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What is there to say about this chart? Mustang had a shot… it coulda been a contender… but Camaro was just too busy building momentum, en route to what should be the nameplate’s best volume year since 1995. Challenger, meanwhile, just seems stuck spinning its wheels in third place. Oh, and since this chart has little in the way of controversy, let me just add this: if Hyundai starts breaking out its Genesis Coupe sales when it launches a muscle car-inspired facelift for the model, we would love to see how that underdog story plays out. In the meantime, though, Genesis coupe and sedan combined barely touch the Challenger’s volume… at this point pony cars are still very much an American game.
84 Comments on “Chart Of The Day: The Pony Car Wars In 2011...”
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Now, I have a question to all of the blind Ford apologists. What ever happened to your incessant claim…and I quote:
“Oh yeah….well, um, you just wait, um, because, um, when the new 2011 engines come out, um, the Mustang will blow the “mullet mobile”, um, away in sales!”
Or are you still clinging to the hysterical notion that because there wasn’t a Camaro for 8 or so years, there is STILL pent up demand and that’s why the Camaro is outselling the Mustang?
If I had the money though…I’d add a sale to the Challenger’s numbers. Best looking by FAR and the one with the most attitude and soul. Hopefully it will get the amazing interior treatment that most other Chrysler vehicles have seen.
Well since the convert is still relatively new and was in somewhat short supply there is some pent up demand for those. I do agree that from the back end especially the Challenger is the best looking of the bunch by far. But it’s still an overweight pig.
@Silvy, no need to rub their nose it.
Yes, the Mustang is the inferior car. Mostly because it simply lacks the style that a coupe needs to provide. And it lacks the size efficiency the of a classic Mustang.
What HKia needs to do is to kill the Genesis coupe and launch an all-new RWD Kia coupe to play in this segment. It’d be a great differentiator for Kia, and totally consistent with the direction of both brands.
The funny thing about your post, Z71_Silvy, is that there really aren’t any blind Ford apologists among the B&B.
Yes, we can appreciate the steps Ford has taken to come back from the abyss, SANS GOVT BAILOUT, we can appreciate the excellent designs coming out of Ford as of late, and we can appreciate Mulally’s leadership in this still-tough time for the US auto industry.
But Ford apologists? Nuh-uh.
I can see, however, that when you’re such a singly-focused Ford HATER, how anyone who thinks otherwise would be labeled an apologist.
@akitadog, We do have our share of Ford-haters, GM-haters, Chrysler-haters, BMW-haters, VW-haters and other haters … and hate does blind one all too often.
Silvy, when GM goes bankrupt again thanks to Akerson, will you be so smug?
Why GM?
What happened in March? Seems Mustang had a solid gain in sales, then dropped off severely. Of course, Camaro is also showing signs of slowing down since April. Did Chevy have any incentives?
Will go out on a limb to say that yes, there is still residual demand for the Camaro that is driving sales higher. 5 months doth not a year make, and the more interesting graphic will be the end of the year. That being said, however, I am a little surprised at the success (relative to the competition) of the Camaro so far. Where I do agree with Silvy is that for me personally, I prefer the look and overall ride of the Challenger…but as we all know (but can’t seem to agree on), looks are highly subjective!
I’m just glad that these three cars even exist in the market!
Feb/Mar were incentives months. Guess who piled them on in which month?
March was a BIG fleet month for Ford…from their press release:
In March, total sales were 212,777, up 19 percent. Retail sales were up 14 percent and fleet sales were up 29 percent
Thing is, the Mustang & Camaro dropped more in sales then the Challanger. (Again, since the sales are lower, any drop is not good)
The Challanger/Cude were always the third “wheel” in the Camaro/Mustang sales war. Personally, Ford blew it when they “freshened” the mustang. Unless you know what to look for, it’s kinda hard to notice the difference between the last and current generation Mustang.
Ford needs to get the Mustang freshend up ASAP and offer a Convertible version as well to equal the Camaro.
As for the Challanger…. Convertible is needed BADLY as well as a diet !
Add my +1 for a Challenger. It just looks right, and unlike the Mustang, there isn’t one on every corner.
Even though its heavy and big, honestly, isn’t that what real American muscle cars are? The Camaro and Mustang got all grown up and pretentious and now they think they’r sports cars.
Is the 370Z not on the list because it isn’t a 2+2 coupe? Or are its sales number even lower then Genesis.
847 units in May for the 370Z.
The Camaro, Mustang, and the Challenger are such blue collar low income beer drinking rides built specifically for the trailer park crowd. Not for me.
Honda Civic SI is a true sports car. Sophisticated. Class. Refined. This is what high income college educated want.
Uh huh.
C’mon, obvious Troll is obvious.
First, the Civic has barely half the engine of a real sports car. Second, it’s wrong-wheel-drive. Third it’s an econobox with no style.
A Honda Civic is what junior college wannabes can barely afford.
Yeah at this point I think jj has solidly moved into troll category. I was almost thrilled when he said he wouldn’t be posting here any more, but apparently he can’t keep a promise.
I won’t deny that the Civic Si is a good car. It is not, however, a sports car, for the same reason a MazdaSpeed3, VW GTI and Ford Focus ST are not sports cars; it is an economy car with a bigger engine. Sporty, maybe. But it is not in the same league as a 370Z, Mustang, or anything else that can reasonably be called a “sports” car.
The Mustang/Camaro/Challenger are hardly trailer trash fodder either. For one thing if you opt for the V8 you’re going to be paying at least 30 grand.
JJ99…Mmmmmm lets see, a loaded Shelby will run around 60 grand. Doesn’t leave much for beer,for us low lifes eh?
I would never be seen in a car with stripes and scoops. Those kind of cars are for neanderthal types.
@jj99
I completely agree, scoops and stripes are definitely for the knuckle dragging mouth breathing crowd.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kGsL2jVQyGM/S8cHXjuW_qI/AAAAAAAAAHI/Kvx0-S6i4Fw/s1600/ricer_civic_1.jpg
So is replacing your muffler with coffee cans so your 1.5L engine can sound like an angry lawn mower, pass the wine coolers and the Mike’s Hard Lemonade.
The best looking Mustang is the understated fastback version. No stripes. No flash. Just clean metal with nice wheels.
If by “high income college educated” you mean teenage ricer idiots, then sure.
See, non-Toyonda fanboys can play the stereotype game too.
“Honda Civic SI is a true sports car. Sophisticated. Class. Refined.”
HA HA HA!
I like beer.
I’m a ninja, I’m a hoodie ninja, I’m a ninja, I’m a hoodie ninja.
As a fan of MC Chris, I find huge irony that Honda selected his song Hoodie Ninja to pimp the new Si.
…Gym coach is a Nazi always got me runnin laps
I know he doesn’t like me you should hear his frightening laughs
Can’t put up with the push-ups and the crunches got me cranky
So we’re gonna drop a dookie on the driveway like I’m Banksy
Yo you keep a look out while I drop my Fruit of Looms
And build myself a built to scale model of Mt. Doom
We hear the garage door motors and we motor mad fast
Drop a deuce into my shoes now I’m runnin crap laps…
WORST
CAR
AD
EVER.
Honda’s adds are the worst. Honda needs to hire the guys who make Ford ads.
Ahhh, but ad agencies are going to try to resonate with their audience. I guess the average “classy” college educated Civic Si driver is crapping in their gym coaches driveway.
I’ll field this one. You’re the one that knows the song! I thought they made it for the commercial, although I couldn’t tell that she was saying hoodie and still thought it was dumb.
It’s a he – he is a comedian and voice over artist. If you heard him speak, you would very likely recognize his voice.
His best stand up piece is easily found on YouTube, Kingdom Hearts vs Resident Evil, freakin’ hysterical.
Give me a break! I like Hondas and I also like some pony cars, but to make such a blatant statement makes you look extremely ignorant.
Honda does not currently produce anything that is anywhere near the definition of a sports car. The Civic Si is not sophisticated, classy, or refined. And it sales show that people with a college education and high income are not lining up to buy them…well, maybe for their kids but definitely not themselves.
You can’t hang onto the coattails of a 20+ year old NSX or 10+ year old S2000 as a rebuttal either.
With that said, I love my older TL and would consider another Honda product when it’s time to replace it. But, I would never consider a Honda product if I was considering a higher-powered RWD coupe/convertible.
When I got tired of BMW quality after 18 years of owning German cars, and their various product philosophy changes made the new ones not worth the bother, I bought an Si sedan. Everyone who rides in it compliments it, often asking what it is. I’m not trying to join into the bashing of pony car buyers, as much as I’m repulsed by the Camaro, but a stock Civic Si is a pretty buttoned down car with a serious driver focus and an attractive interior. My mother, who could buy practically any car, is now replacing her BMW with a 2012 Civic EX-L based on having ridden in my Si a couple times and the ownership experiences we’ve had with it and a TSX. A good friend of mine whose BMW has gone off warranty has been impressed enough with my car that he is looking at Acuras. The boy racers buy turbos these days. The posers lease German. The Civic Si owner pool isn’t such a bad place to be.
A Civic SI… a sports car…
Your a funny troll.
This college educated youngster would rather take an SRT8 Challenger anytime over 1.7l of fury….
j99,
Low income rides? Any place I have been the Honda’s are used as a sorry subsitute for young punks unable to afford a real musclecar, loaded up with wings, stickers and a fart can muffler. Front drive and sports car are two words that do not go together. Maybe you need to hang out with the Consumer Reports crowd because you obviously don’t get/understand what these cars are all about.
Your real name isn’t Ralph Nadar or Joan Claybrook by chance?
You don’t drink beer? Loser
“Honda Civic SI is a true sports car. Sophisticated. Class. Refined.”
More like Loud. Cheap. Ugly.
The GTI is far superior in every way.
Except reliability, handling, fuel economy, resale value, ride quality, running costs, front seats, back seat comfort in the Civic sedan, body rigidity, and durability. The turbocharged engine does make the GTI faster in a straight line though, for a while. A friend bought the GTI DSG a year after I bought my Si. I haven’t had my first problem or service visit over $100 yet, while his car has been mostly parked for over a year, the subject of a lawsuit with VW and he is still too upside down on his loan due to its lack of resale value to get rid of it and get another car. He never fails to compliment the superior ride quality of my Civic on our crummy roads when I give him a lift. jj99 has some misplaced hostility, but you’re not exactly forming a supportable argument.
Sucks to be your friend.
My ’06 GTI has been trouble free for all of its 72k miles.
I doubt the Civic has higher torsional rigidity than the MkVI Golf – I seem to remember the MkV having absurdly high rigidity figures and the MkVI can only be the same or better.
Speaking personally, I’d take my chance with reliability – the GTI looks much better inside and out (IMO, of course), still gets good gas mileage, still has good interior space, and handles pretty damn well from what I understand. Or I’d just get a Speed3.
Those creaks and rattles aren’t indicative of great torsional rigidity, but you’re probably right that VW claims great figures and they only go up in leaps and bounds with each generation. I like it that VW proponents believe that the MKVI is an improvement over the MKV when it was really just a cost cutting effort. It gives me a good laugh every time I see GTI fanatics mocking the new (admittedly low rent)Jetta.
You need to start putting the gas into your car, and stop sniffing it.
A Honda Civic and “class”? That’s a good one.
The Civic Si is to cars what little-man syndrome is to grown adult males. Sure you’re just as tough as that lineman. Sure you are. Time to go back home and have your mommy read you The Little Train that Could.
Anyone who would honestly trade the buzz of an econobox to the rumble of a V8. . . well, there just isn’t anything to qualify that kind of idiocy.
Troll, indeed. I’d rather have a mullet-mobile any day.
Polishdon….Mustang has built the convert for quite some time. The Camaro rag top has been out since Feb 2011. I’m told that Camaro droptops are running at 33% of total production.
It’s good looking too…but the trunklid needs some cleaning up. The SS I saw had the spoiler, antenna, and center brake light all mounted on the trunk lid. It was too much.
And I still think the back-up lights detract from a clean design.
“And I still think the back-up lights detract from a clean design.”
You can buy chrome surrounds for them after-market. I agree – the back-up lights need trim – they look tacked-on, like I took a utility knife and cut a rectangle, no beveled edge or anything.
The bigger problem with the trunk lid is that when it is open there is just about enough space to shove a basketball through without deflating it first.
…whither the 350/370?..it’s a pony car in all but retro-muscle styling affectation…
Already answered, under 1000 a month being sold.
What a shame. The Z was the coolest until the 300s came out. Since, they have been a disaster.
The original Z was the coolest but by ’90 it was more than twice the price of a Mustang GT. The reason the Mustang has sustained while others failed is it stuck to the original formula and parts piggybacked on Falcons, Pintos and Fairmonts. The ’64 base Mustang was about $17,000 in today’s money. OK, the new ones start at $22,000 but people are also demanding content/safety.
…the 240/260/280 were proper sports cars and the 300 was a GT, but the 350/370 are american pony cars through and through – there’s nothing wrong with that, just a different focus…
I am betting this has a lot to do with how the Mustang has been on the market for longer. Camaro has a certain newness to it, although I hope they have a refresh in the works because the style of it is already starting to stale imo.
I think the Camaro clung to its upward trajectory a bit longer than Mustang/Challenger because of the introduction of the convertible. I bet sales started dropping off in March because of fears of impending $5/gal gas over the summertime, but the recent respite may return a bit of life to the segment.
My only suggestion for the Camaro’s continued success in outselling the Mustang is that the majority of the muscle car-buying population must be blind and/or brain-damaged. The Challenger is clearly the looker of the group and the Camaro is for those who can’t be bothered to look outside their window. If the Challenger weighed less and had more Mustang-like performance/economy balance it would do much better. I agree the latest Mustang restyle was insufficiently differentiated from the previous generation, almost as if it were intended to be a refresh rather than a restyle, but it’s still better looking than the Camaro by a country mile.
The Camaro is outselling the Mustang, but both are having the same drop. I’d be interested in seeing the V8 model take on both. One thing that hurt the Mustang was rental fleets. They were okay with a 210hp coupe but a 305hp coupe at regular rates is a bit different.
Also, I would wonder if the defective manual transmissions are partially to blame. I’d definitely be wary of getting the 5.0.
The Dodge, while quite large, is definitely the looker of the group.
Yea, ford really blew it with that manual transmission in the mustang. Those transmissions in the 2011 Mustangs are blowing up on a regular basis. Those transmissions must not have the strength needed to move the big behind of the trailer trash woman that typically fills the passenger seat of a Mustang.
No question there’s still pent up demand for the Camaro convertible. The fact that it’s only been available for four months makes it a no-brainer to figure that out (to everyone apparently besides Z71_ Silvy).
All three are nice cars and as it was back when the original versions were built, to each his own. Kudos to Chevrolet for the Camaro’s sales performance.
I think the fact that the Camaro is still new compared to the Mustang has a lot to do with this. Buyers have had a chance to indulge themselves with a Mustang for decades now. The Camaro has only been available again for a couple of years now. And has already been pointed out, demand for all of these retro ponies is flattening out as those able to indulge their whims do so.
Ford needs to fix the Mustang’s rear styling, Chevy needs to fix the Camaro’s interior and Dodge needs to hit the Challenger with a shrink ray, but all three are good looking cars. I still think the Mustang is the better drivers car due to being lighter and the fact that you can actually see out of it, but the Camaro’s exterior styling must be winning over the buyers.
The Challenger, historically, has always been the heavyweight of the bunch, Chrysler is just keeping in line with tradition!
I’ll take a Challenger with Mustang’s weight and Camaro’s IRS please. And can I get that in orange?
Fleet sales! It’s the only way the Camaro sells that many units! /sarcasm
I’m close to being an empty nester. Probably 5 years away. My wife is already smacking me for a new car, mostly the Challenger R/T or SRT.
I do like the Challenger, but the local Chevy dealer (Berger) has a bunch of dealer specials built (IIRC, by Hamburger Performance Engineering, I don’t think they do them locally any longer) and those just stop me in my tracks. If I had the $48K for one, I’d do it today.
Something about the Mustang has me turned off, which is strange because I used to own several of them in the 80’s. I think the recent version is better than the 2005-2010, but I think it’s one of those things where familiarity is breeding contempt.
I’m looking at that sales chart again and am wondering out loud (sort of…) what if:
The Ford Taurus was renamed “Galaxie 500”?
The Mailbu somewhat retro-styled?
The Fusion renamed “Torino”?
The Cruze renamed “Nova”?
The Focus renamed “Falcon”?
The 200 restyled and renamed “Satellite” or MoPar equivalent?
The 300 or a version of it renamed “Fury” or some other MoPar equivalent?
Now you have a lineup that resembles the 1960’s & 1970’s market. I wonder if the sales charts would look any different?
Just a random thought. Of course it wouldn’t happen, but a guy can dream once in a while, can’t he?
The mega-Taurus would be a LTD.
The 200 should be a Dart.
And a Fury is Plymouth, not Dodge.
I know. I like “Fury”. Dodge doesn’t have any names that appeal to me, that’s all, but I was always a Plymouth fan.
Of course you’re correct about the “Dart” instead of “Satellite”. I forgot that one. Lots better than “Valiant” too.
Well, yeah. Who doesn’t like “Fury” for a car name?
If Chryco ever extracted their heads from their asses, they’d sell the police Charger as a “Plymouth Fury”.
I like Monaco or Polara for the police car too, but I guess the names don’t mean much to young buyers.
Ooh… Polara.
Good one!
Well, the new Malibu is getting some Camaro-inspired styling cues, mostly around the rear end. Not exactly retro, but getting there, I guess.
I still wish Ford had been able to name the Fusion the Futura, instead.
Are Camaro buyers even test driving the Mustang? I have to assume not as I can’t explain how the Camaro is outselling the clearly superior Mustang by that much. I also suspect most Camaro buyers are brand loyal appearance buyers to a fault. The Challenger is the roomiest and best looking of the bunch but it has nothing else going for it.
…that’s exactly it – the camaro is fashionable whereas the mustang is comparatively mundane due to public acclimation, if nothing else – none of that changes that the mustang is by far the more-developed car…meanwhile, the challenger compromises performance and practicality in favor of appearance and comfort, which limits its appeal to a niche customer willing to accept those compromises…
I don’t see anyone driving the national fart can car ever ever being as cool as Steve McQueen. Ever.
And until Honda/Acura gets their shit together and finds their Mojo again, I don’t see anyone aspiring to the Civic Si like they once did to the Integra and RSX. For roughly the same money, you can get a GTI.
If the Challenger lost a lot of weight I’d be all over one. I see the Camaro will lose that horrible steering wheel along with some other welcome interior updates in 2012. I like all 3, would be tough for me to pick one. Other than gas prices it’s a good time to be a motorhead.
These numbers are especially impressive considering the LSA-powered ZL1 isn’t out yet, and the Z28 is still just a rumor.
We took a look at which of the new ponies was truest to the old school ponies http://www.mystarcollectorcar.com/2-features/editorials/1114-which-of-the-new-pony-cars-is-the-best-replica-of-the-original.html
Personally, I’d go with the Mustang. Lighter, more fuel efficient, nicer interior, better handling (supposedly), and to me, better looking than the other two – though I admit the Camaro and Challenger have more sex appeal, or whatever.
The Camaro is certainly selling based on novelty – the same reason why the Mustang is not selling as well. The retro ‘Stang has been around for 6 or 7 years now, and despite the refinements and vastly improved powertrains it still doesn’t stand out the way a Camaro does just because there are more of them around. Personally, though, I find the Mustang to be the better-executed design even if it doesn’t shout as much.
No doubt Ford needs a serious Mustang restyle in the near future. I have a 2010 and although I like the styling if the lease payment was even close I would have gotten the Camaro. The Mustang has looked basically the same for too long now.
You know Mustang craze is passe when there is at least one parked on every block wherever I go. Being a conformist is fine by me when I drive a midsize sedan. However, when it comes to a sports coupe, I don’t want to be driving something I see on every other intersection. Mustang is a victim of its own success IMHO. I’ll consider driving one after the next redesign. Hopefully Ford will replace the live rear axle while at it.
The current Camaro is just as popular as current bodied Mustangs so you must be refering to the Challenger. Good choice but car guys have tunnel vision and don’t care if their favorite happens to be everyone elses. If a low volume sports coupe is what you’re after, look at a Genesis or M3.
While a live rear axle suffers on bumpy race tracks, an IRS was not necessarily designed for all out track performance or corner holding ability. The current M3 lost by 2.5 seconds to a regular 2012 Boss 302 in just one lap of Laguna Seca.
I don’t think any of the two ton pony cars have a future as CAFE ramps up. It is almost time for a return of the Mustang II, which sort of suits when you consider that the Mustang has been ‘evolving’ pretty much like it did at the end of the ’60s. The Probe was almost called a Mustang back when the Mustang sold in far greater numbers. Remember the Mitsubishi Challenger? The Charger 2.2? Even if gas prices go back to normal, the automakers won’t have the option of selling 100,000 heavy, powerful coupes in their model mixes.
The next Mustang is supposed to be both smaller and lighter, and there are rumors of an EcoBoost four becoming the base engine, so you may well be right (though I hope it doesn’t turn out as crummy as the Mustang II).
Lord knows the Camaro and Challenger could stand to diet a bit.
Smaller and lighter would be great, but they don’t have any obvious sources of component sets for such a car unless it is FWD. I won’t buy anything turbocharged, but I seem less and less likely to ever buy a Mustang newer than 1966 as time goes by. The new one isn’t all bad, but it is much too big for a 2+2 in my book.
The Challenger is a good looking car. My not-exactly-car-enthusiast friends made a lot of favorable comments about their styling during the first year they were on the road. I certainly like the styling more than the Charger’s, but I really can’t stand the idea that they removed all the room of the sedan without removing any of the weight. Maybe they should have had some old hot-rodders teach them how to section the body. I think the Camaro is just awful. It is compromised by its styling in so many ways without managing to look good when near another car to give it scale. I came out of a sandwitch shop to see an orange Camaro RS parked next between an E46 BMW and some other normal sized sedan. It looked like a drunk with a tub of Bondo had fashioned it out of an old full sized truck. The front end is definitely more Silverado than sports coupe, and stood about a foot higher than the leading edge of the BMW’s hood. The greenhouse is too small for a car the size the Camaro should be, let alone the 1.5:1 scale parade float that it is. The interior looks gimmicky and cave-like. The trunk opening is a joke too.
As big and heavy as the Challenger is, it was an easy choice for me. A mid 13 second car is fast/quick enough (I made a few mods and now traction at launch is something that’s very hard to find now, the car has actually slowed down at the strip by a few tenths, but the MPH is up, so it is making more power), and I get an easy 17 MPG around town and about 27 on the highway. I’ve had it for seven months and I love it. I don’t really love the attention it gets though, from police to old people to teenagers, I get asked about it all the time. And it’s been hit while parked twice already!
Perhaps the Genesis Coup could be included in this chart if Hyundai were to finally put on their big-boy pants and offer it with a V-8. Until then, even if its sales do improve, the Genesis will never be a ‘pony-car’.
I’d take mine in reverse of the sales order: Challenger-Mustang-Camaro.
As noted by Edward, Hyundai doesn’t break out its sales from the sedan.
The phrases “Pony Car” and “Muscle Car” describe two different things. The pony car delivers the muscle car looks for somebody who can’t afford the powerplant to back it up, and the muscle car is for covering the shortest distance from point A to B in the shortest time.
Sure there is overlap, but among the people responsible for the terms, they aren’t universally interchangeable. I was feeling faintly disappointed that the distinction is apparently lost here, but I suppose when a Hyundai is mentioned in the article itself and the 370Z makes an appearance in multiple posts, it isn’t that surprising.