Camaro Sales Fall Further Behind Challenger, Mustang During Q3 2020
88
Sponsored Links
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
- Sweepstakes Of The Month: Win a Corvette Z06 and 2024 Silverado. Details here.
Sponsored Links
GM messed up when they created the 6th Gen and simply made it (more or less) a more sophisticated 5th Gen. Sure, the drive train, interior, etc. were all updated, but the two cars’ exteriors look eerily similar. Customers want (and expect) a different design when a manufacturer creates a new generation of vehicle. As the owner of an ’11 Camaro SS and a ’17 Corvette GS, I will say that the 6th Gen is a stout car. With this being said, GM should have went in a different direction instead of taking the 5th Gen and simply making it better for ~$10k more.
What I don’t understand is some people want a new design for the camaro others are mad with the new designs for the vette so I’m not sure that’s the real reason or the entire reason for low sales. When you see the old and the very same charger and challenger sales going up this late in the same old look and design.I’d say a more roomier car with not as boring gauge cluster is 2 simple reason that dodge over took chevy in sales imho
So… You want it redesigned too?
I love the my 6th gen. But clearly not everyone agrees. I think the masses want a bigger more practical car. If they weren’t gonna axe the alpha platform, a 4 door Chevy alpha would help, I think it’s very well done platform and GM should get the sales numbers it deserves….. but to answer your question I really don’t care at this point I plan to keep my 6th gen till I or it dies.
Infamous,
You said: “Customers want (and expect) a different design when a manufacturer creates a new generation of vehicle. ”
How do you explain the Porsche 911?
The 911 is an exclusive and expensive, German sports car that has kept the same basic design for its entire life. Its buyers are used to this and expect it to look like a VW Bug on steroids. The 911 is obviously one of the exceptions to the rule. The Porsche fans would go berserk if their beloved 911 were to be altered.
With the Camaro, each generation has been a departure from the prior. Gen’s 1-5 are all front engine, RWD, but they are easily distinguishable from one another. The pony car buyers are used to getting something new every few years. When the 6th Gen was released, looked extremely similar to the 5th Gen AND cost ~$10k more, it turned a lot of people off.
With FCA/Dodge, they have really put their noses to the grindstone and have come up with some creative ideas to keep their 12 year old Challenger platform relevant. Their finances are in the toilet; therefore, they cannot engineer a new generation or produce the fabled ‘Cuda. What have they done? They have created dozens of different variations to keep the Mopar faithful intrigued and I applaud them for that.
Infamous
Everything you said is spot on, I really can’t argue with what you said, it’s pretty much facts. My only question would be is could GM have done a alpha based camaro justice style wise. Or should they done what dodge did, kept the 5thgen chassis and tweak the style.
And something I never considered was I’m a first time camaro buyer. And I never thought of people like yourself who might of owned a 5th gen, your unlikely to buy a 6th gen based on style and maybe more likely to go to dodge if wanting something fresh for yourself which reflects sales numbers
Thank you Kirt.
I am a GM guy through and through, as the men in my family have been for ~4-5 generations. If I wanted to add another GM performance vehicle to my “summer time stable” and it had to be a 6th Gen, it would be a ZL1 1LE. I actually looked at one prior to purchasing the C7 GS, but I found that the Vette was more to my liking. The hard-mounted suspension was just too harsh for a weekend cruiser/car show piece, but I could tolerate it if I had to.
There is no way that I’d buy a Dodge or Ford, but in a free market economy, competition breeds success. The Big 3 have been pumping out some very hot vehicles for us car nuts over the past 10-12 years. Everyone has been pushing the envelope and when that happens, the consumer wins. 😉
Taps, Camaro. Down 40%! Less than 30,000 units per year?!? Ouch.
The writing was in the wall when they sent Oppenheiser to work on EVs. Oh well, no skin off my back. My gorgeous ‘14 2SS Vert (+50 hp bolt ons) isn’t going anywhere. Classic Chevy V8 is also heading for the dust bin of history. I’ll keep mine for the rest of my days.
I recently rented a v6 Camaro convertible and discovered that the outward visibility wasn’t that bad ( even with the top closed). The windowsill IS awkwardly high, so it’s impossible to comfortably rest your arm on it. I think the car Asbury sharp styling, the interior design is less of a problem than the execution of the interior. It really looks like it should have “Playskool” stamped in the plastics. The Mustang interior is several cuts above in perceived quality, (in my opinion). The Challengers’ advantage, besides beautiful and faithful retro styling is that the interior is useful for more than two. I honestly think the best Camaro is the four cylinder manual transmission convertible. It’s less a muscle car and more of a sports car. It’s also a pretty good value, you can equip a convertible with a manual transmission with either a V6 or 4 cylinder for right around $35,000. At that price point, I can live with a small trunk and some cheap Plastics. If you tried to sell me an SS convertible for close to $55,000 it’s a pass, all day long
I love the 6th generation. Performance is off the charts. Problem is that I need more utility. I have a ’79 camaro Z28 and I have head room, I can fit two in the back seat and a small trunk with great looks but no power. Its hard for me to pull the trigger on the 6th gen because I need room for two in the back and I don’t want to adjust how I like to sit just to fit into the car comfortably. Hence, the Challenger. Looks, performance and great utility for this segment. Btw, my wife is a Mustang fan and she feels the same way about the mustang. We compromised and decided on the Challenger.
The one thing no one else mentioned. I’d like to see a comparison of actual transaction prices for all these. GM is always “very proud” (read “too expensive”) of what they have. All the cars mentioned are fine automobiles but money still drives purchase decisions. There is such a thing as pricing yourself out of a market.
No one but me are complaining about HP. GM has an incredible diversity that can compete with the Shelby’s, don’t use the Corvette… Die hard Camaro fan… I have a Gen4 that has been modified. Each year I check the new Gens and keep mine. Lots of compliments.
I’m not complaining about the frame or drive line, but you have to be blind not to complain about the size of the car, the interior, and that awful fugly front fascia and hood. I like the rear but not the spoiler. And, as for marketing, it’s best not to market the 2020… wait until they hire new designers to market a fresh new Camaro.
Maybe GM should have a 100k design competition award for fresh Camaro design including power plant. Hire judges from SEMA to decide not GM. Let GM pay and build and keep them away from the art work tools!
I think America just likes a big car with a V8 that a regular guy can afford. I think the Camaro should be a bit larger with better visibility etc.
I rented a Camaro convertible with a V6 and automatic transmission the other day. I was surprised how weak the engine seemed. Going from the South Bay of Los Angeles up to Antelope Valley the Camaro was rather breathless on the 14 freeway. When actually driving it, I did not find the outward visibility to be much of a problem, even though I felt claustrophobic when I went to sit in the same car at a dealership a few months ago. I don’t think the interior “design” is the problem, it’s more about the execution than the design. The hard plastic felt like it should have “Playskool” embossed on it. But I rather liked the design. There is no doubt that the car drives well, but the mustang is just a cut above in terms of perceived quality. And I think the Challenger has a real advantage in terms of interior space. These days, two door cars are hard to justify, at least you can actually put people in the back of a Challenger which you really cannot do in a Mustang or a Camaro.
The Camaro interior feels like a 15 year old Korean economy car
I would imagine there is a quite a bit of cross shopping with the new C8. I understand the Camero has lower level trims that start in the high 20k range but once you get in the high 50k range that is up there with the new corvette.
Why doesn’t GM make a 4 door car or sporty SUV on the Alpha Chassis? It is great, so why not build a reasonably priced vehicle that Americans can easily fit in and enjoy? I hope they address how small the Camaro is inside.
GM doesn’t load up the rental fleets like Ford and Dodge on these cars is also a factor in the monthly sales figures. I can find numerous Scat Packs and GT’s in any given rental isle at my local airport but usually only 1 or 2 SS’s which are usually convertibles.
Visibility is concern for some but once you drive it you’ll get use to the sight lines easily but the biggest factor is advertising from GM. No advertising or hyped special commercials since the ones due to the Transformers movies.
The problem is GM dismissed reality in the design of this generation. After the love fest for the 5th gen, GM should have gone in a different direction. They should have challenged themselves to build in more practicality while trimming weight. Cars in this segment are not affordable enough to be a second car for most people so it better be a versatile/practical vehicle in order to meet sales needed. Building a car that pleased only buyers of 5th gen owners was foolish and fatal to this car.
I am in my 50s now and have always wanted a camaro but it only makes sense as a secondary vehicle.
Hey I see what you all are saying. The true fact is… The Challenger and the Mustang look meaner then the Camaro. The Camaro has too many round body lines. It looks like a burly guy wearing lime green spandex in heels. Make the Camaro look like Bruce Lee. Sharp, Quick, yet Agile with a Dominating Stance. If anyone thinks the looks aren’t the causing factor then you must be working on their team. A wake up call is needed to save this classic name from sinking more. Would love to help . Make Note the competition do not care about areo dynamics as much as looks. Maybe thats why the rear fender looks girly as well as the tail lights and spoiler. Kind of a hard decsion… Either have a slightly better fuel economy car or have a car that the eye likes? Looks like they went the opposite way then the challenger. Oops!
You hit the nail on the head! Well said!
If fuel economy was the concern, the Camaro is in third place there too.
The problem is they took the worst parts of the 5th gen and doubled down on it. There were things people accepted they mistook for omg that’s the best feature (I’m looking at you, tiny windows).
The 6th gen needed more glass, slightly larger, up front and in back especially. Then a better designed instrument cluster and ergonomics.
I love Chevy. I love performance cars. I don’t want a Camaro. Instead of asking a few knuckle draggers why they thought the 5th gen was oh so awesome they should have asked the performance car crowd what they didn’t like.
What do you mean? I know exactly what you’re talking about. You’re claiming that people will compromise a little bit of performance for some practicality. You’re also whining about a car that you have zero knowledge about other than what you read over the internet, and you’re putting out false information because your knowledge is lacking. There is no slight advantage comparing Alpha to S550 or the LA platforms. That’s like claiming that S550 chassis has a slight advantage over an old GEN3 Fbody. If you’re buying a Camaro/Mustang/Challenger, and performance is not the main priority then yes the Camaros appeal may fail to last place. Again as much as things change, they stay the same. The LS1 cars had ran into this same issue back in the early 2000’s. I remember it well. A LS1 Fcar would eat a 4.6L SN95 car (particularly a 2V car) alive in pretty much every performance metric, but it wasn’t as easy to live with. The doors were big and bulky and made getting in and out the car a PITA. It sat very low and you had to look out over a long/tall dash and hood. Rear visibility sucked compared to Mustang even back then. (Rearward visibility lacking in Camaros is not really a new thing) I very much understand your point.
This generation of Camaro is very much a chassis car. If cars like GN’s, Chevelle SS LS6’s, C6Z’s, Termintors, MKIV Supras, GT500’s, and Hellcats are motor cars, and cars like E46 M3’s, Lotus Elises, FD RX7’s, EVO’s/STI’s are chassis cars, then this generation of Camaro is a chassis car. Randy Pobst even bought one because the chassis is so good. It won the 2016 MT car of the year award based on how good a platform it rides on is.
And for anyone complaining about the cars weight what would you have GM do? This isn’t an overweight GEN5 car. About the only reasonable thing I can think of is to delete all that heavy AFM crap out the motor (it adds like 30+ lbs to the motor if I’m not mistaken) and get the LT1 down to LS3 type of weight. Seriously a base ATS is around a 3,200 lb car. That’s fairly light. So then you beef up the chassis some to handle the power a modern SBC puts out, you then add bigger/wider wheels/tires to handle the power, large multi-piston Brembos, a rearend/transmission capable of supporting a LT without grenading on the first hard launch, beefier anti-swaybars, and other suspension components capable of managing the abuse the cars are likely to be put thru and then you’re going to have a car that gains several hundred pounds. When you think about it they’re not that much heavier than a GEN4 LS1 car. A basic LT1 is about a 3,570 lb car or there abouts. That’s well within 100 lbs of a LS1 T/A WS6 and it’s a much nicer car, with much better brakes, a IRS with a rearend that’s twice as strong as the old Fbody 10 bolt, plus all safety equipment that the EPA forces them to put on the new cars. A GEN6 Camaro is not a heavy car for what it is or the equipment it comes with. BTW the Camaro LT1 is 100 lbs or so lighter than the GEN6 SS because it loses things like tranny and rearend coolers that aren’t necessary on a street car, also loses the 4 piston rear Brembos, uses a square tire setup with 30mm thinner tires out back, etc.
People fail to realize that when you take old cars that weigh less than their newer counterparts and you start adding chassis stiffening, bigger/beefier/stronger wheels/tires/brakes/axles, poweradders, transmissions, etc, etc that are capable of managing the kinds of power that cars are making today then you start adding a bunch of weight to those cars as well. Sure going from all-iron motors to all-aluminum ones can save a bunch of weight, but you can easily build a 3,500+ lb Foxbody for example if you’re not paying attention to what you’re doing. Plenty of Fbody guys claim a 3,800-4,000 lb race weight.
You just keep going on and on about the specs.
I’ll accept that the Camaro is a better car even, but that isn’t what this article is about.
It’s that people are buying the competition instead, by a pretty large amount.
No I don’t. Other than weight I’m not mentioning specs. You just keep hating like a hater. You should try and get some vag and quite commenting on a car that you have zero affiliation with, and that’s including it competition.
So I have to buy a Camaro to tell you why I wouldn’t buy a Camaro? I’m not even allowed to speculate why its sales are tanking until I work at the factory building them or something?
My brother bought one a few months ago. V8, manual transmission. It’s ok. I haven’t owned a Camaro myself in about 20 years now. It doesn’t interest me.
Only if you don’t want to ne viewed as a douchebag, hater, troll. According to you you don’t even own a Mustang or Challenger yet you comment in here more than anyone else. Before anything I thinks you should probably get a life and examine your own chit before passing judgement on others and what they have.
Dude, I don’t care what you have. Nobody does.
I’m not your dude, bro. But yeah you do. That’s why you keep coming at me. You likely don’t have anything worth a chit, yet you keep talking chit about a car that according to you, you have no affiliation or interest in it or its segment. That would be like me railing on about a MKV Supra when I could care less about it. I’m sure I could find fault in it if I tried, but why unless I just need to troll and hate?
Just because it’s fast doesn’t mean it needs to be ugly and have poor ergonomics. They got the hard part right and failed on the easy stuff.
If the price is too high you can blame poor sales on that. If the price is below the competition than there’s only one thing left to blame.
That front end is hideous.
Maybe if the lower models looked more like the ZL1 or the Corvette the sales wouldn’t suck so bad. I have a 2018 and you couldn’t pay me to buy a 19 or newer.
God-awful hideous.
The lack of sales prove it.
It looks as though Camaro may be headed down the same lane of fate as Buick LaCrosse, Chevy Impala, Chevy Cruze and other GM products. I blame it on not lack of, but total ABSENCE of advertising and promotion. Did you ever see an ad for Lacrosse or Impala? I can’t remember when I ever did, and both of these vehicles were among the best in class. Impala was said to be the best full size sedan in the market place, foreign or American. I am in the market right now for a LaCrosse or an Impala, but the idiots at the top of GM have NOTING TO OFFER, while Toyota and others still produce their competing models. Chevy Cruze attracted younger and female drivers and was Chevrolets best seller. So now that younger customer base jumps to foreign producers and it is likely that is where it will stay. It is as though GM did not want them to succeed since all they want to build is trucks. I consider SUVs to be “trucks”. How stupid.
You figure GM retired most of their working buyers and their feeder plants
Personally i don’t like the looks of the Camaro , they might handle better than the others. But i would like it to look more retro, like say the 69 ss . The Mustang looks like the mustangs of the 70s, & the challenger looks like a 70s challenger or Cuda. I have always thought that body design was what helped sell cars , take the PT cruiser the look was fresh but old , with its rounded fenders . They were selling very well, i thought they looked AMC pacer like, but people were buying them…It would be great to have the best of both worlds , but were talking sales ,not performance.. I am a gm guy by the way………
It’s a personal decision, but frankly I don’t like the retro designs. The Corvette, for example, keeps going further out in design and it has no trouble attracting new buyers. However, I did like the smaller design of the Camaro from the late ’90s and early 2000s much better – more like a sport car.
The 2.0 engine requires premium fuel and still uses the 8 speed transmission (that has issues). The 6 cylinder engine has had issues but the 10 speed transmission seems solid. The price of the 8 cylinder is out of a lot of people’s financial reach. Ford still offers a spare and has a larger trunk. GM stopped putting a spare in their car but you can get an after-market one. Thus, folks whom may need to use this car on a regular basis and not just a toy will less likely buy one. Also, the Camero has suffered from poor reliability ratings, too, which does not help.
34k for the new LT1 v8 is out of reach?