It's raining on the U.S. economy, with predictable results on convertible sales — deliveries are trending down for the third straight year. But the Ford Mustang, barring a sudden surge in Chrylser Sebring deliveries, will top the segment for the fifth consecutive year.
Through September, Mustang convertible deliveries stood at 11,934, down 33.0% compared with year-ago, according to Ford. The Chrysler Sebring convertible placed a distant second, with 6,668 sales, tumbling 71.6%, Ward's data shows.
While there are a number of other convertibles on the market, the Mustang and Sebring largely have been running neck-and-neck for leadership since 2000.
There have been exceptions. In '03, 13,355 Sebring rag-top deliveries plunged the model to No.8, edged out by the Mustang, Ford Thunderbird, Chevrolet Corvette, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Volkswagen Beetle and BMW Z4 and 3-Series. The Sebring stormed back in '04, racking up 64,470 sales and overtaking the Mustang's 40,252.
But the Mustang this year clearly is in the driver's seat, says Doug Scott, senior vice president, GfK Automotive LLC, a provider of product, brand and consumer research to the automotive industry.
The firm's data measuring the intention of future convertible buyers confirms the Sebring has lost significant ground to the Mustang. Two years ago, the Chrysler drop-top was the preference of 10% of those intending to purchase a convertible compared with 5.7% today.
In comparison, the Mustang is a glint in the eye of 23.4% of convertible buyers, up from about 21%, says Scott.
Mustang convertible sales benefited from the government-backed “Cash for Clunkers” program that ran in July and August.
