The Mustang is Destroying the Camaro in Sales
The Mustang is lapping its Chevy competitor in the sales department. That’s great news that’s also kind of sad.
Recently, our friends over at Motor Authority posted a story about how the Mustang is outselling the Camaro by a figure of two to one. That’s obviously great news for the bean counters over at the Blue Oval, and for Mustang fans in general. Even though there’s little danger in Ford sending the Mustang out to pasture, knowing that your favorite machine is earning its keep never hurts. On the flip side, it’s incredibly bleak news for the Camaro, the Mustang’s historic arch enemy — and that’s a little sad.
Because while the Mustang is roaring into 2021 with models like the next-gen Mach 1, the ferocious Shelby GT500, and the forward-looking electric Mach E, the Camaro is coming into the new decade with a knife hanging over its head. According to numerous sources, including our sister site LS1 Tech, the beefy Bow Tie could be dead after 2023.
Now, even before a disastrous redesign forced the General’s styling team back to the drawing board, the Camaro had been playing second fiddle to the Mustang, so I’d bet we’re coming to the end of the line for the Camaro — and that makes me think of basketball. Allow me to explain.
After I moved to Los Angeles in 2009, I became a Lakers fan, thanks in no part to the back-to-back championships. But while I was happy to cheer on my boys in purple and yellow, I never came to hate the Celtics like some of my LA-born-and-raised buddies. Watching the Lakers play Boston is always exciting, even if it can be frustrating and heartbreaking. That rivalry, one of the very greatest in all of sports, elevated the play of both teams to astronomical levels, and I’m grateful for it. And I think the Mustang-Camaro battles have done the same.
On that note, it’s kind of cool to see that the lap record the GT500 just broke at Motor Trend’s annual Best Driver’s Car competition was set by the 2018 Chevy Camaro ZL1 1LE. Since the competition there is as world-class as it gets — think Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini — it’s pretty amazing that, at least in one key metric, American muscle reigns supreme. Not too long ago, both the Mustang and the Camaro were straight-line bruisers that wouldn’t have a chance against hardware from Stuttgart on Modena at a twisty track like Laguna Seca.
The competition between them pushed both programs to produce better, faster, more well-rounded cars.
Obviously, I don’t expect too many hearts to break at Mustang Forums when the Camaro takes its final bow, but I do think it’s important to acknowledge a good competitor. Because while Chevy has killed and revived the Camaro before, the push toward electric vehicles means we may never see another generation of internal-combustion Camaros. Given the lack of respect the folks at the General seem to have for their historic nameplates, the next Camaro could very well be a crossover with a turbocharged 2.0-liter.
Seriously, remember what they did to the Blazer?
For what it’s worth, I hope the Camaro beats the odds and manages to stick around — because the muscle car wars just won’t be the same without it. Heaven knows Ma Mopar will keep the Challenger and the Charger around until the sun swells into a red giant and incinerates the earth. Enjoy the classic Mustang Camaro battle in the footage below, and keep your fingers crossed for the Camaro. The enthusiast space needs all the cool cars it can get…
Photos: Chevrolet, Ford
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