People, we’re formally into the ultimate quarter of the ultimate 12 months for this epic pony automobile gross sales struggle and it is shaping as much as be a nail-biter. The Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro will drive off into the sundown in 2024, leaving the Ford Mustang because the winner of Detroit’s muscle automobile scene by default. However earlier than that occurs, we have now a neck-and-neck road combat to say the 2023 gross sales crown.
We aren’t exaggerating on that. With third-quarter 2023 gross sales obtainable from Ford, Dodge, and Chevrolet, we see the Mustang and Challenger are nearly tied by September. Proper now, Dodge holds the lead with 35,350 Challenger gross sales. The Ford Mustang has discovered 35,315 houses to this point. The distinction between them is simply 35 vehicles. Heck, by the point this text publishes, Ford may very well be in entrance.
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We aren’t exaggerating on that, both. In its Q3 gross sales announcement, Ford said that Mustang gross sales have been up 90 % in September. That is the primary full month of gross sales for the seventh-generation mannequin, and it appears the automobile is certainly fairly standard. In response to Ford, 2024 Mustangs promote inside six days of arriving at dealerships. Of the 9,884 Mustang gross sales listed for the three-month quarter, nicely over half – 6,575 to be actual – got here in September. In easy phrases, Mustang is poised to shut out the 12 months robust.
And Ford will want such energy to reclaim America’s best-selling pony automobile title from Dodge. Regardless of a powerful September, Mustang gross sales are nonetheless down 3.5 % from final 12 months, and lest we overlook, 2022 was Mustang’s worst gross sales 12 months in its historical past. The one motive the 2023 gross sales race is so shut is as a result of Challenger gross sales are additionally down. It dropped 33 % in comparison with Q3 2022, and the massive muscle machine is down 16 % for the 12 months. And this would be the closing 12 months for the Challenger as we all know it. A brand new mannequin is coming although not within the quick future. Will it shut out its very lengthy manufacturing run on high?
The Chevrolet Camaro will not, and admittedly, that is a tragedy. As we ramble on concerning the Mustang and Challenger, Camaro is the one Detroit pony automobile having a constructive gross sales 12 months. Q3 gross sales totaled 7,351 items, a drop of seven.2 %. However, Camaro gross sales are up a formidable 28.7 % for the 12 months. Sadly, that also solely means 24,688 bow tie gross sales, which is a stark reminder of simply how unhealthy 2022 was for the Chevy followers.
And just like the Challenger, 2024 may even see the Camaro retired. Chevrolet has mentioned it can return, however whereas we at the least have some thought of the Challenger’s future, there isn’t any telling when or how the Camaro will come again.
With three months left within the gross sales 12 months, you may wager executives in any respect three Detroit manufacturers shall be watching the gross sales figures carefully. As for the remainder of us, take all of it in and savor the second. If the Mustang-Challenger-Camaro battle does return in some unspecified time in the future sooner or later, it will not be a showdown of two-door V8 coupes from Motown.
