Ford Mustang Fights to Remain King of the Hill

A fierce battle is playing out between Detroit automakers when it comes to their beloved muscle cars. Could the Mustang be in jeopardy of losing its crown? (Part one of a two-part series.)

No rivalry in the world of automobiles runs more intensely than the one between Detroit carmakers Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge — especially when it comes to the pride tied to the companies’ respective pony cars. It’s a longstanding competition that’s stood at the center of everything from sales benchmarks to big-budget Hollywood movies.

For the better part of the Pony Car’s history, the Mustang has held a pretty tight rein on the top post when it comes to sales among the three American icons. Recently, however, the Camaro has maintained a close second in the race, even winning the monthly sales battle a few times following the launch of the current-gen Chevy sports coupe. And while Dodge has typically lagged far behind at a distant third, recent numbers suggest that the FCA nameplate is gaining ground when it comes to sales bragging rights.

ALSO SEE: Part Two of this Two-Part Ford Mustang Industry Analysis

In fact, the Challenger actually outsold the Mustang and Camaro in June with a total of 6,605 models delivered, a jump of 24 percent for the Dodge muscle car from June of last year.

Mike Spagnola, SEMA’s Vice President of OEM and product development, says today’s American muscle car rivalry is fueled by consumer demand and technology.

“Baby boomers who dreamed of Mustangs, Camaros, and Challengers in the ’60s now have the discretionary income to buy these cars,” says Spagnola. “Not only can they buy them but because of modern technology, they can drive them daily and get a comfortable ride with all the bells and whistles.”

Deeper Than Sales

When it comes to the idea of which car is more appealing, it all boils down to a matter of personal taste and brand loyalty, of course. You need to look no further than some of the chat rooms here at The Mustang Source to get a sense of that; any comparison of a Camaro or Challenger being a serious contender against a ‘Stang runs the risk of your being tagged as a troll. But with the growing heat from Chevy and Dodge in the segment, it makes you wonder how long Ford will maintain its position at the top.

Dave Sullivan, managing product analyst for AutoPacific, says that while coupes can be a tough sell in today’s market, Ford’s product strategy with the sixth-gen Mustang has given the carmaker an edge over its competitors.

“One of the issues the Camaro has is that there wasn’t a very significant change when it went from Zeta to Alpha,” says Sullivan, speaking of the Chevy car’s new platform. “Consumers agreed and we did not see the normal increase after the new model came out. Also, GM had a delayed launch for the convertible. With the death of the Chrysler 200, Ford has soaked up a lot of the Florida/sunny market convertible rental sales.”

CHECK OUT: What the Forum Has to Say About this Detroit Battle

Sullivan also pointed to Ford’s aggressive global expansion strategy for the Mustang, which included offering right-hand drive and European-spec models, as a significant factor that has helped Ford remain competitive in the segment. “That has helped hold off some of the declines in sales here in the U.S.,” he notes.

Ford has also continued to find new ways to build on the appeal of the Mustang. Take, for example, the addition of its line-lock burnout feature as standard equipment on all models, including its 2.3-liter EcoBoost-powered Mustang. Previously, the line-lock feature — showcased in a new Ford video campaign with drift champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. — was only available on the Mustang GT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plDofMvYYAQ

What’s the Next Shot Fired?

Chevy has been busy building on the appeal of the Camaro as well. Following the debut of the new 650-horsepower Camaro ZL1 1LE, Chevy took the car to the Nürburgring where it wound up running the track’s 12.9-mile north loop in 7:16.04. That made it the fastest Camaro ever to tackle the track.

Rumor has it that Chevrolet might also be revving up to introduce yet another high-performance Camaro variant, perhaps wearing the legendary Z28 badge. Oh, and that Facebook post screenshot added to the Camaro ZL1 1LE in the collage above? I pulled it from the personal page of lead Chevy designer, Adam Barry, in reference to a story published by the popular motoring site, Petrolicious.

Knowing Adam, I’m certain the comment was intended to be a lighthearted challenge to his fellow industry colleagues at Ford. But the post still speaks to the intensity of today’s rivalry between the two Detroit carmakers as they continue to battle it out for the coveted muscle car crown.

Underdog Turns Up the Heat

Then there’s Dodge, which stole the spotlight at this year’s New York International Auto Show with the rollout of the 840-horsepower SRT Demon that has a blistering 0 to 60 mph time of 2.3 seconds. On the heels of that, Dodge turned around a few weeks later and cranked up the star appeal of the brand with the announcement that Fast and Furious star Vin Diesel would take the wheel as an official spokesperson for Dodge in an ad campaign titled, “The Brotherhood of Muscle.”

“The Demon is excellent marketing material,” says Sullivan. “The rollout […] was fantastic. The event in NYC was unlike anything anyone else has done in years. But it’s all about trying to keep the product fresh.”

That said, it didn’t take Dodge long to follow up on the Demon’s debut. Fewer than three months after introducing the monstrous street-legal dragster, the carmaker has rolled out yet another high-performance variant of the coupe dubbed the “Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody,” pushing to make Dodge an even bigger competitor in the performance segment.

No Pain, No Gain

Mustang marketing manager, Mark Schaller — who likens today’s American muscle car rivalry to the sixties — says he personally welcomes the competition. Why? Because it keeps all three American carmakers on top of their game, which winds up benefiting consumers in the end.

“If there were only one company out there doing fun things, I don’t know if we would be producing the cars that we are now,” says Schaller. “There are a lot of interesting products out there that are stroking that fire. As an enthusiast, it makes me smile to know that consumers have that ability to choose. Hopefully, they choose Mustang.”