Sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro sales haven’t grasped the consumer base as well as the fifth-generation model, even though it’s leaps and bounds more advanced than its predecessor. But we seldom figured it would take third place in the monthly pony car sales race.
The Dodge Challenger actually outsold it during the month of June, according to sales data released by the automakers. Moreover, the Challenger also outsold the second-place Ford Mustang in June 2017. A quick backgrounder: the Dodge Challenger hasn’t been significantly updated since in almost 10 years—the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro is all new and was only introduced a model year ago.
Dodge sold 6,605 Challengers during the month of June compared to 4,691 Camaros sold. The Ford Mustang landed in second place with 6,186 vehicles sold. Year-to-date, the Camaro has still outperformed the Challenger, however. From first to last, the Mustang has sold 44,608 units, the Camaro has found 36,567 homes, but the Challenger has begun to creep up on the Camaro with 35,910 vehicles sold in 2017. A similar scenario can be seen in the full size truck market, with Ram vs Silverado.
Foremost, the Challenger Hellcat and Challenger Demon may be creating an intended halo vehicle effect. Those yearning for the Hellcat or Demon may simply buy a lesser model to be associated with the all-powerful muscle cars. In addition, Dodge knows what the Challenger is and knows its market: it’s not a track toy, it’s a throwback to simple, straight-line speed. And more people still use Camaros, Mustangs and Challengers to pull in straight lines than any other forms of motorsport, sanctioned or not.
Chevrolet will launch the 2018 Camaro ZL1 1LE this fall to hopefully create a similar effect. After all, it did most recently become the fastest Camaro to ever lap the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Comments
More (relevant) GM news from you know who.
The Dodge is on a modified 15 year old Mecerdes platform. They’ve made their money and then some. What sort of incentives are on the hood of a Challenger.
But with that said, GM has stupid model names for the Camaro line up. ZL1 1LE vs Hellcat or Demon.
The Challenger, like Dodge trucks, are heavily discounted in our area.
Ford also is making deals on the Mustang.
GM hasn’t and isn’t currently offering any discounts on the 6th-gen Camaro. Dealers seem to be holding the line, too.
The Challenger shows it age and still has quality/build issues after all these years, but it does offer a bit more room for rear seat passengers, which besides its great styling, and the ‘Hemi’ BS, helps to sell this over the hill Pony.
Was at the drags last weekend and saw a 2017 Camaro V6 repeatedly show its taillights to a Challenger RT.
Here is an idea. Improve on the parts of the product that needed the most improvement instead of making those worse (beakseat, trunk, visibility, pricing ). instead gm improved in areas that were already working (styling, power, handling, options packages). Don’t get me wrong the Camaro is an impressive product but it was rolled out to a niche crowd the way it was designed and where the engineering focus for this gen was put.
I own one and have no issues with backseat, trunk, visibility. The price jumps are what puzzled me.
Clearly you don’t need to take advantage of actual space in a car like most Americans do. I use my very well kept gto to haul around kids every day. Sure it is not fun to get back there, but once they are back there they have plenty of space for themselves and their backpacks. I will stick with my Corvette convertible for my “2 seater.”
reg; “no issues with backseat, trunk, visibility. ” Same here. Love the new Camaro, it is, like the Mustang, an emotional and visceral vehicle, and has no need to be practical. Want practical, buy and appliance 4-door hatch or CUV/SUV and be bored to death unless it is a WRX type vehicle.
I also like the new Mustang for its looks, but as long time BMW 3 & 5 -series owner, the Camaro was the only choice I could live with on a day to day basis. I also live in an area of beautiful curvy roads and the Camaro just does curves a lot better then the Mustang. Maybe the 2018 Mustang has stepped up the feel of its Slip-angle game and will be on competitive terms with the Camaro.
Reg; “The price jumps are what puzzled me.” The content upgrades are the vehicle of the pricing increases. Compare what is standard on a Mustang to a Camaro. Some stuff the Camaro offers standard/Base can’t even be had in the Mustang until 2018.
The Dodge Challenger is much cheaper than the Chevy Camaro or the Ford Mustang. This is why many police fleets buy them, as Chrysler sells them at a discount for police and security applications. Even the U.S government (Federal administrations) still buy more Chrysler products than Ford or GM products (Presidential limousines are an exception).
Personally, I have owned and driven Camaros and Mustangs, and I prefer the Mustang.
Dodge is honestly giving away the LX platforms so that’s why it outsolds
Out of the three, the Challenger is the one I would buy 1st, with the Mustang 2nd. I would even consider the Dodge Charger before the Camaro, and this from someone who owns/owned 7 GM, 1 Ford and 1 Dodge over the years.
The Camaro is far above and beyond better than any of those. Maybe you don’t like the styling but most people do. Performance wise there is no comparison. Camaro wins independent test after test after test.
Besides a dealer close to my location is giving 10k off of the hellcats
While the Camaro is a superior track car, the Challenger is just a better all around car to live with day in and day out. It has better visibility, a more useful back seat and trunk, and even offers all-wheel drive for us northerners that need to get around in the snow, all while still looking cool.
I’m guessing it’s price.
Typically Challengers are trailing the pony car pack badly. Not surprised they beat the gen 6 Camaro though for a single month. Dodge has done that before. The gen 6 Camaro is a sales laggard from its inception. Mustang in 2nd is a shocker.
I don’t follow prices on Challengers because I have no interest but I know in my region the deep Camaro discounts in May led to none (at least advertised) in June leading to a modest dip compared to last year but a big reversal compared to the previous month.
The topic of the Camaro carrying a seriously bloated price has been discussed many times here. Of course this is offset by it clearly being the performance winner. But no matter what we think here of Camaro’s price/performance the market has spoken and overall sales leader Mustang is good enough for a plurality. Or this month the Challenger. Why? Heck, 99% of owners will never track their pony cars so stats are bragging rights.
Part of Mustang’s sales sluggishness is I believe there’s a refresh coming in ’18. It’ll get more power, magnetic ride, and an upgraded interior. Which will put a lot of pressure on GM. Or not. Maybe they’ll never care as long as margins are fat and just shutter factories longer.
Price is by far the biggest obstacle and you nailed it Steve.
Looks don’t help either…………also the already mentioned visibility, back seat and trunk.
Dave, you’re right. While, imho, the gen 6 Camaro is an improvement over gen 5 in exterior appearance (e.g., lost the cheap looking faux vents/gills in front of rear wheel well), it isn’t quite up to snuff. Chrysler and Ford did a better job of blending retro with the modern.
However, one thing that’s rarely mentioned is how bad the Camaro’s dash is. The square-ish gauges are not only unattractive, they’re the only ones I’ve ever seen in a car that obscure the driver’s view because they’re way too high. The MyLink console isn’t sporty at all and looks like it belongs in Sonic.
Write me off as a ‘hater’ but I really waited for the gen 6 to come out and was seriously going to buy one based on the pre-release hype. But the bloated price completely turned me off – I’m looking at ~$50,000 with GM’s pitiful incentives for a car which design wise (aside from tremendous track performance ) trails the cheaper competition.
The thing that few people point out though is that dodge can AFFORD to sell it cheaper because its a 10+ year old car.
When you already recouped all of your investment costs, its just rolling in pure profit. Instead of investing millions in a redesign, they can put millions into incentives, driving the cost down.
This is huge because for the first few years camaro was out, the “problem” with the challenger was its high price tag. It was so much more expensive than ford and chevy, no one understood why people would buy the challenger. Now its actually cheaper in many instances, but its not at the expense of OEM profitability. In other words, they can legitimately sell it cheaper because it IS such an old car… and I guess it goes to show people are more budget conscious in this segment than we’re led to believe.
I think Chevy and Ford have inadvertently kept Dodge in the game with their barely noticeable styling changes in spite of full refresh cycles. Add to that the hellcat/demon/widebody halo, the only usable back seat and this outcome is not that surprising. It could also be a surge in fleet sales – but shaving fractions of a second in track performance is not as much of a differentiator any more when all 3 cars can offer way more performance than most drivers can use.
The challenger has the title of fastest car on the planet which doesn’t sit well with ford and chevy. Will we see a challenge to the challenger? Only time will tell. Is it a new horsepower war?
Did you include the sales of Mustangs now sold in Europe. Opps didn’t think so. Nice try
We don’t have to get into fanboy wars here! I like all three cars, but have typically preferred the Camaro. I think the Challenger may be seeing some success now that it’s the only car sticking to a retro design and a more relaxed disposition. The Mustang, and especially the Camaro, have gone into sports car territory. They focus a lot on handling, whereas the Challenger is undoubtedly the best grand tourer. It’s a classic American road trip kind of car. And honestly it’s just really cool.
It’s worth noting that you can get a V8 Challenger and Mustang for $33k, whereas you’ll have to spend $38k to get a V8 Camaro. In fact, you can get the 475hp Challenger Scat Pack for $38k. If Chevrolet is looking for sales, they’ll have to bring the pricing down. Not that sales are necessarily “everything”.
A note to the author, who typed “the Dodge Challenger hasn’t been significantly updated since in almost 10 years”, it was updated for 2011 and got a more significant update for 2015. Along the way it has received new transmissions, engines and technology, the chassis has been tuned and AWD was introduced in the form of the V6-powered Challenger GT. Today’s Challenger is, in fact, VERY different from the 2008 Challenger.
I think you have an interesting point here.
I kind of wonder who the camaro market is. I used to be into camaros like crazy, but now to me I’d prefer a corvette. (and traded my camaro for a corvette). If the Camaro is a sports car like a corvette, then its a “baby corvette” in many ways. The rear seat is just about useless, and so bring on the ‘vette.
I feel like the Camaro used to be so different from a corvette they didn’t compare. I had a 2nd Gen z28 and I LOVED that car, but compare that to a corvette of the time and they were totally different animals. The camaro was “big” (for the time period) power, on a big body that looked powerful, with big interior and a big trunk. The corvette was tiny, light weight, and sporty. The idea of cross-shopping them wouldn’t even make logical sense to anyone.
Enter 2018. I’m not saying people necessarily cross shop the two, but buying a camaro doesn’t FEEL the same as it did in the 70s and 80s. It feels like a very different type of purchase
Arach,
I’m cross shopping Camaros and Corvettes.
It all started when I visited a local Chevy dealer to talk to him about a convertible 2SS. It was MSRP ~$54,000. Near it on the showroom was a base LT1 Corvette for ~$1,000 more.
Then Ford started leaking about an upgraded 2018 Mustang targeting Camaro’s track performance.
Can’t make up my mind and I can afford to wait.
Prices are what’s killing Camaro sales….too damn high
I have heard, but not totally sure is that GM is limiting the sale of Camaros to rental companies. I went to Hawaii recently, and I never so saw many Mustangs (mostly convertibles) in my life. I am assuming that most were rental cars. If in fact, GM is limiting the sale to rental companies, then that would partially explain why the Mustang is outselling the Camaro.
Price price price
I ordered my 2010 2SS/RS in 2009 for $34160. $43,990 for the “same” car now? I’ll keep my 2010
You hit the nail on the head. My ’11 2SS/RS Convertible stickered for $44k. The same exact ’17, stickers for ~$52k. Give me a break GM!
I agree.
there’s one PROBLEM with agreeing however- and that is that the price really hasn’t changed.
According the Measuringworth.com, $34160 in wealth in 2010 was worth $42,400 today (as far as the economic power is concerned- same portion of GDP) or $40,600 using the income value of the commodity.
So its just “psychology” that $43,990 seems ridiculously expensive now and “right priced” in 2010. From an economic standpoint, they may not be that far apart. Its actually “costing” about the same and its in the same point of an individuals finances.
Pesky Inflation!!!
After all, the camaro only cost $2400 in the 60s,
Trouble with that is everyone’s income doesn’t reflect nor excuse the price inflation.
Income that hasn’t matched inflation is the issue that is causing much hardship and diminishing affordability. When I got married in the mid-60’s, you really only needed one bread winner, then we had the Vietnam war and the situation changed dramatically by the late 70’s.
Few American’s realize or understand that we export our inflation so the poor and middle-class can actually buy stuff. It’s and economic Black Hole we find ourselves in. Without global trade/China, most American’s would be living hand to mouth and their TV set would be from the 80’s. Living wages for all American’s will only be had with the Cottage industry economic model and $10.00 a gallon fuel.
War inflation. The cost of the Vietnam war increased inflation by 1100% over the years and it still costs treasure today. Constant war ‘To Protect Our Freedoms’ is the driving vehicle of inflation today, along with constantly increasing medical services.
The other factor is the cost of ‘build structure safety’ and equipment safety, add in other additional new content and we are not buying 65′ Mustang’s and 67′ Camaro’s.
The base Camaro is a complete vehicle, you really don’t need more the base equipment that it has. The additionally options are just because you want it. More power, sunroof, leather, Bose sound, Mood lighting, gimme a break. Except for the Sunroof and Sound system upgrade and the 1LE-V6 and Dual-Mode exhaust… COL! who really needs all the stuff that after financing, really puts a dent in your lifetime personal treasure situation.
COL! Chuckling Out Loud
ultimately everyone is dancing around the value proposition for the camaro and the real market for it as it was designed. While it is a good data point that the camaro in inflation terms may not be more expensive than the last version that does not eliminate other real world variables driving purchasing decisions for this car. the fantastic track performance of the camaro is also a very real data point. Neither the fact that the performance is the best and the dollars are flat in real inflation terms outweigh the other points driving purchase decisions imho.
– The back set sucks, especially when I can buy a corvette with even better performance.
– I would argue the trunk is worse in someways than even the vette and it is certainly worse than the challenger and mustang.
– visibility is not notably better than the last camaro.
– while the existing price can be supported by “inflation” it does not account for other market realities. affordability – people’s wages have stagnated or been driven down between 2010 and now especially for the largest target audience. better values in the challenger, mustang and even the vette (considering the camaro has a crap back seat.)
I don’t want to sound like a camaro hater, I like it. However, the present overall design points of the camaro put it in a niche market when looking at other offerings, pricing, and design.
Agree with Bill. The real issue is that the Camaro has now lost the “bang for the buck” war and title. At $44k for a loaded SS and over $63k for a ZL1, there are tons of options to compete.
I think it might be the fact that the alpha platform is just an expensive platform in general