Chevrolet Camaro Outsells Ford Mustang by Almost 20,000 Units at Year One, But Loses in May '10

Yesterday we learned that the refreshed and more powerful 2011 Ford Mustang sold 10,225 units in May 2010 beating GM's Chevrolet Camaro by almost 1,300 units (8,931 sales monthly total).

The General's reaction? Early this morning, the Detroit automaker came out with a press release stating that from May 2009 (the 2010 Camaro's first full month of sales) to May 2010, Chevy's pony car posted 99,872 total sales, outselling the Ford Mustang by nearly 20,000 vehicles (80,340 units total).

The company added that the Camaro has led the pony car sales race for 11 of the last 12 months.

Of course, now that the Mustang has been upgraded with a pair of more powerful and frugal V6 and V8 engines, the Camaro won't have it so easy as May sales proved. That is until GM introduces a revised version of the Camaro and the cycle begins again...

For the record, Detroit's third pony car, the un-updated Dodge Challenger, sold a total of 3,828 copies in May 2010 recording a 42 percent increase over the same month last year (2,695 units), setting a monthly sales record for the second month in a row.

Dodge Challenger: 40 Years in Pictures

Challenger turns 40-ish this year. Well, actually, it's like a 40-year range over which the Challenger name was used a few times and to celebrate, Chrysler has given a photo-run-through of the model's rich history.

Over the course of its first generation, ranging from 1970-74, the Challenger was offered with an inline six-cylinder and many choices of V8. The 8-cylinder options ranged from a 318 cubic inch unit making 230 horsepower to the 425-horse 426 Hemi and 390-horse 440 (output numbers dipped consistently as the oil crisis developed).

A major difference between the original and current Charger is that a convertible isn't currently offered. After the '74 model year Challenger production stopped, with around 188,000 units sold.

The second-generation Challenger arrived in 1978. Unlike the original E-body Barracuda twin, this model was based on a Mitsubishi and came with a 77-horsepower 1.6 liter inline-four or an optional 105-horsepower 2.6 liter I4.

Finally, the third generation (or attempt) at selling a Dodge challenger is upon us. Debuting in 2006 as a concept, it hit the streets as a 2008 model.

True to the original, this Challenger is available with a six-cylinder or optional V8s, loud colors, and a ton of factory accessories. Unlike the original T/A top-end model, though, we get the SRT with a 425-horsepower 6.1 liter Hemi.

By Phil Alex