But left the Chevy Camaro in the dust!
n an astonishingly close race to the top, the Dodge Challenger narrowly snatched the title of America's best-selling muscle car in this year's third quarter. Outpacing its prime competitor, the Ford Mustang, by a mere 35 cars, the Challenger sealed its dominance while the Chevrolet Camaro lagged significantly behind.
Learn about the Black Ghost Challenger here.
The battle between the Challenger and Mustang was undeniably intense. With the Challenger clocking in 35,350 sales, it just managed to edge out the Mustang which reported 35,315 units sold. This slim margin emphasizes the fierce competition between these automotive giants.
Ford, not to be outdone, noted a spectacular surge in Mustang sales for September – a whopping 90% increase. Marking the inaugural full month of sales for its seventh generation, the Mustang proved to be a hot item on the dealership floors, often being snapped up within a mere six days of its arrival. The sheer demand for the Mustang is further highlighted by the fact that out of the 9,884 Mustangs listed for the third quarter, a massive 6,575 units were sold in September alone.
However, this boost wasn't enough to offset a rather dismal August for Ford. In that month, they managed to sell only 2,036 units, while Dodge successfully offloaded 3,692 Challengers and Chevrolet sold 2,450 Camaros. July told a similar story, with the Mustang seeing sales of just 1,233 units compared to 3,834 Challengers and 2,545 Camaros.
Unfortunately for Ford, even with a robust September, the Mustang still lags 3.5 percent behind its sales from the previous year – a year that the company would rather relegate to the annals of history due to its abysmal sales record.
On the other hand, the Challenger, despite its current top-dog status, experienced a 33% dip in sales when stacked against the same timeframe in 2022. But there's a twist in the tale for Dodge enthusiasts: 2023 marks the swan song for the Challenger. Dodge is bidding adieu to the revered HEMI V8 and is gearing up to usher in a fresh generation, including an electric variant. Meanwhile, Ford has ventured into the electric realm with the Mustang Mach-E crossover, but there's no electric Mustang coupe or roadster on the horizon.
In this high-octane race of muscle cars, it's clear that while the Challenger might be leading the pack now, the road ahead is laden with surprises, electrifying developments, and the undying spirit of competition.
