Ford Idles Mustang Plant as Sales Sag

Ford Motor Co. is halting Mustang production for a week at its plant in Flat Rock, Mich., after U.S. demand for the sport coupe plummeted 32% in September.

The sales drop allowed General Motors Co.’s Chevrolet Camaro to outsell the Mustang for the first time in two years. Bloomberg News says Camaro’s uptick was aided by an average $3,400 in sales incentives compared with $2,600 for the Mustang.

But both marques trail their year-ago performances. Market researcher Camaro and Mustang sales fell 11% to 54,500 units and 9% to 87,300 units, respectively, through the first nine months of 2016, according to Autodata Corp. The market data firm notes that full-year sales in 2015 jumped 48% to 122,300 units for Mustang but dropped 10% to 77,500 units for Camaro.

Bloomberg reports that average dealer supplies of unsold cars at the end of September were at 120 days for Camaro and 89 days for Mustang. The industry considers a 60-day supply normal.