The Ford Mustang still rules the roost in the muscle car segment as the Dodge Challenger runs past the Chevrolet Camaro for second place in terms of muscle car sales in 2018. The ‘Stang’s place on top of the standings remains secure, but it’s the Challenger that’s making the headlines, thanks in large part to a stronger-than-expected sales year. Of the three muscle cars, the Dodge pony car is the only one to post year-over-year growth. The Camaro, on the other hand, couldn’t have had a worse year, falling behind its two rivals in the wake of torpedoing sales. 2019 is going to be an interesting year for all three muscle cars, but for now, it’s looking like it’s going to be a two-horse race between the Mustang and the Challenger.

Note: 2018 Dodge Challenger. pictured here.

Well, this is interesting. The Dodge Challenger may not have taken the top spot from the Ford Mustang in the 2018 sales war, but you can make a case that it’s the big winner for 2018. That represents an increase of three percent compared to its numbers in 2017. Sure, it’s not that big of an increase in the grand scheme of things, but when you combine it with how the Mustang and the Camaro fared, the Challenger came out smelling like roses compared to its two rivals.

Note: 2018 Ford Mustang pictured here.

Unfortunately, the Challenger’s strong sales return last year wasn’t enough to usurp the Ford Mustang, which held on to the top spot despite posting a 7.4-percent decline in sales compared to its previous sales total the year before. It’s not enough to make the folks at Dearborn, Michigan sweat, but the year-over-year drop has definitely caught the attention of a lot of Ford executives. Is the Mustang losing its shine — we’ve heard some complaints about the mid-cycle model in recent months — or is it just a case of people waiting for the new Ford Shelby GT500 to arrive? We’ll know through the course of the next 12 months.

Note: 2019 Chevrolet Camaro. pictured here.

If there are people that should be worried, it should be the folks over at Chevrolet. The Camaro, once the one-true rival to the Mustang, has fallen on hard times. That’s an alarming total for a number of reasons. First, it’s well off the total sales volume of the Mustang and the Challenger. Second, it came despite the Camaro entering 2018 with a facelift of its own. Third, and most alarming, the total represents a whopping sales decline of 25 percent compared to its total from 2017. We can pinpoint a number of reasons why the Camaro sold so poorly in 2018, but it is worth noting that Chevrolet is hastily preparing a new front fascia for production to replace the heavily derided version in the facelift model. Perhaps a lot of people got so turned off by the way the updated Camaro looked that they completely shunned the model in favor of either the Mustang or the Challenger. Either way, Chevrolet has a lot of making up to do in 2019 if it’s going to rebound from an atrocious sales year in 2018.

Note: 2019 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 pictured here.

So why did the Dodge Challenger do well in 2018? Part of it is tied into the number of impressive packages Dodge rolled out for its muscle car, including the Shakedown Package and the R/T Scat Pack 1320, two of my personal favorites. Performance-injected versions like the Challenger SRT Demon and the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye could’ve also contributed to the Challenger’s success, especially after all the glowing reviews both models received upon their releases. Momentum is definitely on the Dodge Challenger’s side as it prepares for a year that could include more performance derivatives of the muscle car. Who knows, Dodge could even build limited-run versions of the Redeye Express now that Santa’s on hiatus for the next 11 months.

Note: 2018 Ford Mustang pictured here.

The Mustang enters the year still reigning supreme, but it’s now up against a worthy "challenger."

Note: 2018 Ford Mustang pictured here.0}

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2019 Chevrolet Camaro.

Read our full review on the 2018 Dodge Challenger.

Read our full review of the latest 2018 Ford Mustang