2009. One of those six occasions was the month in which Camaro arrived in stores.


• In the Challenger's best post-April '09 month (March 2011, as noted) Ford and Chevrolet each sold more than twice as many Mustangs and Camaros.


• Chevrolet sold an average of 6850 Camaros per month in 2009; Ford sold an average of 5552 Mustangs. The 2009 year end numbers you'll see in the table below are deceiving.


• Through the first seven months of 2011, the Camaro is up 4.8% year-over-year. Mustang sales are down 3.5%. Challenger sales are up 10.8%.


• Since April 2009, 43.9% of all American muscle car sales have occurred in Chevrolet showrooms. 38.9% of those 453,833 sales were Mustangs. 17.2% were Dodge Challengers.

Check out the first chart below (it sort of does the work of a pie chart 28 times over) which shows total muscle car volume by month with portions afforded to the Camaro, Mustang, and Challenger. Then, after the jump, have a look at four more charts - some of which basically tell the same story in different ways - and the exhaustive volume-oriented table displaying the monthly U.S. volume reported by each of these three truly American cars. Go ahead and click any chart for a larger view.

Above, see trend line of U.S. monthly volume of America's three muscle cars.

Above, see the strength and weakness of monthly U.S. muscle car
volume by the height or lack of height for each car's 28 bars.

By studying the chart above you'll see the market share
owned by each of the three muscle cars in each of the last 28 months.

This final chart shows the combined strength of the
three American muscle cars in each of the last 28 months.

U.S. Sales Month	Chevrolet Camaro	Ford Mustang	Dodge Challenger
April 2009	614	7699	2619
May 2009	5463	8812	2695
June 2009	9320	7632	1369
July 2009	7113	6686	886
August 2009	8680	6289	1132
September 2009	7691	4917	1778
October 2009	8082	4789	2398
November 2009	6867	3627	2040
December 2009	7548	6527	2536
2009 Year End	61,648	66,623	25,852
January 2010	5371	4747	1683
February 2010	6482	5115	2145
March 2010	8904	5829	3211
April 2010	9150	5145	3713
May 2010	8931	10,225	3828
June 2010	7540	8974	3086
July 2010	7486	7489	3695
August 2010	6321	5570	3283
September 2010	6323	5760	3138
October 2010	5013	5317	3182
November 2010	4164	4093	2497
December 2010	5614	5452	3330
2010 Year End	81,299	73,716	36,791
January 2011	4763	3165	2526
February 2011	6245	3697	3227
March 2011	8964	8557	3989
April 2011	10,852	8180	3617
May 2011	9451	6607	3418
June 2011	8486	8835	3384
July 2011	7671	6805	3509
7 Months Of 2011	56,432	45,846	23,670
April '09-July '11	199,379	176,540	77,914

Source: Automakers & ANDC

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Sporty Car & Premium Sporty Car Sales In America - 2010 Year End
Sporty Car & Premium Sporty Car Sales In America - July 2011
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - July 2011
U.S. Auto Sales By Brand - July 2011

PRICE COMPARISON OF EVERY MUSTANG, CAMARO, AND CHALLENGER

Pony cars, or muscle cars if you prefer, are selling rather well of late. What better time is there to buy a sporty new American car than in the lead-up to the summer of 2010, as the American automotive industry reinvigorates itself, when the deals and temperatures are equally hot?

Brand loyalty is a difficult thing to decipher. Are there any Chevrolet enthusiasts in America who'd be willing to buy a 2011 Ford Mustang.... if the Mustang was the better car.... if the Mustang was the better cheaper car? Then there's the big 2010 Dodge Challenger, a car with style and horsepower to spare in SRT8 form; a car lacking in both departments when seen as the run-of-the-mill SE. Would a former Ford Mustang owner, or a young guy who grew up yearning for a Camaro, consider a Dodge Challenger?

Let's assume brand loyalty means nothing. For the purposes of this article we'll ignore acceleration times, our subjective style opinions, and the gs each car pulled on Car & Driver's skidpad. Think of pony car purchasing in a purely financial sense. Will it be the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, or Dodge's Challenger that ends up appealing to your bank account? Find out after the jump.

THE V6 PONY CARS

Ford Mustang: $22,145

Chevrolet Camaro LS: $22,680

Dodge Challenger SE: $23,695

Chevrolet Camaro 1LT: $23,880

Ford Mustang Premium: $25,845

Chevrolet Camaro 2LT: $26,875

Ford Mustang Convertible: $27,145 

Ford Mustang Premium Convertible: $30,845

THE V8 PONY CARS

Ford Mustang GT: $29,645

Chevrolet Camaro 1SS: $30,945

Dodge Challenger R/T: $31,610

Ford Mustang GT Premium: $32,845

Chevrolet Camaro 2SS: $33,945

Ford Mustang GT Convertible: $34,645

Ford Mustang GT Premium Convertible: $37,845

Dodge Challenger SRT8: $43,680

Ford Mustang Shelby GT500: $48,645

Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Convertible: $53,645

* Chevrolet charges $995 for an automatic on the LS, 1LT, and 1SS Camaros or $1185 on 2LT and 2SS Camaros.

* Ford charges $995 for an automatic transmission but the Shelby is manual-tranny only.

* Dodge equips Challengers as standard with an automatic. Manuals aren't available with the V6. Opting for manual transmission will cost $695 on the SRT8 or $995 on the R/T.

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
American Muscle Car Sales - May 2010
Ford Adds 65 Horsepower To The Mustang V6 For 2011
Chevrolet Camaro V6 Is Faster Than Quick
Watch Chevrolet Camaro Build Process

CAMARO vs MUSTANG vs CHALLENGER vs CORVETTE vs VIPER (NOVEMBER 2009 SALES)

Certainly Ford can cope with overwhelming Chevrolet Camaro sales in its first few months on the market. Potential owners who went without a Camaro possibility for the middle part of this decade were finally able to satisfy their craving. People who need to buy the newest, hottest, fastest thing were lined up, too. Then you've got your Chevy loyalists, baby boomers who loved the car when they were young and single, and consumers who love really high rear decks.

Haven't all these people already gotten their fill? Either the Camaro appeals to a much wider cross-section of the populace or the groups mentioned above were significantly larger than previously believed. Yes, the Camaro is routinely beating the Ford Mustang in sales in the United States. Moreover, on a monthly basis, the Camaro is routinely crushing the Ford Mustang in sales in the United States. Most importantly for General Motors and its populist division is the Camaro's mainstream success. Forget comparing the Camaro to the Mustang, Challenger, Corvette, and Viper for a second and think about this. In November, the Chevy Camaro out-sold the following automakers': Audi, Lincoln, Volvo, Saturn, Mitsubishi, Mini, Porsche, Suzuki, smart, Saab, and Hummer. More Camaros were sold in America last month than Chevrolet Cobalts. That's right - Chevy managed to sell more sporty muscle cars than it did copies of its core small car.

Take a look at the Graph below for a full rundown of the Sales Stats, the complete whoopin' the Camaro laid on its competition. October's equivalent Graph is here. You don't want to do the math so I'll calculate for you: carry the 1..... a equals 7 if b equals 17.... plus 11. Right, Chevrolet has sold 54,100 Camaros so far this year.

WATCH CHEVROLET CAMARO BUILD PROCESS

Rick Hendrick, of Hendrick Motorsports fame, is the owner of Camaro Numero Uno. In the clip below, you can watch the very fast-forwarded video of Hendrick's Camaro being built. It appears as though, right about now, the Camaro is the sole morale booster at GM. Give credit where credit is due.

WATCH CHEVROLET CAMARO WALKAROUND BY CHIEF ENGINEER

In the past, the non-owner's view of V6-engined pony cars like the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro led to disregard and disgust. The 2010 Camaro V6, the RS, generates 304 horsepower. Perhaps that'll help. Still, The Good Car Guy placed the Dodge Challenger SE in The Bad 8 v2.0, not because of a lack of power but due to its goofy appearance. Watch the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro RS & SS in a story told by their chief engineer.

CUTAWAY CAMARO IMAGES

Methods of determining just how much oil is flowing in your veins could include anything from running to your office window when you think you hear a Shelby GT500 (only to rediscover the sound of a Cavalier Z24 with a rusted-out exhaust) to making attempts to convince your significant other that Porsche is a perfect first daughter's name. Here's a better idea: if you love cutaway images of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro more than a genuine photographic images of the new Chevy.... well, then you know your blood/oil mixture is about right.

The orange car seen here is an illustration by David Kimble made available by General Motors. The red Camaro, also off of GM's media website, is a computer generated image.

PRICING THE 2010 CHEVROLET CAMARO FOR CANADA - BY THE NUMBERS

Already in production, the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro will be reaching dealers before long. Looking back over the last 25 years and the handful of new Camaro bodies which have been introduced, one struggles to find worse timing for the introduction of a muscle car.

On its own merit, the new Camaro seems to be quite a vehicle. Car & Driver was effusive in its praise of the V6 version. Say whaaa? Specifications seem favourable for a positive performance feel. And while we could have wished for more improvement in the styling, the Camaro is seriously masculine; tremendously butch; and oh-so-very American.

Check out AmericanMuscle.com and their large inventory of SLP Exhaust

Taking into account Ford's resuscitation of the Mustang earlier this decade and the impressive remake of the Dodge Challenger in the last couple years, the market might stand up in a confused state and ask, "Haven't we been through the reborn retro pony car thing enough already?" As for those loyalists the mainstream media love to talk about who - so they say - would never buy a Chevy if their daddy bought a Ford or can't consider either because Uncle Billy built the Plymouth Barracuda; well, doesn't it seem right about now that the General Motors/Ford/Chrysler loyalist count stands at about three humans? Rick Wagoner buys the Camaro because he's a GM boy. Alan Mulally leases a new Mustang to go along side his Lexus. Bob Nardelli hops into his Challenger SRT8 on the way to Home Depot's summer BBQ. That about settles that.

Forget the muscle car redundancy for a minute, since that can't be considered too bad a thing for the consumer. There's also the issue of.... ahem... er, umm, the economy. In the United States of America, every automaker and its dog has posted falling sales lately. (Except for Hyundai, which by the way, just introduced a muscular coupe of its own.) Recognizing the good ol' USA as the Camaro's biggest market, General Motors sales analysts must dread the thought of telling the accountants that, well, um, er, the new Chevy coupe ain't selling y'all.

Sporting value it doth represent, but that doesn't mean the Camaro is "cheap". Pricing in Canada, the original purpose to which this article was intended to be driven, ends some $26,000 beneath the Chevrolet Corvette's starting point. The Corvette, do recall, is a Good 12 v2.0 winner mainly because of its status as the standard bearer of horsepower per dollar. Regardless, take a look at the Numbers involved in the Chevrolet Camaro's Canadian price scheme and judge for thy self.

26,995 - price, in Canadian $, of the least expensive 2010 Chevrolet Camaro

21,199 - price, in Canadian $, of the least expensive (and substantially less powerful) 2009 Ford Mustang

24,995 - price, in Canadian $, of the least expensive (Bad 8 v2.0-winning) 2009 Dodge Challenger

36,995 - price, in Canadian $, of the least expensive V8-engined Chevrolet Camaro, the SS

426 - horsepower under the hood of the Chevrolet Camaro SS

430 - horsepower under the hood of the $66,145 CDN Chevrolet Corvette

284 - fewer kilograms to tote around for the Corvette, compared with the 4-seater Camaro

175 - fewer kilograms to tote around for the '09 Mustang compared with the more horsepower-laden V8 Camaro

1,180 - extra cost needed, in Canadian $, to switch the 6-speed manual transmission of a basic Camaro to a 6-speed automatic

1,690 - increased cost necessary to lose 26 horsepower in the Camaro SS while switching its manual transmission for a 6-speed automatic

1,195 - price of the optional sunroof on the Camaro SS

1,380 - price of the Rally Sport Package on the Camaro SS, a cosmetic package which also adds HID headlamps

48,320 - easily attainable MSRP for the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS with many options still not priced - and thus impossible to add to the Build It price at Chevrolet.ca - including $5,835 in options and $1,400 in destination fees

PRELIMINARY DRIVE OF CHEVROLET CAMARO V6 FROM C/D

Over at Car and Driver, Michael Austin had the opportunity to drive the V6 version of the brand spankin' new Chevrolet Camaro. The V6 isn't the poor boy's pony car anymore, remember. With about 300 horsepower and six speeds in both its automatic and manual transmission, the new base Camaro is the real deal. Here's some of what C/D had to say about the Camaro's driving dynamics.

"... the Camaro showed remarkable poise, with the suspension handling the pockmarked roads with hardly any disturbance to the cabin. The chassis is less jumpy than that of the Mustang but far more communicative than in the Challenger, and although the Camaro is nearly as wide as the Dodge it doesn’t feel as big....

the 18-inch tires are preferable, offering more steering feel and more predictable handling. On either set of tires, though, the Camaro turns in easily before setting into minor understeer that is easily cured with a stomp on the throttle. The engine responds willingly...."

(Check out all Camaro-related posts with a click.)

CHEVROLET CAMARO COLOUR OPTIONS & PERFORMANCE STATS

Cyber Gray Metallic. Aqua Blue Metallic. Inferno Orange Metallic. Silver Ice Metallic. Imperial Blue Metallic. Red Jewel Tint Coat. Victory Red. Rally Yellow. Black. White.

These are your colour options when you begin the order of your next Chevrolet Camaro. Thumbnails of the colours can be seen below. Click the images for a larger view. 

Moving past the show factor to the go, Chevrolet has declared the V6 Camaro with 300 horsepower should make it from 0-60mph in 6.1 seconds with either the automatic or manual transmission. The manual-tranny car is actually expected to be a couple tenths slower in the quarter-mile, crossing the 1320-ft line in 14.7 seconds. 

Fortunately, the V6 Camaro owner shouldn't be faced with too many condescending stares considering high-horsepower levels and speed potential. However, it's the V8 everybody wants. Equipped with an automatic transmission, the Camaro SS leaps to 60mph in 4.6 seconds and completes the quarter in 13.3 seconds. Deciding to shift gears for yourself will lengthen the 0-60mph time by three tenths and the quarter by one tenth. To find context for these acceleration statistics (unverified by independent testers thus far), click here to see the 0-60 times of a multitude of other cars. For all Camaro-related posts, you'll want to click here.

WATCH AUTOBLOG'S VIDEO OF LIVE CHEVROLET CAMARO REVEAL

Earlier today General Motors made it possible for viewers all over the planet to watch the live debut of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro on sites like GoodCarBadCar.net and GM's own Camaro.GMNext.com. It was cool, although a bit troubling deciphering the embedding details. The Good Car Guy may well be the editor, publisher, CEO, CFO, and online manager of GCBC, but, an online editor he really is not.

For those who missed it, AutoBlog was also live at the reveal and generously posted their own video to YouTube. Here it be.

2010 CHEVROLT CAMARO - MORE IMAGES

Not content with what you've seen already of the latest Chevrolet Camaro? During the introduction today, Chevy boss Ed Peper spoke at some length regarding the Camaro's ability to guzzle less fuel than you'd assume. Indeed, over the last few years the Camaro's sporting sibling, the Corvette, has displayed shocking fuel efficiency.... considering it's habitat as a pseudo-supercar. 

For information related to those Camaro numbers, click here. Chevrolet was rather generous with the outlay of Camaro images today. Soooo.... whaddya think? At this point, we're left to make assumptions as to the Camaro's down-the-road presence based on preferential angles. Driving impressions are quite a ways off. Is this a true Dodge Challenger competitor in the looks department? Does the '10 Camaro eat Ford Mustangs for breakfast? To see any of these pics in a larger format, just give'em a click.

THE 2010 CHEVROLET CAMARO - IN-DEPTH DETAIL

Camaro lovers unite... around GoodCarBadCar.net's Camaro details page. Below you'll find all the information about the new Camaro which was formally introduced today (and seen live here on GCBC). And no, this ain't a summary. These are the specifations: full, strong, and runnin' free.

Get up on in here. Check it all out below. For photos of the evocative Chevrolet muscle car, have a look see here. More will come. Click on any of the text below to see in a larger view.

NEW CHEVROLET CAMARO PRODUCTION IMAGES

No longer a concept or a vehicle development mule; the Chevrolet Camaro you see here is the real deal. Packing a V6, the Camaro will be no slouch. Each of its 296 horsepower should be tasked with carrying around just 12.5 pounds or so.

As for the V8, well.... hold your horses. Or rather, let'em loose. Chevrolet sure did. The 6.2L V8 The Good Car Guy enjoyed in the Corvette is only slightly down on power. 416 horsepower sounds frightening as far as the Shell filling station frequency goes but fortunately, the V8 makes use of cylinder deactivation. 

After watching TLC's Overhaulin' just last night where Chip Foose worked with a numbers-matching Camaro of the 60s, it is a slight letdown to see this, what many will call a retro pastiche. To the eye of The Good Car Guy, the '09 Camaro packs a visual punch that'd seem even more punchy if it weren't for the new Dodge Challenger. Dodge's muscle car adds handsomeness to its aggression. Chevy's car doesn't yet seem finished.

Don't take that to mean the Camaro imagery is ugly, just a little below lofty expectations. Indeed, even the Challenger is far more of a sight on the road than in pictures. Recalling the recent past, it is the Chevrolet that will out-drive its competitors, namely the Challenger and the Ford Mustang.