Chevrolet is getting closer, but Dodge still has the edge.
Despite being 11 years old, demand for the Dodge Challenger is showing no signs of slowing down. As reported by the Detroit Free Press, the Challenger continued to outsell the new Chevrolet Camaro in the first quarter of 2019, but the gap is narrowing. Dodge sold 13,431 Challengers in the US in Q1 2019 putting it ahead of the Camaro, which sold 12,083 units. Unsurprisingly, the Ford Mustang was once again the best seller as Ford’s pony car racked up 16,917 units.
There’s still a chance the Camaro could catch up, however. The muscle car received a facelift for 2019 and sales have increased from this time last year. Sales for the Challenger, on the other hand, are actually down by around 24 percent compared to the same period last year. Last year wasn’t kind for the Camaro, as Chevrolet only managed to sell 50,963 units in the US and was beaten by its rivals by a significant margin. For comparison, Dodge sold 66,716 units of the Challenger, while Ford sold 75,842 examples of the mighty Mustang.
Chevrolet clearly doesn’t want to continue finishing in third place behind the Challenger, as GM’s Lauren Langille told the publication “we’re determined to compete” and the company expects “continued strong momentum throughout the rest of the year.” It will be interesting to see the end-of-year-results for 2019 for the three competing muscle cars.
Unlike its rivals, sales for the Challenger have been consistent. For the past four years, Dodge has sold around 65,000 units of the Challenger annually, yet Camaro sales have dropped every year since 2014 and Mustang sales have fallen annually since 2015.
While high-performance variants such as the Demon, Hellcat, and Redeye have increased Dodge’s presence on social media, Dodge believes other factors have helped the Challenger’s continued success. According to the automaker’s research, extensive color options and a roomy interior are enticing buyers to buy a Challenger instead of a Camaro or Mustang. The Challenger is also the only muscle car to offer all-wheel drive, which is ideal for driving in colder climates.
