As Dodge Challenger Secures Lead Over Chevy Camaro Brand Is “Determined To Compete”
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The Dodge Challenger has pulled off an impressive rise in popularity over the past few years. Despite a booming market for trucks and SUVs, the Challenger was the only muscle car to post a sales increase in 2018. That popularity has ousted the Chevy Camaro from the number two spot on the sales chart.
The Detroit Free Press reported Thursday that the Challenger not only outsold the Camaro in 2018, but it’s carried that momentum into 2019. Dodge sold 13,431 Challengers in the first quarter of this year, compared to 12,083 Camaros. Chevy’s muscle car makes up 21 percent of the market share, compared to Challenger’s 23 percent and Mustang’s 29 percent.
The Camaro’s fall from second place is the first time it’s ever happened in history.
On the news, a GM spokesperson told the newspaper Chevy is “determined to compete” in the segment and forecasted a bright outlook for 2019. The spokesperson noted greater attention to the Camaro’s entry-level performance models. The brand made the calculated move to focus more on the turbo-4 and V6 models last year.
Experts praised Dodge’s marketing and production planning for the Challenger, which has focused on “buzz” models. Cars like the Demon, Hellcat, and special-edition models create buzz for a car that’s comparably quite old to the Camaro. Dodge also said customer research showed exterior colors are a major selling point. Thus, the brand offers a palette of oddball colors, including retro hues. Internal Dodge data also showed many Challenger buys shopped Camaro and Mustang, but interior roominess helped them choose the Challenger.
The Camaro’s interior and visibility issues are widely scrutinized.
However, GM contends the Camaro is a good place. The automaker said sales remain strong despite a lack of incentives and rebates. We’ve heard this story before: the Camaro may not be a best-seller, but it’s supposedly a far more profitable car for GM to manufacture.
Still, there’s always a desire to be on top. Former Camaro chief engineer, Al Oppenheiser, acknowledged the Mustang has beaten the Camaro badly this time around, but there were no plans to let up.
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Source: The Detroit Free Press
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The Camaro is an amazing performance car. As far as pure performance goes, it is right at the Top.
In my opinion it is missing practicality and the Interior is Subpar in materials used not in design.
Can’t wait to see the Next Gen Camaro. I have a feeling they might even go light electrification on the Top End Model. We shall see.
The V-8 Camaro is good for only two things. Going 0 to 60 in 3.9 sec. and picking up Babes. Nothing else matters-according to my son.
A man has got to have his priorities!
No different in 1967 while in high school. You couldn’t miss with a convertible.
I think the convertible is best at style & precise look’s! But to have the attention your after is the whole car has to perform as awesome as it looks!
I agree on practicality, performance. I disagree on subpar materials. Chevy should realize the Camaro can be similar to the Wrangler. If the bases of what a Camaro should be are covered, it’s immune from the usual “unrefined” style criticisms.
Being the highest seller – appealing to more of the masses – does not make one the best sports car (or light duty pickup trucks). Minivans are hot sellers too… The best sports cars are in no way highest volume vehicles. Drive one!
“The best sports cars are in no way highest volume vehicles. Drive one!”
^ This.
Sales numbers aren’t always the best way to determine the quality of a product. The Challenger may sell in droves, but FCA has to take the lower-end of the market because they can’t command more; either because they don’t want to invest in R&D in updating or replacing a modified 15 year old platform, or FCA knows the majority of their base won’t pay more than what they think a Challenger is worth.
Think of that every time someone has ever said “I wouldn’t pay that much for a Dodge”. They aren’t saying that because the buyer doesn’t have the money, but they say that because for what Dodge offers they know they can have something better from other automakers.
Not everything that can be counted (like sales figure) matters.
Not everything that matters (like the grin on a drivers face) can be counted.
lol, minivan sales have been tanking for years.
The head honchos at GM design are to be blamed for the lower sales. They styled the current Camaro too close to the outgoing model with an all too familiar design. And its not like they didnt have very good ultra modern designs to choose from. There is a book on the history of the Camaro, and in it there are pictures of 6th gen Camaro design mock ups of which many took the design forwards.
However exterior styling aside, the current Camaro is a superior driving machine that is superbly engineered for performance. Just need a lower cost V8 model using the Camaro RS fascia with a high output 5.3L V8 would be nice.
I tend to disagree that styling too close to the outgoing design is the problem. If that were truly a problem, Challenger wouldn’t be selling well at all, since you have to look hard to distinguish a 2018 from a 2008. Similarly, there are only a few visual cues that differentiate a 2018 – 19 Mustang from a 2015 – 17. Part of the issue is the visibility from the driving position. Part of the issue is the usability of the trunk. I have a 2017 SS Convertible. If it was going to be my only car, I would have had to go with a coupe, or even more likely, a different car all together. GM made zero compromises on the performance of Camaro, but did make a number of compromises on everyday useability. Challenger and Mustang are more likely to be able to serve as your everyday car.
Then there’s pricing and incentives. Dodge offers more incentives and more creative financing packages for the multitude of trim options they have for Challenger. People go into the dealer to look at the Hellcat and drive out with a GT or an R/T with money on the hood and low finance or lease rates.
A very succinct and reasonable opinion, James. GM marketing is now a joke operation, a bunch of inept slobs compared to their counterparts over a FCA. I still think the gen 5 inspired styling didnt do the gen 6 Camaro any favours. Why should one who owns a gen 5 Camaro SS move up to a Alpha based gen 6 Camaro SS when there isnt much of a difference in styling?
There wasnt much of a visual and emotional incentive to get a gen 6 Camaro to be honest. It gets worse when one considers the other issues that you have quite learnedly stated in your post. Mark Reuss thinks that the car’s incredibly stellar performance capabilities alone would sell the it. Then he turns it into a sport coupe for everybody, turbo 4, V6, and only one V8 engine choice. lol they be jokers at GM.
GM thinks the car will sell itself I guess. It won’t. Picture this. I went to the Toronto Car Show last year and it was a Hot Wheels themed show. There was Hot Wheels stuff everywhere. One of the big reasons I went to the show was to see the new Hot Wheels Camaro up close. You guessed it. No Hot Wheels Camaro. No Hot Wheels Camaro at a Hot Wheels themed car show. Major fail.
i like the 5.3 high performance idea..
I agree 100%. I’ve said it here before and I’ll say it again. The 5.3 has a place in the line up and is NEEDED to compete with FCA’s multiple V8 options of various displacement and power levels. Give me a manual 5.3l RS 1LE at a reduced cost and that would be my choice. Camaro marketing is also nonexistant and I can’t recall the last time I DIDN’T see FCA performance commercials during ANY auction or motorsports TV event. Camaro? Never…
Can’t see out of it. Won’t buy it.
The Camaro would seriously benefit from a practicality upgrade.
I agree.
The Challenger proves that buyers of this car class recognize the benefits of practicality.
After all, why would anyone buy a performance car that’s slightly off the pace? Well, for street driving, the differences between equivalent models of all 3 are largely meaningless, so some folks will pick the one with a back seat and a trunk.
Dodge has captured the original 60-70s muscle car heritage, which is just a cool package in 2019
Chevy has built a poor man’s Corvette. Not a bad thing, but fewer buyers are splitting hairs over track numbers
The Mustang is somewhere in between. Close enough to top performance without tossing all practicality
Just a question here. Take away gender, politics, whatever that has been said or implied or any argument about the current state of GM leadership and think about this one little question.
At what point does profitability start to erode reputation?
We are seeing more and more of these type stories about GM losing market share (albeit a tiny loss) and buyers defecting to other brands and nobody seems concerned at the RenCen. “Triple Zero” be damned, you ARE a car company and if people continue to not like your cars (and trucks) anymore there will be no profits.
In my opinion, I think one of the biggest gaps in GM’s current strategy is a lack of performance variations of its regular everyday models (e.g. Cruze). Think the SS models of old. I sense a general lack of excitement around GM brands these days.
This is the MILLION dollar question. All I can say is that this is an AMAZING assessment and it’s also AMAZING to see someone else put it into words. I believe in social responsibility and equality, but if you check out Twitter, this is all GM seems to be concerned with.
News Flash: No one is buying cars because the CEO and board are predominately female! No one buys cars due to the celebration of rich folk (Oscars).
Create great product! Brag about great product! And guess what, profits will come without always having to cut something out! Sometimes cuts are necessary, but…
10K Likes for you sir!
This where GM IS AT FAULT IN HUGE WAYS WHEN IT COMES TO DESIGN. Hyundai’s Chief recently said “we will no longer design cars or SUVs that follow a specific design Language that’s says yep all our vehicles look the same and this is our identity”. We as consumers want more differentiation from a brand like Chevy or Cadillac. Stop saying this is us and our brand look. From vehicle sizes like ATS AND CTS Cadillacs this philosophy looks so stupid . The ATS came out bland and boring, while the CTS looked great and unique. Let each model sing for itself and let each model in the lineup look different.
That will attract more consumers too a brand who may actually purchase like we have done a vehicle for my wife and 3 vehicles for each of our daughters who each chose a different brand/manufacturer because they liked a certain style/look.
The problem with the Camaro and there are a few huge things. One is this design worked at 1st but has too many constrictions, like outward visibility being a huge one and interior space is extremely cramped. The other issues GM has is they need to let go a little bit on their history. When the IROC Z Camaro came out people wanted one. GM needs to find some wicked awesome new names that resonate with millennials who don’t know much about Camaro’s history. They need to name every high hp engine going forwards because consumers love names like Demon, Hell Cat, Hemi, Shelby, Raptor etc. Talk to any group of teens who dream of cars and they will tell you these things stick out to them.
Other issues are GM plays it wayyyyyy to safe on all their cars when it comes to colors. Corvettes and Camaros should have 3 custom colors every year that change, I’m not talking 3 shades of grey either. Let’s see some color GM. I CAN totally see see myself buying a 2021 Camaro ZL1 Reaper with the New hybrid Reaper engine line, in Nuclear Fusion Orange.
The next generation Camaro’s need to resonate with old car guys who love history but also move towards incorporating the young generation and more things they consider when buying cars like the Camaro and Corvette. The next Camaro needs a more Aggressive design, that’s bursting at the seams, it needs better visibility more in line with the Mustang, more unique colors, better names that resonate with the young and keep creating 2 or 3 unique models per year that are halo cars or just unique. It could be a simple horse power bump, a cool body kit, and unique interiors like the Hot Rod editions.
Come on GM WITH ALL THAT DESIGN TALENT- LET THESE DESIGNERS SPEAK WITH THEIR IMAGINATION. STOP WITH THE BRAND IDENTITY of all cars and SUVs must carry a certain look. This is such a stupid way to Express yourself to today’s consumers who want vehicles to speak to them from model to model at let say CHEVY OR CADILLAC. I dont want too see an ATS AND CTS look ever again. I want to say wow theres a CTS and Holy Shit look at that ATS over there wowwwww!!!!
What are you going to accomplish by waging war on a brand design language? Seriously, what advantages does NOT having such an approach give you?
Answer: none.
The advantage is to not force awkwardness on vehicles for the sake of making them look like another car of that brand that could pull off the look.
I have to agree with Av, it is tiring to see at least the front end of vehicles looking the same throughout the line. Chevy, Cadillac, Volvo even goes as far as semi trucks front grills, and lately Lexus has gone overboard with their front end that would make the Predator’s mother be proud. (I did read that some years ago in Motor Trend).
To show my age during the 1960’s when all makes were coming out with different size vehicles there was no similarities other then the company logo. Take 1967 for example, line up the Impala, Chevelle, Nova, the Camaro and without the Chevy logo you would never know that these four vehicles were related and it wasn’t boring.
The 6th gen is just plain not good looking.
The 5th gen kicked ass and the 6th gen just………blah.
The car is too soft and foreign looking.
GM HAS to stop letting its foreign markets dictate the designs for the American market and they HAVE to stop letting its foreign design studios style the cars for the American market.
As the article points out, colors matter. GM has such a bland color pallet. Challenger offers AWD , too. Anyway the sales figures speak the whole story.
As the owner of a 2016 2SS Camaro, I disagree that the look is “too soft”. I get plenty of stares when driving and, no, I don’t have problems seeing out of it. As for the design not changing much from the 5th gen, the Challenger is over 10 years old with hardly any change yet sells well. I think the three things that hurt Camaro sales are price, limited color pallet, and lack of advertising.
I’d suggest there are three other items that hurt Camaro sales. You can take four adults in the Challenger, short or long trip. You can take a Challenger to the grocery store or the “big box store” and have enough trunk space to get it home. And relative to the Mustang, the Camaro seems to get GREAT reviews for its performance, handling, braking; but when the overall questions of what is the best overall pony car, the Mustang wins that 9 out of ten times as it is reviewed as the best overall performer, not the BEST PERFORMANCE car. Just some thoughts from a very happy owner of a 2006 C6 w/Z51, 6-speed manual and NO Telematics!! YES I know, I can’t take four adults!!! And way back, I remember owning a BOSS 302 that could only handle two grocery bags in its trunk!! And maybe two bags in the “back seat”,
The gun slit windows make the car look cartoonish. Among other things, it’s got some awkward angles.
More glass
Usable backseat
Usable trunk
More colors
A MCE will not fix this car.
Yeah I agree with most people, it’s just hard to fall in love with the looks. It wouldn’t keep me personally from it. It is the best sports car of the bunch.
Just goes to show people will buy a really old, and under performing chassis, if you have good looks and a big engine.
I’ve thought for awhile that GM just wants to be the “Domestic Toyota” car brand. I drove both the Camaro and the Mustang, and bought the Mustang. The Camaro feels claustrophobic compared to the Mustang. GM focused on building a track car, a “TOY”, instead of a daily driver car. I commute 92 miles round trip to work and love my 15 ecoSport premium Mustang. I’m a big GM guy with past rides of – 77 Formula Firebird, 84 Z-28, 78 Trans Am, 87 Fiero. Also, my dad worked at Chevrolet in Indianapolis for 31 years.
https://www.autotrader.com/car-reviews/2018-chevy-camaro-vs-2018-dodge-challenger-which-b-281474979865357
Why not, under the catchall brand name, GMC, on their lots, do a “Limited Edition” Pontiac Trans Am version, create a buzz and probably sell a lot more Camaro-underpinned cars? A GMC Pontiac Trans Am. Build them both in same factory and forget about it….
GMC is not a “catch-all brand”. It’s a utility and truck brand. Next!
Pontiac is dead, and has been dead for 8 years.
You’ve had more than enough time for grieving, now continue on with your life, and stop pitching bad ideas for a dedicated truck/SUV brand to sell a dead brand to an unwilling and uninterested market that is already best served by the Camaro.
Well, a 1-2 model, Alpha based Pontiac line-up in Buick dealers won’t hurt but that’s me.
Then what Alpha models could they possible offer that weren’t already satisfied by the Camaro, the ATS, and the CTS?
When configured for their respective brand and segment, the 3 Alpha cars cover a price range from $25K to $100K. Where, exactly, can Pontiac slip in here and carve out it’s own place?
It can’t go lower than $25K because the physical quality would be substandard and it’s deprecation would be trash. It’s not going to go higher than $100K because Pontiac cannot command that kind of money.
Seems like there’s more of an interest in wanting a Pontiac branded RWD sports car, but nobody wants to pay for it, or suffer a car that rubs shoulders with Mitsubishi and Suzuki in the used car lot.
I admit that RWD is an important selling feature and is quite desirable, but it’s not something the can come cheap, and if it does come cheap, there’s always drawbacks and shortcomings. Throw in an already crowded market, and Pontiac wouldn’t have a chance.
Originally the ATS was supposed to have a Pontiac G6 counterpart so there’s that and either a GTO/tempest, a Firebird or Torrent CUV with 2.0-2.7 power. Pontiac at the end outside of G8 of life was “Mitsubishi and Suzuki” ,Bob Lutz was changing that but the economy fell and so did Pontiac/GM. A 2-model Pontiac line-up won’t effect Cadillac sales anymore than GMC is.
On alleged RWD drawbacks and shortcomings for below Caddy: I agree on not (as) cheap. The analogy is some want lasagne, some want barbecue or pizza.
-Can do cloth trims, n/a engines.
-Can do a low $ trim suspension with front stamped arms, de dion rear. (tighter credit & BoF SUVs going all-together IRS?).
-On previous point, mod guys can go to swaps or aftermarket.
-AWD option is the biggest value add here.
-GM hasn’t been forthcoming on the tallest roof the Alpha plant could do for SUVs.
You also can turn the argument around on the lux side and argue Alpha drawbacks from Omega. Even so, the CT5 looks well positioned. Fingers crossed for the next Camaro.
Can we admit yet that Gen6 styling is a mistake? Dodge didn’t pass Camaro by emphasizing 4 and 6 cylinders. Bara will pull the plug soon just like she has on all the other coupes.
Honestly, I find the gen 6 better looking than the gen 5 but the ’19’s front end is ugly but that is just MHO. I agree about the 4 -6 cyl. FCA has two v6 models and the rest are V8 options. I also agree that she will rather than get it right. Easier to cop out that own it and fix it for the consumer/enthusiasts who really want to buy a Camaro.
I guess Dodge will be in the same boat as 21-22′ Charger/Challenger getting turbo 2.0 as standard engines. As long GM is making a profit of Camaro (in which F-body failed to do) should it matter it’s in 3rd place?
Sadly, I believe your comment about Barra is spot on. If Camaro sales don’t improve, it is doomed. Which would make GM the laughing stock of the automotive world if they get rid of the Camaro (I don’t think GM would care, though).
They took the car away from the Canuks with the intent to sell more cars in the US! As a real car guy knows that the quality of G M Canada was superb! Ow well what goes around comes around!
Ah, c’mon. it might be last but it’s still on the podium.
The Camaro led this segment until this current body style on the ATS platform. To make things worse, THE NEW NOSE ?
Clean house and hire new designers!!!!!
“to make things worse”??? The alpha platform is outstanding and while the design is a bit of an issue, the platfrom is sound. The 2019 front end is bad and I agree.
3rd in trucks. 3rd in muscle cars. It should tell GM something but they aren’t listening !!!
The Trans Am saved the F-body in the 1970s. It could do it again but nobody at GM cares.
The F-body cannot pass current crash tests in ANY major market.
Furthermore, the Pontiac name is stone dead and has little to no brand equity anymore. While the Trans Am may have been a high-point, it only existed on the backs of the countless Sunbirds, Grand Am, Grand Prix, Sunfires, and Montanas sold to make up for the shortfall in revenue.
Revenue that otherwise couldn’t sustained the Trans Am.
The Trans Am and Pontiac brand are NOT golden saviours that will save GM and usher in a new age, and it’s unwise to think so.