Mustang and Camaro Are in a Sales War

Aug. 21, 2010 1:00 AM ET by CarBuzz Industry News / 15 Comments

Yep, it's official: Mustang sales have once again beaten out the Camaro's. In the past several decades, Mustang has usually been higher in sales, but every now and then, the Camaro begins to creep up in numbers. With the newly released Camaro in 2009, Chevrolet was hoping to get back in the muscle car game full time. Strange considering Ford launched a new Mustang back in 2006 and before that had never discontinued the model.

Chevrolet, on the other hand, ended production of its previous generation Camaro back in 2003. So it shouldn't be too unusual for Chevrolet to be behind in sales numbers. However, the latest Camaro had the power advantage over the Mustang for over a year. While the Mustang, as cool as it looks, was using a 40 year old V6 as its base engine and producing only around 200 horsepower, the Camaro had a brand new and state-of-the-art base V6 producing around 300 hp. Obviously the Camero is packing the speed.

So why would anyone choose a Mustang over a Camaro? Good question, but that's irrelevant now because Ford has just released its updated 2011 Mustang. Last year saw a complete reskin of the Mustang through and through. However, the engines were still carried over from the previous years. To counter the Camaro attack, Ford developed an all-new V6 with over 300 horsepower. In addition, the infamous 5.0 liter V8 is back. Yes, that's right. Ford engineered an all new 5.0 liter V8 that will go straight to the heart of Mustang lovers everywhere.

This engine promises to deliver serious performance numbers. But the real future for the Mustang does not lie in the V8, but in the V6. Ditto for the Camaro. Due to U.S government regulations for 2015, all new cars must meet very specific fuel mileage standards. A V8 engine, as great as it sounds, is often unable to even get 20 miles per gallon in the city. A V6, on the other hand, is the future. Believe it or not, a V6, when engineered properly, has the ability to produce serious power.

Just look at Ford's new line of EcoBoost engines. An example is the new Taurus SHO. It has a V6 delivering V8 power, but with the fuel efficiency of a V6. As Chevrolet and Ford both know, they must continue developing V6's for future muscle car wars. As Mustang continues to outsell Camaro, let's hope automakers realize there is indeed a future for high performance cars but in V6 guise.

Mustang and Camaro Are in a Sales War

Join The Discussion

Gallery

Mustang and Camaro Are in a Sales War

Join The Discussion

Gallery

Related Cars