Photo: Ford
The Blue Oval made a bold move in 2014 with the introduction of the S550. Not only did the Mustang switch to independent rear suspension, but it was developed from the get-go for export to Europe and right-hand-drive markets like the United Kingdom and Australia.
The Ford Motor Company’s bet, however, paid off despite contracting sales. Sports cars – be it coupes or convertibles - are not as popular as they used to be in these SUV-driven times. Regardless of that, the ‘Stang continues to be the best-selling sports coupe worldwide.
North America remains the biggest market for the S550, with 15,717 units sold in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2020. That’s a contraction of 27.3 percent over the three-month period from 2019, but market share has improved from 40 to 43 percent. Even more impressive is that the Mustang kept its crown despite the health crisis.
Although a muscle car instead of a pony, the Dodge Challenger is the second best-selling nameplate in the segment in the United States with 9,880 units for the quarter. Chevy soldiers on in third place with 6,675 examples of the Camaro, representing a drop of 43.4 percent over the second quarter of 2019 and only 18 percent market share.
Curiously enough, the Mazda MX-5 Miata and Nissan 370Z posted better results than they did last year. The Japanese roadster and retractable fastback finished fourth on the list with 9.9 percent more sales than in Q2 of 2019, followed by 23.8 percent for the Z car.
“Our performance in the second quarter was really driven by Ford and our dealers’ deep commitment to customers and quick action taken to support our customers during these unprecedented times," said vice president of U.S. marketing, sales, and service Mark LaNeve.
Because financial stability may be a problem among customers, the “Ford Promise” plan was created to keep those sales going. If a buyer loses its job within a year of buying a vehicle, Ford Credit will pay for the difference between the car’s worth at that time and what the customer still owes upon returning the vehicle. There is a fine print, of course, but the $15,000 limit should be more than enough to cover one year of depreciation.
North America remains the biggest market for the S550, with 15,717 units sold in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2020. That’s a contraction of 27.3 percent over the three-month period from 2019, but market share has improved from 40 to 43 percent. Even more impressive is that the Mustang kept its crown despite the health crisis.
Although a muscle car instead of a pony, the Dodge Challenger is the second best-selling nameplate in the segment in the United States with 9,880 units for the quarter. Chevy soldiers on in third place with 6,675 examples of the Camaro, representing a drop of 43.4 percent over the second quarter of 2019 and only 18 percent market share.
Curiously enough, the Mazda MX-5 Miata and Nissan 370Z posted better results than they did last year. The Japanese roadster and retractable fastback finished fourth on the list with 9.9 percent more sales than in Q2 of 2019, followed by 23.8 percent for the Z car.
“Our performance in the second quarter was really driven by Ford and our dealers’ deep commitment to customers and quick action taken to support our customers during these unprecedented times," said vice president of U.S. marketing, sales, and service Mark LaNeve.
Because financial stability may be a problem among customers, the “Ford Promise” plan was created to keep those sales going. If a buyer loses its job within a year of buying a vehicle, Ford Credit will pay for the difference between the car’s worth at that time and what the customer still owes upon returning the vehicle. There is a fine print, of course, but the $15,000 limit should be more than enough to cover one year of depreciation.
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