It's the second consecutive year of sales dominance for the aging muscle car, besting the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro.
DW Burnett
While the current generation Dodge Challenger won’t be sticking around for too much longer, the aging muscle car holdout isn’t going away quietly. The Challenger has just secured the top spot on the muscle and pony car sales chart for the second consecutive year, besting its hometown rivals in the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro.
Dodge sold 55,060 Challengers in 2022, which represents about a one percent increase over the 54,314 Challengers sold in 2021. That figure is more than double the amount of Chevrolet Camaros that GM sold in 2022, which hit the charts at 24,652 units. Despite falling significantly below both the Challenger and Mustang in total sales, 2022 was actually a real win for the Camaro overall. Those 24,652 cars represented a sales increase of 12.6% over 2021. That uptick in interest came without significant adjustments to the Camaro lineup, which has remained somewhat stagnant in recent years. In fact, rumors persist that GM will axe the Camaro after the 2024 model year.
DW Burnett
Ford managed to sell a total of 47,566 Mustangs in 2022. While that figure is much stronger than what we saw from the Camaro, that total actually marks the single lowest annual sales count in Mustang nameplate history. Sales were down 9.2 percent compared to 2021, which itself was down 14.2 percent compared to 2020. The slowdown isn’t all that shocking however, as the all-new S650 generation Mustang was just unveiled in late 2022. Once those models start to arrive on showroom floors, expect sales to stabilize. It is also worth noting that Ford sold 39,458 Mustang Mach-E EVs in 2022, which represents a gain of 45.4 percent over 2021. Of course those SUVs don’t exactly count when focusing on the traditional muscle car offerings.
While not in the same segment, it is worth noting that the Dodge Charger also had a great year, selling 80,074 units. That’s a two percent gain over 2021, and only further highlights just how popular the pair from the Brotherhood of Muscle are right now. Both the Challenger and Charger are slated to leave the market after 2023, with the all-electric Charger SRT Daytona Concept arriving as their replacement in 2024. That said, Dodge is offering a host of “Last Call” special edition models ahead of the stop sale, with the seventh and final special variant slated to arrive on March 20 in Las Vegas. Be sure to check back with R&T for more details as that debut approaches.
DW Burnett Lucas Bell Born and raised in Metro Detroit, associate editor Lucas Bell has spent his entire life surrounded by the automotive industry.
Keyword: Dodge Challenger Topped Muscle Car Sales in 2022