Ford Mustang was king of the muscle cars in 2018
Last year, Ford managed to sell 75,842 units in the US. The two main competitors reported significantly lower numbers. Dodge sold 66,716 Challengers and Chevrolet sold 50,963 Camaros.
The sixth generation Mustang has been the top-selling muscle car since the 2015 model was first introduced. The new Mustang features independent rear suspension – a highly anticipated updated over the previously fixed axle.
In 2015, Mustang sales peaked at 122,439, which is the highest they’ve ever been since the 2007 financial crisis. Sales have since been dropping at an alarming rate since, down 13.48% in 2016 and 22.72% in 2017.
Surprisingly, even after major criticism over the 2018 facelift, Mustang sales dropped just 7.36% last year, which indicates a possible turnaround in 2019.
Dodge Challenger achieves its biggest success so far
Although second in sales volume, Dodge Challenger is having its best year after launching it’s third generation in 2008. There were 2,179 or 3.38% more Challengers sold in 2018 versus 2017.
Perhaps the biggest reason for the uplift was the launch of Dodge Challenger SRT Demon – the biggest, baddest and loudest version of the vehicle.
The Demon is equipped with a new 6.2-liter HEMI Demon V8 engine boosted by a 2.7-liter supercharger, producing 808 hp on 91 octane fuel and up to 840 hp and 770 lb/ft of torque on 100 octane gasoline.
Accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 2.3 seconds, the SRT Demon is the fastest non-electric production vehicle. With 1.8Gs of acceleration at launch, the front wheels actually lift, even with the engine sitting at the front.
Chevrolet Camaro experiences its biggest sales drop yet
The Chevrolet Camaro rounds up the top three with 50,963 and a 24.99% reduction in sales over 2017. When the fifth-generation Camaro launched in 2009, Chevrolet became hot again and their sales exceeded Ford’s between 2010 and 2014.
Even though the sixth-generation launched in 2016, the sales numbers never recovered after 2015 and the Chevy Camaro has been registering a consistent reduction in market share leading to their massive drop last year.
All other vehicles in the mid-size sports segment sit at the bottom of the chart with less than 6,000 sales per year, so there is hardly any competition beyond American-made muscle.