Innovation
Are sports cars dead?
According to Edmunds.com, sales of the Chevy Corvette in 2009 were the worst for the nameplate since 1961. You could blame the economy, but Edmunds.com argues that there may be waning interest in the sports car as a category.
The sports car may be a dying breed.
According to Edmunds.com, sales of the Chevy Corvette in 2009 were the worst for the nameplate since 1961. You could blame the economy, but Edmunds.com argues that there may be waning interest in the sports car as a category.
To wit:
- Sports car sales fell 17.8 percent in 2009 from a year earlier.
- While that decline was better than the overall industry decline, sports car sales were propped up by the Chevy Camaro.
- The Camaro sold 60,000 units in 2009 and if it weren't for that car many consumers would have left the sports car genre.
- Porsche 911 sales fell 17.8 percent with Boxster and Cayman seal off 36 percent and 44 percent, respectively.
- The Dodge Viper only sold 482 units in 2009.
- Sales of the Audi TT fell 56.9 percent.
The question: is the decline of the sports car attached to fuel concerns, or is it an overall lack of confidence in the American automakers best-known for affordable fun? (Over on SmartPlanet's Thinking Tech blog, John Dodge asks readers how they rank their carmakers -- and why he's bearish on American makes.)
Related: Study: Americans scrapped more autos than they bought in 2009; Is this a trend?
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com