The Mustang still leads by almost 33,000 cars year-to-date
The Chevrolet Camaro has managed to interrupt the Ford Mustang's dominance of the pony car segment for the first time in 23 months.
After trailing the Mustang every month since November 2014, the Camaro finally emerged on top in September. America's two most popular sports cars had a close duel for customers during September, with the Camaro outselling the Ford Mustang by 148 units. Sales of Chevrolet's pony car rose 25 percent to 6,577 units, while Mustang deliveries fell 32 percent to 6,429 units.
The change in the segment's sales ranking may be attributed to Chevrolet's tripling of Camaro incentives, from $1,080 in August to an average of $3,340 in September, according to Power Information Network cited by Automotive News. In comparison, Mustang incentives fell $250 from August, to $2,960.
However, the Mustang is still ahead of the Camaro year-to-date, with a lead of nearly 33,000 vehicles. Chevrolet increased discounts for September as it started the month with a 139-day supply of the car, compared with 71 days for the Ford Mustang.
The decision paid off, leading to Chevrolet's reduction of 2016 model year inventories ahead of the launch of the 2017 model. That also resulted in a significant increase in retail market share. According to Chevrolet spokesman Jim Cain, the Camaro's average transaction price rose more than 5,000 from a year ago.