An emergency facelift and a more affordable V8 variant weren’t enough to spark renewed interest in the Chevrolet Camaro as sales dropped 5.3% last year.
The decline means Chevrolet sold 48,265 Camaro in 2019 compared to the 50,963 units the year prior. That’s not good news, but there is a bit of a silver lining. The updated 2020 Camaro went on sale in the fall and it appears to have helped boost sales 3% in the fourth quarter. However, that’s a difference of just 339 vehicles.
While the Camaro didn’t have much luck, Ford boasted the Mustang was “America’s best-selling sports car for a fifth straight year.” That’s a pretty good streak, but the news isn’t entirely rosy as Mustang sales actually fell 4.4% from 2018.
As a result, the Blue Oval only sold 72,489 Mustangs last year. On the bright side, the launch of the 2020 Shelby GT500 helped to increase sales of the GT350 / GT500 by 35.2% in the fourth quarter.
The Challenger sold twice as many cars in 2019 than it did when new
The gloomy sales figures were more pronounced at Dodge where Challenger sales dropped 9% to 60,997 units. While that’s a steep decline, the model easily outsold the Camaro and that’s quite an accomplishment for the automotive equivalent of a senior citizen.
You see, unlike its two rivals that were redesigned from the ground up in 2015 for the Mustang and 2016 for the Camaro, the Challenger is running on the same gear since 2009. Not only that, but amazingly, as noted over at Jalopnik, the Challenger is actually selling twice as many cars as it did when it was first introduced.
Also Read: Despite Being 11 Years Old, The Dodge Challenger Is Outselling The Camaro
It remains unclear if the sales declines will continue into 2020, but both Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles are said to be working on all-new muscle cars. A redesigned Challenger is rumored for late 2022 and FCA officials have previously suggested it will be electrified. There’s no word on specifications at this point, but FCA’s North American Head of Passenger Cars hinted the model could be offered an electric front axle to give the car all-wheel drive and added performance.
Less is known about the next-generation Mustang, but it is expected to debut early this decade. The company has been rumored to be considering electric and all-wheel drive variants, but it remains unclear if they’ll reach production.
While both companies appear committed to the segment, previous rumors have suggested the Camaro is living on borrowed time as it could go out of production in 2023. Of course, that’s not official and GM would neither confirm nor deny the report.
