The Ford Mustang has long held the title of the best-selling sports car in the US.
Based on Q3 sales, the Challenger is ahead of the Stang by a slim margin.
The Camaro is a distant third.
The three American pony cars have been at each other’s throats for more than 50 years. Despite numerous efforts and impressive high-performance versions, the Dodge Challenger has never managed to outsell the segment’s innovator.
2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 | Photo: Olivier Delorme
The Ford Mustang has led segment sales forever but that’s about to change in 2021. At this point in 2020, the Mustang had a commanding lead in sales but 2021 has been tough for Ford. 2020 Q3 deliveries had the Mustang leading the Challenger at 47,637 vs. 38,350 for the Challenger. This year, the Dodge leads the way with 44,142 units vs. 41,065 for the Ford according to Carsalesbase.
Impressively, sales in the sports car segment have increased, by all of 1%. Of the 171,000 sold in the US so far, 73% belong to the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger, Chevrolet Corvette, and Camaro. The latter has not experienced a good 2021 either as its numbers keep dropping, from 22,226 in 2020 to 15,084 in 2021.
Here are the top 10 compact sports car sellers so far in 2021:
| Compact sports car segment | 2021 – Q1-Q3 | 2020 – Q1-Q3 | Change | 2021 Share | 2020 Share | |
| 1 | Dodge Challenger | 44.142 | 38.350 | 15% | 35,0% | 27,6% |
| 2 | Ford Mustang | 41.065 | 47.637 | -14% | 32,5% | 34,3% |
| 3 | Chevrolet Camaro | 15.084 | 22.226 | -32% | 12,0% | 16,0% |
| 4 | Mazda MX-5 Miata | 9.608 | 6.652 | 44% | 7,6% | 4,8% |
| 5 | Toyota Supra | 5.825 | 3.798 | 53% | 4,6% | 2,7% |
| 6 | Porsche 718 | 3.165 | 1.956 | 62% | 2,5% | 1,4% |
| 7 | Hyundai Veloster | 1.740 | 6.585 | -74% | 1,4% | 4,7% |
| 8 | BMW Z4 | 1.724 | 2.175 | -21% | 1,4% | 1,6% |
| 9 | Toyota 86 | 1.044 | 1.968 | -47% | 0,8% | 1,4% |
| 10 | Fiat 124 Spider | 932 | 1.385 | -33% | 0,7% | 1,0% |
