Segment decline continues as BMW Z4 fails to make up for losses elsewhere
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Sales in the US Mid-sized Sports segment fell by 8.6% to 98,360 in the first half of 2019, a slightly slower rate of decline than the 10.6% the segment recorded in 2018, but a substantial fall nonetheless. Much of this is driven by the big three US muscle cars (Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger), which continue in the market without any significant changes, while new or refreshed models such as Porsche 718 or BMW Z4 have only a small impact on the overall segment total. With no new models on the immediate horizon, the segment is likely to continue its decline for the foreseeable future.
Clicking on the model name opens the sales data page for that model; clicking year in the legend turns the display for that year on/off
Highlights:
- Sales of the segment leader, Ford Mustang, fell by almost 10% as the boost the impact of the 2018 facelift begins to fade
- The big change in the Top 3 is that the Dodge Challenger, which got to within 10,000 sales of the Mustang in 2018, saw its sales drop by almost a quarter so far this year, marking a sharp (and overdue?) turndown for the aging model
- The poor performance of the Challenger put it within striking range of the refreshed Chevrolet Camaro, which may yet regain the second spot it lost to the Dodge in 2018
- The facelifted Porsche 718 (sales combined for the coupe 718 Cayman and open-top 718 Boxster) saw its sales fall by almost 30%, suggesting that buyers are far from smitten by the model’s switch to a 2.0 turbo four
- The new BMW Z4 has been making steady progress in the market – nothing spectacular, but good enough to put it ahead of sports offerings from its arch-rivals: the aged Mercedes-Benz SLC, and the once-cool-but-not-anymore Audi TT
Note: clicking on the model names in legend turns the display for that model on/off; data is displayed from 1990 onwards, but starts earlier – access previous years using slider on bottom