Once upon a time, Detroit’s three largest automakers fought what is known as the Horsepower Wars. Each attempted to outdo the other with bigger and badder engines stuffed into meaner and faster muscle cars. That was back in the 1960’s, and America has not seen cars of that caliber until the past couple of years. With the Big Three each offering 400+ horsepower muscle cars at around $30,000, consumers have plenty of choices when it comes to horsepower.
And for the second year in a row, the Chevrolet Camaro has emerged as the clear sales leader, beating out both the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger to become the undisputed muscle car king of 2011.
With a strong December finish of 6,745 units sold, the Camaro was able to rack up total 2011 sales of 88,249 units, approximately a 20% increase over last year’s total of 81,299. The Dodge Challenger also saw a slight increase in annual sales, selling 39,534, a 7% increase over sales of 36,791 in 2010.
The Mustang, however, continued to see its sales slide, moving 70,438 units for the year after selling 5,057 pony cars in December. That is a 4.5% decrease in annual sales, which could be attributed to the Mustang’s retro looks, older design, and the fact that some buyers may be waiting for the new 2013 model, or the all-new 2015 model, before plunking down their hard-earned cash. Either way, 2011 belongs to the Camaro, that much is sure. Can the Mustang make a comeback in 2012? Will the Challenger ever climb above 3rd place? Can the Camaro stay on top? All those answers, and more, in 2013.