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The 2011 Chevrolet Camaro is still outselling the Ford Mustang, netting 19,972 sales through March compared to the Mustang's 15,419. Both cars handily outsold the Dodge Challenger, which itself is selling fairly well with 9,742 units through the same period. This is the second year running (well, so far this year at least) that the Camaro has managed stronger sales figures than the Mustang, having overtaken it last year for the first time since 1985.

GM figures the Camaro's success could be attributable to its relative newness in the pony car stable, having debuted in 2009. The Mustang has only undergone slight changes to its outward appearance since its 2004 redesign, though it's been kept well freshened in the engine bay. To help boost Camaro sales, Chevrolet says the V6 will get an 11-horsepower bump by this summer, taking the base Camaro to a total of 323 horsepower.

With such a big sales head start, it seems unlikely the Camaro will be caught before the end of the year, despite Ford's revised powertrain options for 2011 and the limited-production Mustang Boss 302 hitting dealerships soon.


Gallery: Review: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS



Photos copyright (C)2011 Drew Phillips / AOL

[Source: The Detroit Free Press]Chevrolet Camaro sales still outpacing rival Ford Mustang originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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CamaroScotty

Awesome.... BTW...I have a used Mach 1 trade in for sale - yes - someone saw the light.....

2010_5thgen

good news!

jcamere94z28

very cool...

BigBlueCruiser

Definitely. It keeps the Camaro alive AND it ensures that the 2014 next gen Mustang is going to be a seriously radical remake. If Ford was thinking of minor evolution in the Mustang styling, they sure as hell aren't now.

The Camaro sells because it looks good and its got an edge to it. It is radical. The stang just looks stale and boring next to a Camaro or Challenger.

2010_5thgen

it does really. i had a v6 2012 mustang as my rental in florida a few weeks ago. much smaller than the camaro, and pretty plain looking. i didnt like it at all.

426HPSS

was at the lights this aft next to a new 5.0l in grey.....he could not stop looking at my black beauty....new mustangs are so.......old.

Slappy3243

The new Mustangs are far from old. I think the refresh looks pretty damn good. Does the Camaro look better? Yep. It doesn't mean the the Mustang looks old. I bet it didn't perform like an old Mustang as he pulled you from the traffic light .

King Moose SS

Actually the mustang style is old. Really old. Yes does it look more aggressive than the 2005 models. Sure. But when it comes down to it's the same car. It's like the 2004 GTO vs 05 up GTO. Sure it looks more aggressive and has a better engine, but it's the same car and people know it. Unfortunately, for the mustang that styling has been with us for 7+ years, and with the amount of sales the mustang has, everyone has seen them nearly everyday for the whole 7 years.

Slappy3243

I was talking from a pure cosmetic point of view in response to the post. I think that the styling of the 2010+ Mustangs is great. It is not as aggressive as the Camaro's styling, but it looks sporty and sexy. I think it looks much better than the blocky design of the 2005-2009 models. The interior is still better than than the Camaro, but that was part of the refresh too.

BigBlueCruiser

I think bland is the correct description when comparing the stang to the Camaro (or Challenger).

Bottom line, my point is that it is good that Camaro is beating the stang in sales because it should cause Ford to go more radical on the next gen styling.

Slappy3243

I totally agree. I too am very happy that the Camaro is outselling the Mustang. I am a GM guy at heart, but I appreciate all vehicles and have no problem admitting when x product is better than y product. Personally, I wouldn't go so far as to say the refreshed Mustang is bland, especially when one rolls by in Grabber Blue (I love that color). I guess I also have different tastes since many would consider my '05 GTO bland, even with the cosmetic upgrades along with an engine upgrade over the '04 models. What matters to me more is that the Mustang's performance is far from bland .

96_Camaro_B4C

Not even close to the GTO analogy, IMO. The Mustang redesign was much more like a C5 to C6 transition. The GTO got hood scoops and (at some point) a set of 18 inch wheels, along with the ~50 hp bump to the LS2. Otherwise it WAS the same car. The Mustang got a completely new set of bodywork and interior, along with significant suspension tuning revisions, and the new engines AND transmissions. While the restyle may not have been as big a departure as the C5-C6 change, the depth of the change was very similar. Carryover basic platform, but with virtually everything else changed significantly.

Also, IMO the '05-'09 Mustang easily looks better than the chunkier, heavier looking '10+ model. Not that the current one is a bad looking car, by any stretch, but the previous version looks more crisp and lighter to my eyes. My brother has an '11 GT 5.0 in red, and it is sweet. But from a purely cosmetic point of view, I prefer the pre-'10 model.

See above.

2010_5thgen

the only thing i liek about the new mustang is the back end of a GT. the rest of the car just looks....odd. i dont like the " im cheap and saving money on paint" plastic lower rockers.i drove one in florida 2 weeks ago as my rental car. the look of it just got really old and boring after driving it all week. i should have gone with the challanger.

99SilverSS

I just think the Camaro is still new and has a striking design. I also think it's taking some Vette sales. Can't say I'm not a bit suprised that it's still selling so well. This economy has shrunk the sport coupe and sports car market overall and the Camaro is just taking a bigger share of the pie than it's rivals.

I think part of the Mustangs problem is that it's been there since 1964 1/2 and will be for a long time to come. There isn't any urgency or excitement. The Camaro came in and took some sales and the Mustang isn't new or different enough to get drive people into the showroom. We know it's got the performance across all lines and the V6 Stang is the segment leader but doesn't seem to be moving the sales needle.