Does Camaro own the muscle/pony car market?

[Dmpsix]

It's really a no brainer the Camaro did well when the 5th gen debuted, it was an all around amazing vehicle.

Mustang sales are always gonna be great because they're always been more affordable than our cars too. It's back and forth... nothing set in stone.

[pyroguy]

From what I understand, 6th gen market share is down pretty significantly compared to 5th gen Camaros. The primary reason that I hear is that they cost way too much. I mean $40k for a base SS is a little pricy. My 2SS/RS with everything except a sunroof wasn't even that much in 2010.

[PDXSSCE]

2010 Camaro SS $30,995

2015 Camaro SS $34,500

2016 Camaro SS $37,295

Yes, there's a large year to year leap in price with the new model.

[bepah1]

I would bet that the majority of Mustangs sold are in rental fleets. I must have seen 50 red convertibles on my last visit to Yosemite. Ranger told me that they are popular with the Oriental market on vacation and they never drive them faster than 20 miles an hour....and of course they stop in the middle of the road to take photos......

[Evil-Bee-NH]

This thread so gonna have some hatorade in it... I think no one owns the market right now as for the last generation the Camaro killed it and i'm not saying the mustang and challenger were dogs but both companies got caught off guard by the 2010 Camaro. Dodge I dunno what they were doing but I will stand by my comments many times over that they revived the muscle/pony car market with needed life when they released the more recent charger/challenger line. Ford literally replaced their engine and internals to stay with the 2010 Camaro and they made a killer car. Maybe taking time off helped the Camaro honestly but I give huge props to all 3 companies for reigniting that rivalry we all love and remember. Not sure what the future holds for the challenger but the Stang and Camaro will have a tough go this generation because of how well their last cars did and held up and they shouldn't use lower sales as a benchmark this go around because you hear the up and down opinions from both sides about the latest generation.

[4510]

Well since I have a Challenger, my 3rd since 2010, and a 13 Camaro SS, some rambling thoughts.

They are just different beasts. Side by side you get a chance to see how large the Camaro really is.

The Challenger has a better ride, MUCH better interior quality. I think SS interior, buttons, panels, etc. all feel cheap. However the SS seats (Power Driver and Passenger) are better than the Challenger Power/Manual Passenger. Sound system goes to the SS for sure. The HK Audio setup in the Challenger is just terrible.

A LOT more room in the Challenger, leg, head, hip etc.

The SS on the other hand just feels a bit more nimble and more sporty. The Challenger feels larger than it is.

View out of the Challenger is better than the SS.

It is easier to fit more tire under the SS.

Aftermarket parts are more plentiful for the SS.

I like them both for their unique personalities and that is why I have both.

[PDXSSCE]

I owned Challengers from 2010 to 2015. I also enjoyed the opportunity to drive a new Mustang. I wanted a Camaro convertible for a long time & when I saw the new model, I decided it was time to jump into the current model.

When I compare the driving experience of the modern iterations with the the original muscle/pony cars, I believe the Mustang & Camaro are more like the original pony cars, but the Challenger is more like the original Charger muscle car, than the original Challenger pony car.

I'm grateful to GM, Ford & (formerly) Chrysler for reigniting the muscle/pony car wars... it's been a good time to be an enthusiast.

[Royal Tiger]

The Challenger is beautiful, but being a Dodge will be a nightmare ownership experience. My 2013 SS has a nicer interior then my buddy's 2012 Challenger. His car has had a lot of issues already. I can't see it suddenly being a good trouble free car as it gets older. I haven't been inside the 2016 Challenger Hellcat the guy at work bought. Of course for over $800 a month for 7 years, there'd be no way in hell I'd spend that on a Dodge product. It's be a Corvette or Porsche at that much money. I prefer the previous generation Mustang. The newest one they flattened the "haunches", the humps over the rear wheels, styling that made it look like a cat ready to pounce. The older one just looked better to me. I think ford did well getting the power out of 5.0L that GM is getting out of 6.2L. The Hemi 392 is impressive, but until they shed some weight, they'll be just drag cars. I'd imagine a 2016 SS would obliterate a 2016 Challenger on a road course. As for Mustang sales, they are ABSOLUTELY boosted by rental fleets. In the last 6 months I've been to Las Vegas and Orlando. Both among the largest tourist locations in North America. At both airports there were ROWS of Mustangs, mostly convertibles, for people to rent. There were very few Camaros to rent, but I saw a good number of Camaros while out driving. I guess one would need to get data from Enterprise, Avis, Hertz, etc...

[gto mark]

Have to agree that the Dodge may well be a quality nightmare. Dumped a 2 year old Ram truck because of all the issues & no dealer being able to fix & absolutely no help from FCA customer service. Didn't want to take that chance again. Also the 04 GTO started all this & I too miss mine.

[paul84043]

Personally I think that the Challenger owns the muscle car market and with the Mustang and Camaro slowly turning into real sports cars, the Challenger is really the last man standing.

[PDXSSCE]

Originally Posted by paul84043

Personally I think that the Challenger owns the muscle car market and with the Mustang and Camaro slowly turning into real sports cars, the Challenger is really the last man standing.

I absolutely agree with you & posted the same comment on the Challenger forum a while ago. The 2015 Mustang & now the 2016 Camaro have evolved into sports cars (it's not necessarily a bad thing). The Challenger truly is the last one standing.

[shrinkdoc]

Originally Posted by FilibustaRhymes

The new GTO was such an underrated car, sure miss mine

Underated because it looked like a Chevy Cruise and not how a GTO should have looked.

[ZED SLED]

Originally Posted by shrinkdoc

Underated because it looked like a Chevy Cruise and not how a GTO should have looked.

My '06 looked like a Grand Prix. And embarrassed anyone who thought it was one.

[Criticalmass]

Originally Posted by Homeless Man

The Challenger is a new generation yet or no? I know it's been refreshed like the camaro in 2014 but if right now is a new generation then they did good keeping it retro. I remember when I first saw a challenger I thought it was an old car then my friend told no it's a new car made to look like its older self

The Challenger's major refresh has been pushed back twice now. They won't see a brand new Challenger (or a replacement like the Cuda) until 2021 thanks to Fiat and Sergio.

All reports indicate that the new Mustang is selling like hotcakes (it was the #1 seller in Germany in April) and the latest iteration of the Camaro has been luke-warm I guess mainly due to price increases.

If GM is not careful they will end up pricing themselves out of the market just like they did with the older gen Camaro's. Toyota did the same thing with the Supra, they priced it out of the market, but they still sold them (they became special order only in order to command MSRP pricing) for a couple years afterwards and then discontinued it.

As to the rental fleet comment. Ford has been actively reducing rental fleet sales as they feel it lowers the value of their vehicles. In the last couple of years they have cut rental fleet sales in half and they will only sell the V6 base model Mustang for rental fleet duty.