Dodge Continues To Lead Muscle Car Sales During Q1 2023

July 2, 2023 10:14 pm

U.S. muscle car sales improved 18 percent to 55,990 units during the first quarter of 2023. All four models in the segment were in the green, though some certainly fared better than others.

The Dodge Charger remained the best-selling model in the segment as deliveries jumped an impressive 43 percent to 22,128 units. The Ford Mustang followed in second with a 5 percent increase to 14,711 units. The Charger’s two-door brother, the Dodge Challenger, took third with a 2 percent growth to 11,371 units, roughly 1.4K units behind the Mustang. The Chevy Camaro placed last despite a 16 percent increase in sales to 7,780 units.

Sales Numbers - Muscle Cars - Q1 2023 - USA

MODEL	Q1 23 / Q1 22	Q1 23	Q1 22	Q1 23 SHARE	Q1 22 SHARE
DODGE CHARGER	+43.33%	22,128	15,439	40%	33%
FORD MUSTANG	+5.18%	14,711	13,986	26%	30%
DODGE CHALLENGER	+2.22%	11,371	11,124	20%	24%
CHEVROLET CAMARO	+15.95%	7,780	6,710	14%	14%
TOTAL	+18.47%	55,990	47,259

From a segment share standpoint, the Charger led with a 40 percent share, up a whopping seven percentage points. The Mustang followed with 26 percent share and the Challenger accounted for 20 percent, both down four percentage points. The Camaro earned a 14 percent share, flat year-over-year.

Narrowing the segment down exclusively to two-door models puts the Mustang in first, Challenger in second, and Camaro in third.

Sales Numbers - Two-Door Muscle Cars - Q1 2023 - USA

MODEL	Q1 23 / Q1 22	Q1 23	Q1 22	Q1 23 SHARE	Q1 22 SHARE
FORD MUSTANG	+5.18%	14,711	13,986	43%	44%
DODGE CHALLENGER	+2.22%	11,371	11,124	34%	35%
CHEVROLET CAMARO	+15.95%	7,780	6,710	23%	21%
TOTAL	+6.42%	33,862	31,820

The Motrolix Take

Muscle car sales during Q1 2023 were up as production levels enabled more readily available inventories. Perhaps even more interesting is that all four nameplates saw sales gains during the quarter, indicating healthy demand.

The sales order is bound to change substantially over the next 12 months as Ford launches the all-new, 2024 Mustang. At the same time, GM will sunset the Camaro (though not before sending it off with the recently-announced Collector’s Edition) while Dodge will end production of the Charger and Challenger. This means that the Mustang will be the only remaining muscle car offering in the near-term future, at least until potential electric replacements for the Camaro, Challenger and Charger make their way to market. To that end, rumor has it that Chevy is working on a Camaro sub-brand that could include several types of battery electric vehicles, while Dodge showed off a battery electric concept dubbed Charger Daytona SRT Concept at the SEMA Show in 2022.

For the time being, one thing’s for certain: if you want a Chevy or Dodge muscle car, then ~~walk~~ run to your nearest dealer and scoop one up before they’re gone.