There have been a number of big stories this year regarding auto sales, including the last effects of the Japanese tsunami and the apparent revival of the American auto industry. Among this multi-front war is a running battle between the two most popular American muscle cars, the Chevy Camaro and the Ford Mustang. Since January, the Camaro has handily outsold the Mustang month-to-month, a trend that has not been since the 1980’s.
But worry not, Mustang faithful. June proved to be a fruitful month for Ford, and the mighty Mustang was able to outsell the Camaro in the first month of summer…though just barely. Come inside for the details.
For the past 24 years, America’s muscle car of choice was the Ford Mustang. If when the Camaro was a serious competitor, the Mustang still dominated sales charts, and between 2002 and 2009 it had absolutely nothing in the way of competition. Enter the Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro though, and a real muscle car war was upon us. The Camaro managed to usurp the Mustang in 2010, stealing the sales crown by about 7,600 units. 2011 was shaping up to be a repeat, with the Camaro consistently outselling the Mustang. But in June, Ford managed to sell 8,974 Mustangs compared to the Camaros 8,625 units sold.
Not much of a victory, but we’ll take it. Are car buyers finally warming up to the new 5.0 V8 and the redesigned Mustang? Or is the “new” factory of the Camaro finally wearing off? Maybe Ford’s new Boss Mustangs are helping bump sales numbers up too. Or perhaps it is a combination of things contributing to the recent surge in Mustang sales, though year-to-date sales still trail last year’s numbers by about 1,000 units. Still, June has been the best month of 2011 for Mustang sales thus far, and hopefully it is a sign of stronger sales yet to come.