March 2015 Mustang Sales (and vs. Camaro & Challenger)

[thePill]

Two factors...first, it is spring!

Second, Camaro buyers know there is a new one coming out so they are waiting to see what it looks like in May at the intro.

Since this sales data is comparing March 2015 to March 2014, remember the Mustang was in the same boat as the Camaro at the time, the S550 was on the verge of being introduced and some buyers were waiting. April should be similar....May, another story. We shall see!

Yeah but the Mustang was never overtaken by the Challenger. Never has the Challenger moved to 2nd. :lol:

The Challenger is based off of a 20 year old Mercedes platform and hasn't had a redesign since it came out a decade ago. How do sales keep increasing every year???

I don't know but it's impressive. Maybe the Hellcat buzz...

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[JLB3]

"Your either first or last!!!"

 

[thePill]

Is there a reporting format for foreign sales yet? I bet China is about to eat these things up. Europe is a smaller market but China will be huge.

Australia sold between 25,000 and 35,000 Falcons a year. I'm sure the Mustang can do at least that down under.

People are not buying the Camaro because the looks have become stale. They just redesigned the 6th Gen to almost the exact same thing.

This might be a bad thing...

 

[cosmo]

Yeah but the Mustang was never overtaken by the Challenger. Never has the Challenger moved to 2nd. :lol:

Sept '14 it looks like challenger actually overtook the Mustang for a month... but yeah, either way, it is surprising to see the challenger overtake the camaro.

 

[garagelogic]

I still think it must be all of the left over inventory from 2014

And fleet sales. Let's not forget fleet sales. I heard the rental car lots are full of 2015 Mustangs! (They are also full of 2015 Camaros, but we need to keep that on the down-low.)

 

[edco]

SVTClark is (IMO) correct

It is worth restating my last post. Ford hung with a lame duck solid axle S197 for five years against a radical new (400+HP, IRS) Camaro 5. Mustang did all right, 92% of Cam5. Camaro is doing a short one year lame duck against Mustang 6 (400+HP, IRS). Mustangs leaving FlatRock on rail cars were zero for 5 months during the plant retool. Ford knows the pony car, they invented it. They know the auto business also. The last five years of S197, the tooling was mostly amortized and Ford made $$$.

Got my first drive in a Camaro 5, 2012 SS automatic, last week. Compared to '07GT, It feels heavier, thought the build quality was very good, was surprised with the IRS, pretty stiff on wash board roads, not as pronounced as a Stang, yet the front end seemed softer than the rear. The greenhouse does appear to have a chopped top feel from inside. Cam5 ground visibility directly in front may be twice as far as what you see from a Stang. Pot hole zigzags were more difficult. I can see why Cam5 is popular, the car makes a statement, and the world has always had more Chevy fans than Ford.

As far as current sales, the Cam5 to Stang6 comparo is apples to apples on tech features. SVTClark nailed it, the Mustang is just a better car.

 

[thePill]

Sept '14 it looks like challenger actually overtook the Mustang for a month... but yeah, either way, it is surprising to see the challenger overtake the camaro.

Oh yeah, I never noticed that. I didn't think the change over had that much of an impact. I knew the 2014's were nearly exhausted before the '15's saved the day.

The 2014 Camaro refresh didn't sustain sales long enough. I think it had a few consecutive strong months but was mostly fleet driven in March/April/May.

I don't think 6th Gen sales will start until September 2015. They won't reflect sales for another 1.5 months. The initial fleet sales will fluff the numbers at first. This is also mid-model year for them isn't it? They also still have close to 25,000 unsold previous years UNSOLD, left on lots a year ago (before they started blocking that info).

The 5th Gen didn't really sell well at all. It competed with a decade old platform with a solid axle and under-tire'd and had a hard time with it then.

People got use to the cartoonish appeal and the car looks creepy to me.

The Challenger just straight up outsold the Camaro. There was no Generation changeover, just people losing interest.

 

[DiPsTiCk]

GM just swallowed mightily and let out a resounding... UGH.

You don't sell 12,663 Mustangs in a 31 day period because people don't like the car.

You sell them because most everyone has already seen and/or driven/rode in a Camaro (whatever that is). Or, they have gone onto the lots to compare and see not only what a SUPERIOR ride the Mustang is but what an incredible and better VALUE it is.

I don't discount that the hardcore chevy enthusiast are waiting on the next generation. Certainly, that would have some effect on Camaro sales. But they weren't going to go out and buy a Mustang to begin with.

I am absolutely loving this. I almost fell out of my chair when I read it. They went from 8454 in a 28 day period to 12,663! Or, from selling 302 (ironic) a day to 408. At this pace, by the end of the year, Mustangs will be running free everywhere. The aftermarket will be CrAzY for this car...

 

[Wes]

I'm a hardcore Chevy fan, but I'm not going to wait for the 6gen Camaro. If they didn't address the visibility and short windows I don't want it. Of course I've always thought the Mustang had a more upright and taller seating position that I prefer.

The 5th gen Mustang wasn't even serious competition until the 5.0 came along in 2011. Having owned a 2013 5.0, the coyote is what made the car what it is, that high revving beast with small displacement is a technical marvel.

What's hurting the Camaro is the Interior, the driving dynamics are great in that car, with IRS, excellent brakes, and a beast of an LS3. The 2016 will be better in all aspects, I just wish (hope) they'll fix the greenhouse and interior.

Mostly I'm thankful we can buy these fun cars for a lot less than many of the run-of-the-mill SUVs on the road.

 

[JLB3]

Unfortunetly them being everywhere might turn buyers away. I love my mustangs but when I was looking for one it had to be unique in some way and not just buy a common gt and do things but unique from the factory which is why I got a ct gt with the glass roof. Love my mustang but man..... They really are everywhere

 

[JLB3]

Cs*

 

[edco]

Another take on the 4.6L

Quote "The 5th gen Mustang wasn't even serious competition until the 5.0 came along in 2011. Having owned a 2013 5.0, the coyote is what made the car what it is, that high revving beast with small displacement is a technical marvel."

I believe Ford Sold more 16valve 4.6L V8 Stangs in 2003 and 2004 and more 24valve 4.6L V8 Stangs in 2005 and 2006 than in any two consecutive year period of the 5.0L coyote. Not serious competition? It is about more than a horsepower number. 07 GT_T3650 with spare and jack is 3356 pounds factory spec. It is easy to get a 150# off the car. Take out the spare and jack. Swap the four motor air bag driver seat for a fix back ProCar drifter seat, aluminum flywheel, drive shaft, the car is sub 3200#. With some light handling mods and a CAI with custom tune the car is serious competition.
Perhaps not to a Porsche GT3 or Ferrari 599 GTB. It is competition to a coyote stang on a road course. Drag racing perhaps not. I avoid drag racing.
How do you define the use of "competition?"

 

[14MustangV6]

The impressive part about these numbers is that a lot of North America was still thawing out for most of March. Here in Windsor (right across from Detroit) we haven't really had too many "Mustang weather" days yet. Sales should continue to increase as it warms up.

 

[thePill]

Part of me thinks the "200lbs" press release was fluff for this impending doom. This is the Camaro's power months too. Sales usually peak at the end of March/April, beginning of May. I always contribute this spike to Fleet/Rental sales but they are needed.

Now look... it can't even break 6000 on its ramp up month. Sales won't have a chance to improve until Oct/Nov.


I declare the 2015 Mustang the new sales leader and winner of the 2015 sales race.

 

[Wes]

Camaro stopped selling in 2002. From 2003-2008 there wasn't any other 2 door muscle car on the market. In 2009 the Camaro SS put out 426 HP compared to 305 in the GT 4.6, which was rectified in the 2011 MY with the 5.0. Also starting late 2008 there was also the Challenger that put out (IIRC) 370 HP from the 5.7.

Up until 2004, the 4.6 put out 260 HP which was respectable at the time. I wouldn't own a 4.6 3V if you paid me to have it, but to each their own. I am a little rusty, but it seems the V6 from 2009-2010 put out just a few HP less than the V8. Although my opinion is that the 6cyl Camaro and the Mustang is both the sweet spot in terms of price and performance.

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