The Dodge Challenger is now the best-selling muscle car edging out both the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro in full year 2021 sales.
Last year, Dodge managed to sell 54,314 Challengers in the U.S., ending Ford’s six-year streak at the top of the pony car wars. By comparison, Ford moved 52,414 Mustangs, while Chevrolet languished with 21,893 Camaros sold.
Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis told
Automotive News
that their formula for success was simple: it was not to offer the lowest prices or focus on volume.
Instead, it was all about marketing the Challenger to American muscle car enthusiasts and fostering a sense of community that comes with it
.
“We don’t wake up trying to chase Mustang and Camaro,” he told Automotive News. “Not that I don’t think they’re viable competitors. They’re phenomenal cars; they’re just different cars. They’re different than what we’re trying to do.”
Part of that difference is the sheer flexibility offered to customers by the Challenger. Although Dodge’s muscle car was also hit by supply issues last year, dealers embraced the customizability of the Challenger in order to streamline their inventories and cultivate a list of customers to match incoming units.
Customers seemed to have embraced the customizability of the Challenger. Would-be owners can choose not just drivetrain options from a V6 to a supercharged V8, but they’re offered with a wide range of colors, exterior, and interior trim choices as well. The Challenger has seven major trim levels, but it’s offered with 13 different exterior colors and five interior colors. And this isn’t counting additional options.
With Dodge preparing to phase out the Challenger (it’s a 14-year-old car, after all), dealers predict that there’ll be a rush to buy even more of these muscle cars. Still, Kuniskis says there’s a “shocking” number of people who’re excited about the brand’s shift to electrification.
As early as now, Dodge is already reaching out to potential customers as the American brand has promised to release at least one new step of its two-year Never Lift business plan every three months.
The brand is expected to launch a plug-in hybrid model in 2022, and a battery-electric muscle car in 2024. It also will show an electric concept this year.
The all-new versions of the Challenger and Charger sedan are expected to drop internal combustion and move to
Stellantis’s electrified STLA Large platform with a range of about 800 kilometers
.
Keyword: The Dodge Challenger Breaks Ford Mustang's Streak As Best-Selling Muscle Car