Car Shoppers Gravitating To Performance Models

2016 Chevrolet Corvette ZO6 (Credit: Chevrolet )

With news of Nissan killing the IDx project and Subaru/Toyota saying demand for the BRZ/FR-S is way down, you would be forgiven for thinking that people want little crossovers instead of performance vehicles. Add to that the latest developments in vehicle automation, and it seems like humans don’t even want to drive anymore. A new report from Automotive News claims the contrary, stating that there’s a huge run on performance cars and trucks in the United States.

The news is surprising to many, considering that fuel economy and emissions regulations are becoming increasingly difficult. After all, not too long ago (Old) GM said that CAFE would kill off the Corvette and pretty much any other vehicle that’s fun to drive. Today, those sorts of doomsday predictions seem pretty ridiculous.

Dave Pericak, director of Ford Performance, is cited in the report. According to him, high-performance model growth has outstripped the automotive industry’s growth around the world since 2009. That means even when the recession was in full swing, people were still going for hot cars and trucks to get them around. Pericak stated that there’s been a 70 percent increase in performance vehicle sales in the United States alone.

There are some big benefits to performance models. Not only do they look cool and act as “halo” vehicles for different brands, helping draw in more shoppers who might purchase other models, they also provide big profit margins. High-performance cars and trucks also draw in the elusive Generation Y, believe it or not, because the kids these days like something that can go fast. Some things never change.

This big upswing in performance car sales has certainly been felt by Dodge. It’s had to actually stop selling the Hellcat versions of the Charger and Challenger, thanks to over 9,000 orders that have come in. The entire brand has been positioned by Fiat Chrysler more toward performance models, something that seems to be paying off when it comes to sales.