As automakers released sales reports for the second quarter of this year, there was one overall consistency: overall sales were down for everyone. Blame the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic slowdown. But there was one specific make and model that somehow beat all expectations. That vehicle is the Ford Mustang.
According to Ford's Q2 report, the Mustang has claimed an overall market share of 43 percent during that time period. In other words, nearly half of all sports car sold in America in the months of April, May, and June were Mustangs. The Mustang is already the best-selling sports in the world, but it was two specific niche trims that further helped the Mustang achieve its impressive Q2 results.
The dynamic duo of the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 and Shelby GT350 appear to have suffered very little from the pandemic, if at all. Combined sales for both increased by 20 percent. However, overall Q2 Mustang sales decreased by 27 percent compared to the same time last year from 21,625 vehicles to 15,717. Should Ford be disappointed? Not really.
The Mustang still managed to outsell, once again, its two muscle car rivals, the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger, by significant margins. Camaro sales fell by a very troubling nearly 47 percent and the Challenger was down by 35 percent. Put another way, the Mustang almost outsold these two rivals combined.
But what we're wondering is why the Shelby Mustangs managed to do so well during this time. Sure, Ford did offer additional incentives, but so did every automaker on nearly every vehicle in their respective lineups. There were dealership markups for the GT500, but since it's been on sale for a while now those have mostly gone away.
Our best guess for the Shelby pair's success boils down to some pent up demand. Because of those additional incentives and the fact the situation kind of turned into a buyers' market, customers decided it was the right time to pull the trigger.