Sales of sports cars in the US are down 23% in the first half of 2020, slightly better than the overall market. Sports cars still accounts for 1.6% of the total US car market with just over 105,000 deliveries in the first six months of the year, of which just about two thirds (66%, down from 67.2% in 2019) were one of the three American muscle cars Mustang, Challenger or Camaro. 
These three are in a continuous battle for the title of America’s best selling sports car and the Mustang has been in the lead since 2016 while the Challenger knocked down the Camaro to grab the #2 spot in 2018 and has stayed there until so far in 2020. In fact, the Camaro is the biggest loser among these three with sales down 43% in the first half of the year, compared to just -12% for the Mustang and -23% for the Challenger. Chevy really fumbled the redesign of the Camaro in 2018 as it has lost a lot of sales since. Sales figures are on their way to the Camaro’s worst-ever year, even below 2002, which was the final year before a 6-year production hiatus. The Mazda MX-5 Miata is up 10% and passes the Hyundai Veloster, down 44%, while the BMW Z4 is up 11% thanks to the new generation, outselling the Toyota 86 (-19%) and the MX-5’s clone Fiat 124 Spider, down 37%. The 124 even drops behind the Nissan 370Z, surprisingly up 5% even though it’s by far the oldest model in the class. At -38%, the Subaru BRZ does much worse than its clone Toyota 86. The Porsche 718 is the biggest loser of the class at -60% and drops behind the Mercedes-Benz SLC.
US compact sports car sales 2020 first half
| Compact sports car segment | 2020 | 2019 | Change | Share | |
| 1 | Ford Mustang | 33.786 | 38.542 | -12% | 39,0% |
| 2 | Dodge Challenger | 22.018 | 28.668 | -23% | 25,4% |
| 3 | Chevrolet Camaro | 13.860 | 24.516 | -43% | 16,0% |
| 4 | Mazda MX-5 Miata | 4.320 | 3.914 | 10% | 5,0% |
| 5 | Hyundai Veloster | 4.287 | 7.604 | -44% | 5,0% |
| 6 | BMW Z4 | 1.455 | 1.313 | 11% | 1,7% |
| 7 | Toyota 86 | 1.349 | 1.661 | -19% | 1,6% |
| 8 | Nissan 370Z | 1.310 | 1.252 | 5% | 1,5% |
| 9 | Fiat 124 Spider | 969 | 1.528 | -37% | 1,1% |
| 10 | Subaru BRZ | 962 | 1.540 | -38% | 1,1% |
| 11 | Mercedes-Benz SLC | 920 | 1.187 | -22% | 1,1% |
| 12 | Porsche 718 | 872 | 2.155 | -60% | 1,0% |
| 13 | Audi TT | 426 | 636 | -33% | 0,5% |
| 14 | Alfa Romeo 4C | 71 | 91 | -22% | 0,1% |
| 15 | Honda CR-Z | 1 | 2 | -50% | 0,0% |
| Segment total | 86.606 | 114.609 | -24% |
In the large sports car segment, which accounts for just 18% of total US sports car sales, the Corvette is king with a 33.1% share, but its 35% decline is the worst of the top-4 and a direct result of the plant closure due to coronavirus. This halted production of the all-new rear-engined Corvette C8 just shortly after deliveries had started. The demand for the vehicle is there, just not the supply. The Porsche 911 is up 5% to just over 25% share of the segment, while the BMW 8-Series holds on to the #3 spot it already claimed in 2019. The Mercedes-AMG GT also outperforms the class and the market at -2%, while the Jaguar F-type is down 36% in anticipation of a facelift. The Mercedes-Benz SL is suprisingly strong at -14% considering its age, while the Lexus LC is down 38%. The Audi R8 and Nissan GT-R both lose just over a quarter of their sales and move past the Plug-in hybrid sports car BMW i8, down 83% as production ended in June. The Acura NSX is even more exclusive than the Ford GT in 2020, not a good look for the Japanese hybrid.
US large sports car sales 2020 first half
| Large sports car segment | 2020 | 2019 | Change | Share | |
| 1 | Chevrolet Corvette | 6.279 | 9.731 | -35% | 33,1% |
| 2 | Porsche 911 | 4.835 | 4.620 | 5% | 25,5% |
| 3 | BMW 8-series | 3.441 | 1.522 | 126% | 18,1% |
| 4 | Mercedes-AMG GT | 1.817 | 1.858 | -2% | 9,6% |
| 5 | Jaguar F-Type | 800 | 1.255 | -36% | 4,2% |
| 6 | Mercedes-Benz SL | 795 | 928 | -14% | 4,2% |
| 7 | Lexus LC | 415 | 668 | -38% | 2,2% |
| 8 | Audi R8 | 199 | 268 | -26% | 1,0% |
| 9 | Nissan GT-R | 128 | 174 | -26% | 0,7% |
| 10 | BMW i8 | 115 | 673 | -83% | 0,6% |
| 11 | Ford GT | 97 | 135 | -28% | 0,5% |
| 12 | Acura NSX | 55 | 151 | -64% | 0,3% |
| 13 | Lexus LFA | 2 | 3 | -33% | 0,0% |
| Segment total | 18.978 | 21.986 | -14% |
Source: Manufacturers.