Dodge Charger Sales Climb as Other Large Cars Slump

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Dodge Charger sales are up 9% during the first half of 2019 while the key competitors from Ford and Chevy are selling at a much lower rate than last year.

The odds are good that if you pay much attention to the American automotive industry, you have heard all of the talk about the growing popularity of sport utility vehicles leading to the demise of cars in general, but the Dodge Charger continues to buck those trends. Through the first half of 2019, the full-sized, rear-drive sedan is up 9% while the key competitors in the large sedan segment are down compared to a year ago. In fact, if you look at the sales figures of all three American automakers, there are a few cars that have shown positive growth through 2019, but when it comes to larger cars, only the Dodge Charger is having a good year.

Dodge Charger Sales in June
June 2019 was the final month where FCA will report monthly sales, as starting in July, they are switching to the same quarterly reporting system that General Motors began using last year and that Ford started using at the beginning of 2019. In June 2019, Dodge sold 9,034 examples of the Charger, making it the bestselling large sedan in the US market, but more importantly, the four-door muscle car posted growth of 36% compared to June 2018. Mind you, this comes at a time when consumers are being told that no one wants cars – especially big cars – rather than an SUV.

Critics might question whether this sales growth by the Charger comes due to a lack of a popular, large SUV in the Dodge showroom, but that isn’t the case. In June, FCA sold 5,538 examples of the Dodge Durango, which is a 4% improvement over the same month last year.

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On the year, the Charger is up 9% with 45,046 units sold while the Durango is up 13%, so the sedan is selling well alongside a strong-selling SUV.

Ford and Chevrolet do not offer monthly sales for June, but during the second quarter of 2019, the Taurus moved just 2,390 units, down 70% while the Chevy Impala moved 12,536 units in April, May and June combined, down 8%.

Charger Leads the First Half
As mentioned above, Dodge sold 45,046 Chargers during the first half of 2019, comfortably outselling the Ford Taurus at just 8,121 units and the Chevy Impala at 25,795 units. More importantly than just outselling the competition, the Charger was the only one of the three big American sedans to post positive growth, improving by 9% while the Impala was down 7% and the Taurus is down 48%.

There was one other big, American sedan that has shown positive growth through the first half of 2019, with the Cadillac XTS moving 9,093 units, up 6% compared to the first half of 2018. Granted, Dodge sold almost as many Chargers in June as Cadillac sold the XTS through the first half of the year, but we wanted to point out that Dodge is not the only automaker seeing some success in the large sedan segment.

In other words, the Dodge Charger continues to post positive sales growth while cars in general die off in the United States market, with large sedans showing the biggest declines. Some people question Dodge’s decision to stop making their smaller cars a few years back, but with the Charger posting solid year-over-year growth and the Challenger posting the strongest growth in the muscle car world, it looks as though FCA has made the right move with regards to the go-fast brand.

See you in my next story where I am discussing 3 new wheel changes for the 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat.

Patrick Rall @TheAutoBeard is the Managing Editor of Torque News. Please follow us on Twitter at @TorqueNewsAuto, Facebook and send us tips. You can also Follow Patrick on Youtube.

Submitted by Jerod (not verified) on July 23, 2019 - 1:44PM

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Well, Ford is doing away with all sedans, so they haven't put much effort into it. Dodge is different with Charger and Challenger.

Submitted by Aric (not verified) on July 23, 2019 - 1:57PM

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Sadly Mustangs and Camaros are separating from their roots. They are going more European sports car than the pony car they once were.

Submitted by Zach (not verified) on July 23, 2019 - 1:58PM

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Dodge Charger is a sporty looking four door car, which is what everyone wants. Plus it’s not considered a sports car on insurance so it’s even better. While most four door cars look boring.

Submitted by Paul Basileo (not verified) on July 23, 2019 - 4:57PM

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I own a 2017 Charge R/T. It has been thrilling to drive with its' Hemi engine, completely trouble free and I get more compliments on its' looks than any previous car I've had. Of course mileage is only 16 city but 26-28 highway. After all, one does have to pay to play.

Submitted by Mohammed Elsheme (not verified) on July 24, 2019 - 6:08PM

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I need price for dodge charger 2019 at Egypt
Many thanks for you
M.elsheme

Submitted by DeanMcManis (not verified) on July 24, 2019 - 8:37PM

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I’ve rented the Charger several times and it was roomy and comfortable. I was actually surprised that the base V6 engine got decent gas mileage while being reasonably peppy. FCA’s choice to drop their economy cars will hurt them drastically in future years. They already paid out millions in fines for having poor fuel economy for their fleet. Hopefully the rumored hybrid models will be coming soon, or they will face the same issues again despite their good sales numbers

Submitted by Randall (not verified) on August 21, 2019 - 2:45AM

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All the fun of a powerful sports car, but with 4 doors, adult leg room and growling exhaust. Everytime I pass a new Camry in my blacked out Charger with Hellcat wheels and red Hemi decals, I see the driver looking at my Charger as if he made the wrong choice. I'm sure that idea is only confirmed when they hear my exhaust note as I leave them in the dust.