Challenger Leads Annual Muscle Car Sales for the First Time Ever

Dodge Challenger nearly outsold Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro combined in 2021 Q3.

The sales numbers for the third quarter of 2021 are in and for the second quarter in a row, the Dodge Challenger outsold the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro. This time, the Challenger outsold the competitors so badly that Dodge nearly sold as many muscle cars as Ford and Chevrolet – combined.

More importantly, in posting the big win for July, August and September, the Challenger has pulled ahead of the Mustang in annual sales, marking the first time ever that Dodge has lead the annual segment sales race. As a result, with just three months left on the year, Dodge has a great chance to win the annual segment sales race and if that happens, it will be the first time that the Challenger has claimed that annual title.

Challenger Shines Bright in 2021 Q3

In the third quarter of 2021, Dodge sold 13,994 examples of the Challenger. That number is down 14% from the same period last year, but that is the smallest year-over-year decline of the three vehicles in this segment. Due to the state of the world and the component shortages leading to production stoppages, a 14% decline isn’t good, but it is the best growth rate in the segment.

The Ford Mustang moved just 9,115 units in Q3, down 34% from the same period last year while dropping by nearly 40% from the three months prior. Ford is obviously feeling the impact of the component shortage, with Mustang sales being lower than they have ever been in the 10+ years when I have been writing about muscle car/pony car sales.

The Chevrolet Camaro was third in the segment in both sales volume and “growth”, with 5,203 units sold accounting for a decline of 38% over 2020 Q3. If Camaro fans really want to hunt for a silver lining, Chevy sold almost twice as many Camaros in Q3 as they did in Q2, so at least they are headed in the right general direction. Then again, it is no secret that the Camaro is on a death march into automotive history. Quarter after quarter, the Camaro keeps setting records for low sales numbers and it seems unlikely that General Motors is going to do anything to help improve sales.

Dodge Takes the Annual Lead

On the year, Dodge has now sold 44,142 Challengers while Ford has sold 41,064 Mustangs through the first nine months of 2021. Looking back through sales numbers since the Challenger returned to market in 2008, Dodge has never lead the segment in the annual sales race. We also looked at the sales numbers for the 1970 through 1974 era and the 1978 through 1983 era, and it appears that at no point in the past has the Challenger ever bested the Mustang and Camaro in sales. Right now, Dodge has a great shot at their first segment title, leading Ford by 3,078 units.

If Ford wants to claim the annual segment sales title for a seventh consecutive year, they will need the Mustang to have the best quarter of the past few years. They will also need the Challenger to have its worst quarter in the past few years. Both companies are battling production problems and inventory shortages that the industry has never experienced, so it seems unlikely that the Mustang will have its best quarter in a few years.

Meanwhile, the Challenger typically sells well during the fourth quarter, so there is a good chance that Dodge will win the annual segment sales race for the first time ever.

Photos: Patrick Rall 

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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