Even in an Awful Month, Corvette Pummels Porsche Car Sales

First, since there has been some question from readers as to why I compare the sales figures for the Chevrolet Corvette to those of the Porsche brand cars, we should all keep in mind that the closest competitor in terms of performance and amenities in the US market is the Porsche 911. However, the 911 is more expensive than the Chevy, leaving the Porsche Boxster/Cayman duo to be the more closely related of the Porsche cars to the Corvette. In any case, behind the Corvette, the next bestselling premium sports car in the US is the Porsche 911 and for that reason, I like to look at how well the Corvette is selling relative to the rest of the closest competition.

Really, there is no good comparison vehicle in the US market for the Chevrolet Corvette, which only goes to show why the C7 is selling so well and why the Corvette is so very good in every way.

Corvette Leads through Sales Slump
Winter has hit the United States very hard over the past few weeks, with many parts of the country getting more snow than at any other point this year. That influx of snow leads to decreased interest in performance cars for many buyers in areas that see frigid temperatures, so it doesn’t come as a big surprise that Corvette sales were down last month. It does come as a bit of a surprise that the Corvette posted the worst monthly sales figures since the C7 first went on sale, but with 2,127 new models sold in January, the legendary Chevy was still the bestselling premium sports car in the US. Also, the Corvette was the 4th bestselling sporty car overall, behind only the three American muscle cars.

2015 Corvette Galleries:
The Debut of the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
The First Images of the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Convertible
The debut of the C7R Chevrolet Corvette race car

Corvette Versus the Competition
The closest competitor to the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette lineup is the Porsche 911 lineup, but even in a month where the Vette saw its worst sales in more than a year, the Chevy still slaughtered the 911. Porsche only sold 1,086 911s in January, meaning that the Corvette outsold the 911 by a margin of nearly 2-to-1. Some Porsche fans my point out that it isn’t a fair comparison since the 911 costs so much more, but the Porsche Boxster and Cayman are much more closely priced – and the Corvette still stomped both of those cars in January sales. Porsche sold 502 examples of the Boxster and Cayman combined, so the more affordable Porsche sports cars were even less competitive than the far more powerful 911.

When you add up the January sales figures for the Porsche 911/918, the Boxster/Cayman and the 4-door Panamera, the German sports car builder moved 2,025 new cars last month – 102 cars less than GM sold Corvettes.

In other words, even in a month where the Corvette sees its worst sales in the current generation, the Chevy can still best the Porsche 911 and the rest of the Porsche cars combined. This leaves little question who makes the most popular premium sports car sold in the USA and based on performance numbers, the Corvette leads in sales because it is dollar for dollar one of the best sports cars sold in the USA.