Turn back the clock to the 60s, and as the land yacht of the 50s slowly makes its way into the back of garage spaces, a new hero of the American automotive world emerges, the car we have all come to know and love, the legendary muscle car.
What started off as a shift up in how the American automotive world wanted to make its mark led to decades of blistering quarter-mile timings and that iconic V8 rumble to roar loud and make its presence known.
There is one thought that lingers in the minds of industry leaders and cult following alike, is the muscle car poised for massive change in this world of electrification and green performance? Will the V8 rumble take a backseat and collect dust in warehouses and follow the same format as the land yachts of the 50s?
The answer is not black and white; for instance, it’s Dodge pushing the envelope in terms of displacement and performance and releasing a variety of performance powerhouses that look down on machines with less than 500 BHP to offer, while also playing their cards right and giving the world a new lease on the iconic Charger marque with the release of the Dodge Charger Daytona EV.
The green changes in detail.
The muscle car is on a downward spiral; there really are no ifs and buts about it. With the Dodge Challenger and Charger hanging up their boxing gloves a few years back and the recent news of the Chevrolet Camaro being discontinued, there are two legacy muscle cars that fight the good fight. Although Japanese performance cars are not considered American built Muscle cars, Nissan too just discontinued its R35 GT-R as of August 2025 and more OEM’s may follow.
Looking closer at the numbers, it really isn’t good news for the future of the muscle car. In Q1 2025, sales collapsed by nearly 62 percent year-on-year, shrinking from 27,018 to just 10,357 units across the segment. Even with its long history since its introduction in the 60s, the legendary Ford Mustang dropped 32 percent, while the Chevrolet Corvette slid 21 percent.
Fuel regulations are choking the appetite for big, naturally aspirated engines or even the forced induction kind – smaller forced induction motors are the trend and practical SUVs and crossovers is what the modern day customer yearns for.
The Mach-E shifts up a gear
Ford’s 2024 story isn’t one of burbling V8s and tail-happy coupes. In fact, the global numbers tell you everything you need to know.
Between October and December last year, Ford sold just over 7,500 Mustangs worldwide, but shifted more than twice that number to Mach-Es, its electric SUV that coincidentally shares the Mustang name. For the full year, Mustang Mach-E sales beat the Mustang coupe and convertible by a clear margin, 51,745 to 44,003. That’s a 17.6 percent gap, and a blunt reminder that the muscle car is retreating into nostalgia while SUVs and EVs are writing the next chapter.
While the Mustang remains the poster car on every teenager’s wall, it’s no longer the one driving the numbers or fueling boardroom celebrations. Today, the Everest, Ranger, Territory, and Ford’s full-blooded Raptors are doing the heavy lifting.
Muscle cars may be slipping off production lines, but their soul hasn’t left the stage. Detroit’s finest still roll out on weekend mornings, polished and loud, carrying the same swagger they did half a century ago. They’re not museum pieces; they are now a living reminder of when performance was about displacement, noise and presence. And as long as those classics are still prowling the roads, the glory days of muscle are far from over.
