With the Chevy Camaro sales dropping 13% from 48,265 units in 2019 to 29,775 in 2020, and the fate of the Dodge muscle twins unclear due to Fiat-Chrysler’s merger with Groupe PSA and the formation of Stellantis. The Ford Mustang seems to be the only modern pony/muscle car that knows what it’s doing. Named the best-selling American sports car for the sixth year in a row, the Mustang seems to be staying strong in light of the current controversy over the Mach-E as well as the global pandemic.
While it is true that American vehicle sales are expected to be down 14% overall once the data has been compiled, the Mustang is still putting out good numbers in direct comparison to its competitors. For the 2020 sales year, sales of the Mustang sat at a cool 61,090 sold in the US. This is compared to the Camaro which fell to 29,775 units and the Challenger, 52,995. The percentage dropped equates to about 13% for both competitors and around 15.7% for the Mustang. While the percentage may be higher for the Mustang, it is clear that the number of units sold is far greater than that of either the Camaro or Challenger.
The recent rise in popularity of the Mustang and the uncertainty of its competitors, combined with the fact that it only really has one competitor, begs the question of just how powerful the Mustang will become. Whether you love the Mustang or despise it, there is no doubting the fact that the Mustang is being set up to dominate the market for fast cheap cars.
In the early 2000s the Chevy Camaro and Ford Mustang were released, continuing their old rivalry, since then the Camaro has had its peak of around 86,297 units sold in 2014 and a steady decline since then. When compared to the Mustang, the Camaro appears to absolutely pale in comparison.
In 2019 the Mustang boasted a total sales number of 72,489, then hard times struck and while sales did fall a significant 15.7% they never fell below the 60,000 unit line. Sales for the Shelby variants increased by 14%, this had a considerably favorable impact for Ford and the Mustang name. With recovery expected to arrive soon in the 2021 sales year, one could imagine that Mustang numbers will achieve ludicrous numbers in the coming years and could even dominate the market for muscle/pony cars once again.
Elizabeth is hardcore horsepower enthusiast with unmatched intensity for making things faster and louder. She wakes up for power and performance and only sleeps to charge up for the next project that’s heading to the track. From autocross to drag racing, Elizabeth is there with you, so stay tuned for her unique perspective on horsepower news, builds, tech info, and installs — with her, it’ll never be boring!
