Camaro Sales Fall Further Behind Challenger, Mustang During Q3 2020
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Chevy Camaro sales decreased in the United States and Canada during the third quarter of 2020.
Competitive Sales Comparison
The 32 percent decrease in U.S. Chevy Camaro sales during the third quarter of 2020 keeps the muscle car in third place in its segment by sales volume, behind the Dodge Challenger in first place and the Ford Mustang in second. Challenger sales fell 9.42 percent, while Mustang sales fell 18 percent. As such, the Camaro’s 32 percent drop was the most significant of the trio.
Sales Numbers - Two-Door Muscle Cars - Q3 2020 - USA
| MODEL | Q3 20 / Q3 19 | Q3 20 | Q3 19 | Q3 20 SHARE | Q3 19 SHARE | YTD 20 / YTD 19 | YTD 20 | YTD 19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DODGE CHALLENGER | -9.42% | 16,332 | 18,031 | 42% | 38% | -17.88% | 38,350 | 46,699 |
| FORD MUSTANG | -17.67% | 13,851 | 16,823 | 36% | 36% | -13.96% | 47,637 | 55,365 |
| CHEVROLET CAMARO | -31.85% | 8,366 | 12,275 | 22% | 26% | -39.59% | 22,226 | 36,791 |
| TOTAL | -18.21% | 38,549 | 47,129 | -22.07% | 108,213 | 138,855 |
Being the segment best-seller, the Challenger also had the highest segment share of 42 percent. The Mustang took 36 percent, while the Camaro held on to 22 percent.
The two-door muscle car segment contracted an average of 18 percent to 38,549 units, meaning that Camaro sales fell faster than the segment average.
For reference, we are providing sales results for the expanded two-door, mainstream sports car segment below.
Sales Numbers - Mainstream Two-Door Sports Cars - Q3 2020 - USA
| MODEL | Q3 20 / Q3 19 | Q3 20 | Q3 19 | Q3 20 SHARE | Q3 19 SHARE | YTD 20 / YTD 19 | YTD 20 | YTD 19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DODGE CHALLENGER | -9.42% | 16,332 | 18,031 | 38% | 35% | -17.88% | 38,350 | 46,699 |
| FORD MUSTANG | -17.67% | 13,851 | 16,823 | 32% | 32% | -13.96% | 47,637 | 55,365 |
| CHEVROLET CAMARO | -31.85% | 8,366 | 12,275 | 19% | 24% | -39.59% | 22,226 | 36,791 |
| MAZDA MX-5 MIATA | -4.31% | 2,332 | 2,437 | 5% | 5% | +4.74% | 6,652 | 6,351 |
| NISSAN 370Z | -15.31% | 509 | 601 | 1% | 1% | -1.83% | 1,819 | 1,853 |
| TOYOTA 86 | -24.81% | 644 | 856 | 1% | 2% | -21.81% | 1,968 | 2,517 |
| SUBARU BRZ | +79.82% | 784 | 436 | 2% | 1% | -11.64% | 1,746 | 1,976 |
| FIAT 124 SPIDER | -39.36% | 416 | 686 | 1% | 1% | -37.44% | 1,385 | 2,214 |
| TOTAL | -17.09% | 43,234 | 52,145 | -20.80% | 121,783 | 153,766 |
The GM Authority Take
Camaro sales remained sub-par during Q3 2020. Though similarly-lackluster Q2 2020 results could have been attributed to negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, third quarter performance makes it clear that Chevy’s muscle car is being outmuscled (pun intended) by the Challenger and Mustang.
The ongoing decline in sales Camaro sales volume underlines Camaro’s rather uncertain future. Over the past few years, General Motors has discontinued models that are either not selling well, not turning a profit, or both. To that end, GM/Chevrolet has already removed several nameplates from its lineup for that very reason, including the Chevy Cruze, Impala, Volt, and the Buick LaCrosse.
The continuous decline in Camaro sales can be attributed to several factors, including higher prices of the sixth-generation model, which continues to push price-conscious buyers to more affordable offerings from Ford and Dodge. The 2019 Camaro refresh aimed to address this competitive disadvantage with a revised trim level structure that covers a broader price spectrum. Notably, the 2019 Camaro became as much as $2,000 less expensive than the 2018 model, specifically on the mid-level LT models. For the 2020 model year, Chevrolet made the Camaro even more affordable by introducing the all-new Camaro LT1 trim level. The V8-powered LT1 is powered by the same 6.2L V8 LT1 engine as the Camaro SS, but slots between the V6-powered LT models (1LT/2LT/3LT models) and the SS. This makes it more competitively priced than base V8-powered Challenger and Mustang models. However, even these price-related changes haven’t seemed to help the Camaro claw its way back to the top of the sales charts.
The 2020 Chevrolet Camaro introduces the new LT1 trim level as an entry-level V8 model
Other factors that could be preventing the Camaro from being more popular includes reduced cabin visibility, a lackluster dashboard and instrument panel design, sub-par interior material quality, as well as little differentiation from the fifth-gen Camaro in terms of “at-a-glance” exterior styling. Chevrolet attempted to address the “little differentiation” issue with revised front and rear fascias on the 2019 Camaro. Alas, the 2019 Camaro facelift wasn’t particularly well-received for SS models, prompting Chevrolet to deliver a second update for 2020 Camaro SS models. It’s also worth noting that Chevy doesn’t seem to be advertising the Camaro as much as key rivals, including Dodge.
Going forward, we don’t believe that Camaro sales will see an uptick unless Chevrolet begins to offer significant incentives on the model, begins to heavily advertise it, or both.
- Suggested read: check out our muscle car sales comparison for Q3 2020
About The Numbers
- All percent change figures compared to Camaro sales for Q3 2019 sales, except if noted
- There were 77 selling days for Q3 2020 and 76 selling days for Q3 2019
- South Korea sales figures reflect actual vehicle registrations rather than wholesales
- GM Q3 2019 sales U.S.A.
- Chevrolet sales Q3 2019 U.S.A.
- Cadillac sales Q3 2019 U.S.A.
- Buick sales Q3 2019 U.S.A.
- GMC sales Q3 2019 U.S.A.
- GM Canada sales Q3 2019
- Chevrolet Canada sales Q3 2019
- Cadillac Canada sales Q3 2019
- Buick Canada sales Q3 2019
- GMC Canada sales Q3 2019
- GM Mexico sales Q3 2019
- GM China sales Q3 2019
- Chevrolet China Q3 3019 sales
- Buick China Q3 2019 sales
- Cadillac China Q3 2019 sales
- GM Brazil sales Q3 2019
- GM South Korea sales Q3 2019
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“lackluster dashboard and instrument panel design, sub-par interior material quality”
Dashboard envying?, you see the sea of plastics from the other 2?.
I’ve never owned a Ford and I can admit the Mustang interior after 2018’s update is better.
The camaro is a long list of “What were you thinking?”. As much as arm chair ceo’s annoy me I’m 1000% confident that I could do better than those knuckle heads.
A redesign with much better visibility and an appealing dash/interior would make a world of difference. That would take a big investment so it’s likely Castro on the way out. It’s a shame because these obvious short comings should have been addressed on the design table. Surprising design gaffs!
Only thing I’ll concede is the Camaro next generation needs to be more practical and roomy for non-V8 buyers so it can be a starter car for couples, commuter and so. All this other “macho” and “interior” stuff here either Mustang buyers or men who can’t afford one.
It is time for Barra to go. She had made a mess of all facets of running GM.
Look at the news picture and understand why.
It seems GM is doing everything to Camaro fails, saying then it must be killed.
The interior is horrible, the gauge cluster is outdated. The front and rear end… But it is 0.1s faster in 0-60…
I hope they rethink the Camaro completely and go a different route with the design.
It would be a shame if they just kill it off.
It’s time for a totally new Camaro the rendering with the 90’s vibe is a good start. The front and rear looks nicer, add T-Top option something the other 2 don’t have, and the hatch back will make it easier to put items in the rear
Ok you don’t want a new Camaro just
Kill it and let Challenger and Mustang battle it out
The 1st car I ever purchased myself was a 79 Z-28 (80K sold of 250K Camaros) and this doesn’t include Firebird sales. Lots of baby boomers in those years. My Dad had given me a used 75 Rally Sport while I was in college. We bought my now 19 year old son a new 2017 V6 A8 Garnet Red Tintcoat Camaro in 2018. It is a great car and we love it. Still get compliments very often in our small Southern town, even from people who didn’t know what it was and that Chevy still made.them. Nurse with 4 teenage children showed to get gas in her new 2020 Satin Steel gray v6, A10, 1LT the other night and said that she had wanted one since she saw my son’s. More advertising? The last Camaro commercial I saw was probably for the reintroduced 2010, while Dodge ads for Chargers & Challengers kick butt on a 10 year old large platform that keep fresh every year. GM will let it die as planned. The only car left will be the vette as they want to be only a pickup and SUV company until their electric hopes fail as they continue to attach their wagon to Communist China will be a big mistake as they strive toward world domination whether you are democrat or a republican. Tells you something where they are already discounting their two Caddy sedans in year one of their introduction. Sad.
Need to upgrade the horsepower to even compete with the 700hp cars. Open the 6.2 up to about 720 730 hp and you still out run the 2 cars with no problem. The Camaro with 650hp leave both at the line it just don’t have enough on top end to keep running
Jumping in again… the 16-18 Camaro fascia is the best and was a very good start but IMHO, the 19-20 went the wrong way… I thought about buying one of those years 16-18 but I couldn’t let go for 47k and choose to keep my modded 99 4th gen. I’m not knocking the platform or power plant for the SS, it’s one of the best designed of the big 3, but I would shave some weight – somewhere… Those wanting a bigger car with HP should buy a Cadillac V series or a Charger and leave the Camaro alone. Asking for a larger Camaro is not a Camaro enthusiast. It’s to bad the gen 10 Impala didn’t get a v8 to satisfy those wanting a larger family car…
Just asking to fix the front fascia and interior with back to basics approach.
BTW, sorry for the run on sentence in my “War and Peace” post. Still love Camaro and wish I had kept my 6 Chevelles, 64 SS vert, 65 El Camino, 66 Malibu coupe, 72 Malibu 350, 72 SS 350, 70 SS396. Also a 84 Monte Carlo SS. All great memories of great cars!
General Motors CEO Mary Barra has known of these issues that have plagued the Chevrolet Camaro; but Barra think there are other priorities that are more critical especially as the Chevrolet Camaro may be killed off once the fleet goes electric meaning the Camaro may be canceled by 2025.
GM will kill this vehicle like others they have cheapened up to the point of embarrassment.
Remember !!!!! Customers still yearn for this vehicle, they want it, just not this cheap junk !
What everyone here forgets is the GM 8 speed junk transmission !
What everyone here forgets is the never ending class action law suits just to get ” known issues ” fixed by GM !
Like 70 Chevelle L34 said, look at the cheap Chevrolet interior Cadillacs. The ALL NEW onslaught !!!!!! Why would GM just regurgitate the same old Chevrolet/Cadillac cheap vehicle ?
And the EV’s a coming ———-
It is not going to change anything, if GM doesn’t change !!!
Does anyone here think, GM is overnight , going to flip the switch, and make everything EV great out of the shoot ?
The EV product line, when there are troubles, will receive the same horrible GM customer support !
The EV product line, will receive the same old cheap interiors ?
I guess the GM 8 speed junk transmission, wont give troubles in the EV’s, but you are telling me that the EV is less complicated than an automatic transmission that GM has been making for over 100 years ?
Tell me how this GM product line improves ? Isn’t it the same GM releasing them ? Isn’t it the same old GM customer support number you call before starting the class action lawsuit ? Isn’t it the same old GM sourcing of the ” known faulty ” parts ?
What will the warranties be on the EV’s ? Same 36,000 miles ? Mile 36,001 you need to replace a battery, you get nothing, like the current GM ?
Truck sales look steady, do full-size SUV sales look steady ?
Whatever, I’m sure this is right along with the GM long term plan !! Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha !!
My concern with them going all in on EVs is that they are likely to find that people don’t want EVs so much as they just want Teslas.
If Tesla really does sell their truck for $40k and a new model car for $25k, why would anyone buy a Silverado EV or Bolt?
Even at 40k, I wouldn’t buy the Tesla truck.
If they redesigned it to look like a truck I’d want, then I’d consider it.
I will more than likely buy an electric Silverado one day. Currently drive a 2019 Silverado.
You’re probably going to have to live through everyone else redesigning their trucks to look like the Tesla.
You are right. Tesla has grabbed the first mover advantage and it will be hard for GM or anyone to overcome it.
If you think the 8 speed is bad, try Ford’s awful Mustang 10 speed. I’ve never owned such an ill mannered automatic. Pissed me off so much I dumped it for a used Audi A5 convertible. Strangely the Audi dual clutch automatic shifts beautifully at all times. The biggest issue on the Camaro is that you can’t see out of it. GM needs to go to a design more akin to the original with windows big enough to see out of. As others have noted the dash is very sub par too.
What are total Volt (gone) & Bolt sales to date? And yet GM thinks people are all ready for their EV’s? Late to the party & will never be Tesla.
A Chevy Cruze and Toyota Prius hooked up and produced an ugly love child called Camaro. What a pitiful mess. Even hard core GM sheep look elsewhere.
The main problem is the look of the front end. The fangs or buck teeth looking grill need to go!
yes have been saying that all along, being a camaro guy, im sure everyone here is sick of my posts saying get rid of that clown face, put a zl1 face on it and it will sell, to me its just but ugly.
Dodge keeps improving and tweaking the Halo effect on its Challenger lineup and Ford does similar with the Mustang. GM/Chevrolet does zilch with the Camaro.
This segment is all about competing with ego, image and horsepower and the Camaro comes up short on all three.
It’s safe to say that it will go the way of extinction under Barra’s watch.
Basically, save for the new Corvette, GM’s whole lineup is a big ol’ snooze fest.
First…replace that friggin ugly ass front! It’s embarrassing a long tradition of Camaros!
Fire those designers and don’t look back…don’t even transfer them to another department!
Second, reduce the weight. Geez, each year there are pounds in the husky Camaro…stop, put it on a diet!
Third, that ugly interior has to go…trying to replicate a 69 Camaro is a huge miss…stop! Get rid of the velvet crap!
Fourth, those tall doors got to go…you can’t cruise with your arm out the window without draining the blood from your arm and those pillars block your vision…stop!
Fifth, get rid of the rear spoiler, make it part of the hatch or trunk, its not an Asian car…
Lastly, make the COPO and ZL1 mean something, don’t let the Corvette compete against the Mustang…where are days of dominance…now its Shelby vs Corvette. Where’s the friggin Camaro!
It’s like GM is intentionally trying to destroy it from within…
Suggestions: Z/28 with LS7, ZL1 with N/A LS7 modified with 750 HP, COPO with with SC LS7 for 900 HP, and SS with new LT with 490 HP.
All with options of dual clutch automatic and 6 speed trannys.
Race 57, you just said everything I was going to say. Except for one. Bigger windows. They need to improve visibility.
That being said, I love my Camaro. I love the way it handles. I love the way it feels. I love how it takes corners. There is something about the look of a Camaro that Challenger and Mustang don’t have. GM, don’t discontinue the Camaro! Make these improvements! Don’t deprive us of the Camaro!
Get rid of everyone working on the camaro,interior is ugly ,exterior is ugly , I am a die hard gm owner , sorry this model is just in no way able to sit next to a mustang or challenger and look pretty ,more like pretty sad ,and I am not bashing on engine or drive trains ,gm please stop embarrassing yourselves , fire all your designers and everyone on this model ,grow some cojones man or just Tapout already ,just my opinion
Are you stupid, or just a hater? Have you driven a GEN6 Camaro? (and I’m not talking about some basic v6 rental car) The GEN6 Camaro is built on a far superior platform to Mustang or Challenger. Alpha is potentially the best unibody platform ever developed. It’s twice the platform the old Zeta was. An 02 Camaro was a better performance car than an 02 Mustang, but Mustang outsold it. GM has done a piss poor job marketing the GEN6 Camaro.
Also as much as things change, they also stay the same. Just like a GEN4 Fbody platform is superior to a SN95 from a performance standpoint so is the Alpha compared to Mustangs S550 (just an updated old DEW98) and Challengers LA. (based off a bunch of old 90’s MB S-Class and E-Class components) The negative to Alpha at least as it pertains to Camaro is it prioritizes performance over passenger ergonomics more than it competitors do just like Fbody did 20 years ago. You have to be more of a hardcore performance enthusiasts to want to deal with a new Camaro as its practicality for daily use is more compromised than Mustang or Challenger, even though it’s lack of practicality is overblown by many people. Still Mustang and Challenger are roomier, (even though none of their back seats are inviting to anyone over 5 years old) have better outward visibility, (Challengers rear visibility is not much better than Camaros) and more cargo space. Camaro is a performance car first and it knows it. It’s not trying to be all things for all people.
So maybe that’s part of the problem with the Camaro. Ok, let’s say it is a better pure performance car. Fine.
But I’d still rather own a Challenger or Mustang because they look good to me.
Maybe your Camaro could beat my Challenger on a track. Most people just don’t care about that, and if you think about it, of course they don’t.
I don’t want to accept a bunch of compromises with my car just so it can be slightly better in a hypothetical situation I’m not even interested in.
This was all hypothetical – I don’t own any of these cars, but the Camaro would be last on my list, just like it is in sales.
First there’s no slightly better about it. Alpha is noticeably to a lot better than either S550 or the LA platform. Going off C&D’s lightning laps at VIR a SS 1LE ran like 7-8 seconds faster than a Challenger Hellcat widebody. Even a V6 1LE ran within a half a second of a Charger Hellcat. (Look up the time is you don’t believe me) A base LT1/SS isn’t even that much slower than a 1LE car, and VIR is a long/pretty fast track.
Second I really could care less whether or not you’d rather have a Mustang or Challenger over a Camaro. Looks are subjective and I and a lot of people seem to think the same. I own a 19 SS 1LE that I traded my old 02 SS in for. I’m a chassis guy, and appreciate a well designed chassis which is why I chose the Camaro over Mustang or Challenger. My old SS was lowered sitting on polished OEM C6Z wheels. My Sonic Blue 03 Cobra coupe is lowered with chrome 18 replicas. (Both cars running a staggered/wide rear wheel and tire setup) My 03 Lightning looks stock. I’ve owned other Foxbodys and Roush’s, etc. Point is not to brag per say, but to illustrate that I own some pretty good looking/desirable Mustangs and Camaros, etc and none of them garner the amount attention that my 19 1SS 1LE does. I can hardly go to a gas station with it and not have someone come and ask me what kind of car or Camaro it is, or is it fast, etc because they find it to be a cool/good looking car and it’s a 19 on top of it all. So while you and others in here might not like the looks of the car, there are actually many who do.
Again I appreciate a well designed chassis. When companies over-budget their platforms it doesn’t impress me. You can fault GM for a lot of things, but the Alpha platform is something they did right, and it sad they it’s so under appreciated both with Cadillac and Camaro. When you have Ford claiming the GEN6 Mustang is going to prioritize cutting weight over S197, and then in reality a comparable GT gains roughly 200 lbs, (that 3,700 lbs # people quote for a 15+ GT is BS, and a 18+ GT PP1 car is more in the 3,860 lb range which is approaching GEN5 SS weight) and a Challenger widebody Scat Pack is what, about a 4,300 lb car or so? FCA won’t even design an aluminum block for it. A comparable Alpha is noticeably less weight than these cars. A LT1 that isn’t optioned out with a bunch of stuff is well under a 3,600 lb car which is light by todays standards.
Again if you like Mustang/Challenger better than Camaro that’s fine. Coyote is awesome, and the Challenger has its cool points, (even though the 392 mods like crap compared to Coyote and LT1) but to pretend that the GEN6 Camaro is junk because you don’t like its looks, or its sale figures, or because you’re on here but are a GM hater, well that’s a bunch of BS. It is in reality the best performer of all the current “Muscle Cars” from a chassis/suspension standpoint, so an Alpha Camaro is far from being a crappy/weak/slow/bad car. It is easily the best handling/fastest Camaro built to date. It (along with most other cars in its class) just isn’t selling particularly well in this era of buyers.
You totally didn’t get the point of what I was saying at all, but OK.
Well, I think it’s not about performance. It’s mostly aesthetics at this point.
The models look like they stole a bunch of designers from Honda. Also, the front ends of the non-SS trim packages look like garbage.
They have an extraneous amount of different packages. Bring them back down to four trim levels, and give all trims the SS fronts and rears. Cut out all the other BS, like the 4cyl turbo nonsense.
I tried to buy a Camaro but the sales reps were playing games not trying to get me the best rate,I went to ford that same day got the 0% interest rate and the payment I wanted no problem. It isn’t that Camaros aren’t selling but Dealers are trash.
I’ve been saying since 2015 when the 6th gen debuted.
It’s the styling.
It’s too soft, too watered down.
It looks like a foreign car. Not an American muscle/pony car.
I looks the same as the previous version to me, with maybe minor changes that didn’t help any.
To an untrained eye it might look the same.
But to people who study and know design (and not just car design), it is VERY different.
Camaros aren’t selling because nobody knows Chevrolet is still building them.
When was the last time anyone saw a Camaro ad on TV?
Filling up my son’s 2017 RS and a guy who had a Gen 4 & a Gen 7 vette came over to look at it. Said he loved it but didn’t know Chevy still made Camaros. BTW, my son had the A8 flush at about 4K. Now has about 14K and not a shutter since. Barra wants all GM ICE to go. Going EV so heavily will be a disaster. Not many charging stations in NE MS.
Wow, that is SAD! That says it all right there. No advertising anymore. How about some advertising, GM?
Bingo. If GM ran ads like Dodge does that showed the Camaro in a bad-@ass performance manner, it would sell. For reasons unknown, GM seems allergic to telling the world what the Camaro can do. It is insane.
It is really not an UNKNOWN reason. Mary Barra runs GM and she is a flaming Liberal. She is driving the curve toward all electric vehicles, even if it means the eventual death of GM. It is her mission to do this, the customers and the stockholders be damned in her mind. Period. In fact, GM just said last week that they will be all electric by 2035 – 15 years. In the mean time, you will get 4-cylinder(or fewer) engines with a gadget attached like a “turbo Charger” to run the guts out of it.
They are simply going to have to offer better incentives to buy, and that includes really low financing rates for those with exceptional credit.