[RahulNagaraj]

The Dodge Challenger has surpassed the sales of both its main rivals, the Ford Mustang & the Chevrolet Camaro in Q2 of 2021.



Looking at the quarterly results of the three brands, the now 13-year-old Dodge Challenger seems to have outsold its rivals, by a decent margin. The Challenger is said to have registered 15,052 units of sales in the last quarter, which is slightly higher than the Mustang's 14,675 units during the same period. The Chevrolet Camaro, on the other hand, managed to record sales of just 2,792 units in the last quarter.



According to a media report, the low sales figures of the Camaro is due to the fact that Chevrolet has given up on its marketing. While the Camaro isn't as old as the Challenger, it does feel a bit outdated. Reports also suggest that the future of the Camaro remains uncertain at the moment.

Dodge, on the other hand, continues to market the Challenger. Over the years, the company has also introduced multiple versions of the Challenger, which has helped keep its sales consistent.



The Ford Mustang sales seem to have taken a heavy hit, amidst the global chip shortage. While the Mustang registered decent sales in Q1 of 2021, even outselling the Challenger, the same can't be said about its Q2 results. Sales of the muscle car in June dropped to 2,240 units; allowing even the electric Mustang Mach-E to outsell its petrol counterpart for the first time.

Source: TheTruthAboutCars

Link to Team-BHP news

[shree_shell]

It is a bit hard to digest that a car platform launched in 2009 is beating the latest and greatest from Ford and Chevy. I don't think the Challenger was sold in these numbers for the first few years after it's launch.

I think the timing of the Hellcat and Demon variants was perfect to revive the Challenger. Dodge's answer to Challengers porky weight was throwing more horsepower at it and Americans didn't mind it. In fact American car culture is leaning towards the nostalgia and "character" of a car than mechanical engineering feats. And the Challenger has a lot of it for sure.

[TrackDay]

Commendable effort indeed

The current challenger which has been on sale since 2008 has not received any significant changes in it's design, exterior wise. However the one unique factor is that the challenger is the only existing current model that resembles the old school muscle car proportions and design language. Another factor could be Dodge having significant representation in the media and films. Those things help sustain brand awareness in the public.

The low sales of the Mustang could be due to the chip shortage. Not sure though. They always managed to have a good lead over the challenger until recently. The Camaro seems to have faded into oblivion without any mainstream representation. A decade back they had a significant share or almost half of the muscle car market. Hope they find their way back soon.

Back in 2009 when Camaro ruled the scene

Image source: https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/camaro...nger-corvette/

[DicKy]

Both the Mustang and Camaro has seen two generation changes while the Challenger is still basically the same as in 2008!!! And the platform goes even further back to the early 2000s

IMHO, the reason maybe is that the Mustang and to an extent the Camaro has veered towards being more of being sportscars, while the Challenger has remained unapologetically a muscle car.

1. Has that unmistakable retro appeal and resemblance to the early 70s Challenger.

2. The innumerous hellcat, demons, red-eye et al editions that Dodge just kept cranking out since the mid 2010s has kept interest preety much alive. More powaaah and tyre smoke sold

[hema4saran]

This is more due to the ongoing chip shortage. Ford has stopped producing enough Mustangs and they want their existing inventory to thin out. They make more money in selling their F series trucks. But this is no less a big achievement by Dodge. They were able to clear their inventories quickly.

Only good thing Chevy did in recent past is launching the C8 Corvette at starting at $60k price tag. Right now it has a waiting list of more than a year if you want to pay just sticker price. They royally screwed up the Blazer name plate and launched it as a regular cross over. They didn't refresh the Camaro and it became long in tooth. It is still a good car. But Ecoboost Mustang will out run the Camaro base version any day and the features on the Mustang is amazing.

Ford did some ground work and came up with Bronco name plate and launched a pretty serious competition to the Wrangler. On the other hand Dodge is pretty much into the Horse power game and milking that Hemi till its last breath before the new emissions kick in.

[GTO]

Quite a class act by the old muscle car. I think there are a couple of contributors = for one, the Camaro's driver visibility sucks and its cabin is poorly packaged. The Challenger might be old, but it is still the best looking, has a reasonably spacious cabin with a useable rear seat (more bonus points), comfortable ride quality and innumerable variants (from cheap ones to Hellcats and everything in between).

I can still resist the Ford Mustang that's sold in India. But if the Challenger was available here, it would already be parked in my driveway. IMHO, it's as good looking as a Ferrari 488 and has as much personality.

[windrider]

Over the past decade, the challenger is the only one that has remained a true muscle car. The mustang and Camaro are pretty much sports cars now and the way things are moving, the mustang and Camaro will probably be available only as electric cars in a few years. This generation of the challenger may be the last opportunity for muscle car lovers to own one. Ford and Chevy lost the battle when they tried to make their respective models be two things at once. A muscle car and a sports car. I mean most muscle car buyers are going to drag strips and not to race circuits. And in a straight line, not considering teslas, nothing beats BHP. While ford and chevy were investing time and money trying to make their cars go around the nurburgring faster, dodge just kept chucking in bigger superchargers and fatter tyres . The challenger is massive compared to other two and the only one that can seat 5. If i had the money to get any one of them, it would be the challenger. Its the only one that has stayed true to its roots

[Latheesh]

I have driven one for couple of weeks back in 2015. This one of the the few worst cars I have driven till date. Car was so uncomfortable and never enjoyed driving it. Exterior is awesome and have that proper vintage muscle car look. I would rather sit outside and stare at it 24×7 than driving it. I cannot imagine using it as a primary car!

[Mustang Sammy]

Originally Posted by GTO

Quite a class act by the old muscle car. I think there are a couple of contributors = for one, the Camaro's driver visibility sucks and its cabin is poorly packaged. The Challenger might be old, but it is still the best looking, has a reasonably spacious cabin with a useable rear seat (more bonus points), comfortable ride quality and innumerable variants (from cheap ones to Hellcats and everything in between).

I can still resist the Ford Mustang that's sold in India. But if the Challenger was available here, it would already be parked in my driveway. IMHO, it's as good looking as a Ferrari 488 and has as much personality.

Couldn’t agree more about the Camaro. Visibility is piss-poor, and it is a royal pain to get into and out of, which is a big turn off for the demographic that can afford these increasingly expensive cars.

Still prefer the Mustang over the Challenger - sure there’s no replacement for displacement, but the fit and finish and handling of the original pony car is a cut above IMHO.

[McLaren_P1]

I like the Mustang more than the other two. Have driven all three.

Reasons
- Updated & modern design
- Latest technology (safety tech, full digital gauge cluster, etc.)
- Better visibility than Camaro
- Definitely better handling than Challenger

[amol4184]

Rented and drove all three on different occasions in the twisty mountain roads of Washington with co-passengers.

The Challenger is easily the most spacious and can carry 4 passengers plus luggage comfortably. The space inside even with two doors is GREAT. Two of my colleagues bought previous year models and got substantial discounts on already sweet pricing. Most versions of these also have good resale.

The Camaro quickly gets claustrophobic. Every passing generation the windows keep getting smaller. I did not enjoy driving that car. Space inside isn't great either. You feel super cocooned.

The Mustang is a nice balance and slots between Challenger and Camaro. And against the stereotypes, post 2010 Mustangs are such great handlers. Challenger can only dream of that. Comfortable cabin, not bad space and killer looks. Not extremely edgy like Camaro or overwhelming like Challenger.

Back to Challenger though. The car just seems true to muscle car vision from back in the day. Camaro, Mustang kept getting renewed and edgier while Challenger stuck to OG looks. And boy does it still look so good. It's raw, big, ungainly, heavy, looks outdated in 2021 and that is precisely what the people prefer in nostalgia driven purchase. A honest to God gruff muscle car.

And full marks to Dodge for being so in-your-face with insane engine options and unapologetically brash editions. Ferrari rivaling power can be had for a fraction of the cost.

[Bhalla]

I'm not a fan of these muscle cars. For this money, my choice will be BMW M5 or M3 but I've to admit, Challenger (in Red color) always give me goosebumps and it is 1 of those cars which make me turn my head to admire it whenever I see it.

[gururajrv]

Name says it all - The Challenger! It’s taken down rivals by a decent difference.

Besides, it does show how good the car is to look or even to drive. I always drool at either the challenger or the pre-facelift mustang! They’re absolutely crafted to intimidate or to make you fall in love at first sight

I’d prefer the challenger over the mustang solely for its looks!

[maddy42]

The Camaro has piss poor interiors and the visibility is better inside a prison cell. Blindsports galore.

Ford mustang has a very comfy ride in comparison. Dodge Challenger is a looker.

Maddy