Sports car sales ranked: why many could soon be extinct

Sales of sports cars have nosedived this year. We reveal the biggest losers – and how far they’ve fallen

Sports car sales ranked

SUVs are the bread and butter of the car market, even for many sports car makers. Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini – and now Aston Martin and even Ferrari – are building off-roaders. The reason? Sports cars don’t sell. We reveal the extent of the sports car sales famine, with figures from CarIndustryAnalysis.

Audi TT Roadster -3 percent

Sports car sales ranked

We start with the mildest of sales drops, but make no mistake, things will get a lot worse. The TT Roadster has seen a three percent downturn, selling 1,918 in the first half of 2019.

Lamborghini Aventador -5 percent

Sports car sales ranked

On the other end of the sports car spectrum, Aventador sales are also a little down: five percent, with 165 cars sold so far this year. Not terrible, given this model is on its way out.

Lotus Exige -7 percent

Sports car sales ranked

The Exige isn’t faring too badly either, and you’d be right to assume other Lotuses are further down this list. It’s seven percent down, with 150 units sold so far.

Mazda MX-5 -9 percent

Sports car sales ranked

Even the king of affordable sports cars, the Mazda MX-5, is suffering in the downturn. Being nine percent down is more serious when your sales volume is nearly 10,000 for 2019 to date.

Nissan 370Z Roadster -10 percent

Sports car sales ranked

Another aging beast in its dying moments, the 370Z Roadster is 10 percent down, with 102 units shifted.

Honda NSX – 10 percent

Sports car sales ranked

The NSX is 10 percent down, albeit on what was already a fairly measly sales figure. It shifted just 28 units.

Ford Mustang convertible -12 percent

Sports car sales ranked

The Mustang, meanwhile, is selling in four figures. It’s still, however, 12 percent down for the convertible model.

Bugatti Chiron -14 percent

Sports car sales ranked

Chiron percentages will shift if Bugatti sells one or two cars less or more than it did last year. Still, it’s 14 percent down, with 12 cars delivered.

Jaguar F-Type Roadster -15 percent

Sports car sales ranked

Jaguar’s ageing convertible is 15 percent down for the first half of 2019, with 773 cars sold. The F-Type Roadster has always been less popular than the coupe.

Mercedes-Benz SL -16 percent

Sports car sales ranked

Mercedes-Benz once did very well with the SL. But with the current generation in its dying months, the three-pointed star is slipping. It’s 16 percent down, with 488 units sold in the first six months of this year.

Audi R8 -16 percent

Sports car sales ranked

Even the Audi R8, perhaps the original ‘volume’ supercar, is dropping off somewhat. It’s down to 351 units sold within the first six months of this year: a drop of 16 percent on the same period in 2018.

McLaren 570S -17 percent

Sports car sales ranked

The 570S was McLaren’s foray into a similar baby supercar market. It’s not having a great time either, with just 50 sold in the past six months. That’s down 17 percent on the same period last year.

Jaguar F-Type -19 percent

Sports car sales ranked

The coupe variant of the F-Type doubles the Roadster’s numbers. It’s still a full 19 percent down on last year’s figures, though. No small pickings when sales are in four figures.

Porsche 718 Boxster -23 percent

Sports car sales ranked

That’s not as bad as the 718 Boxster’s situation. At 2,065 units sold during the first half of 2019, it’s 23 percent down on the same period in 2018. That’s nearly 700 fewer cars versus the year before.

Toyota GT86 -24 percent

Sports car sales ranked

The Toyota GT86 is perhaps the poster child for the peaks and troughs a sports car can go through. On its debut, it was loved. It sold well for a brief while, and ever since, it’s been more or less fallow. A 24 percent drop on 2018’s first half leaves it at 531 units sold in the first six months of 2019.

Audi TT -29 percent

Sports car sales ranked

The Audi TT coupe is a volume seller by comparison, so a 29 percent drop is no joke. For the first six months of 2019, it shifted 4,318 units. That’s more than 1,000 fewer cars than in 2018.

Porsche 911 Cabriolet -30 percent

Sports car sales ranked

In fairness to the 911, it has an excuse. Call the transition to a new generation a speed bump for sales. The Cabriolet variant was down 30 percent for the first six months of 2019, with 2,841 sold.

Nissan GT-R -31 percent

Sports car sales ranked

The Nissan GT-R is more of a niche creation, but a 31 percent drop is not insignificant. It’s down to 239 units for the first six months of 2019.

Nissan 370Z -32 percent

Sports car sales ranked

Nissan’s other ageing coupe is feeling a similar drop, at 32 percent. It’s down to 199 units sold over the first six months of 2019.

Dodge Challenger -32 percent

Sports car sales ranked

Dodge’s muscle car might not be a European native, but it still sells in limited numbers. Although it’s down 32 percent on last year, it still sold 279 units on our side of the pond.

Mercedes-AMG GT -34 percent

Sports car sales ranked

Mercedes downsized its flagship for the AMG GT, to try and cash in on some of the 911’s sales volume. That plan seems to be backfiring now, with the GT down 34 percent in sales. Merc has shifted 693 of them in the first six months of 2019.

Porsche 718 Cayman -40 percent

Sports car sales ranked

The Cayman is really taking a hit this year. A 40 percent drop on 2018 is a serious hit. At 1,601 units sold, it’s down 1,000 cars on the same period last year.

Lotus Evora -40 percent

Sports car sales ranked

The Evora is down 40 percent, too, although not on quite the same scale. Lotus shifted just 53 cars in the first six months of this year.

Rolls-Royce Dawn -40 percent

Sports car sales ranked

OK, it’s not really a sports car, but the Dawn is feeling the downturn. A 40 percent drop ought to be concerning for Rolls-Royce’s BMW overlords, with just 83 sold in the first six months of 2019.

Lexus LC -44 percent

Sports car sales ranked

Lexus’ BMW 8 Series rival deserves to be doing better than it is. Having shifted just 217 units in the first six months of this year, it’s down 44 percent.

McLaren 570GT -44 percent

Sports car sales ranked

This model surprised McLaren with its success such that it greenlit a dedicated GT car. Now the 570GT is 44 percent down for the first six months of 2019. What does that say about how the GT is going to fare?

Aston Martin DB11 -46 percent

Sports car sales ranked

The successor to the car that arguably saved Aston Martin is falling by the wayside – and in favour of an SUV. Aston’s former volume champion is down 46 percent for 2019, with just 256 units sold.

Ferrari GTC4Lusso -46 percent

Sports car sales ranked

The same is the case for one of the Aston’s big Italian rivals. The Lusso is the most practical Ferrari, but that still doesn’t seem to help sales. It’s also 46 percent down in 2019, with 164 sold.

Porsche 911 -48 percent

Sports car sales ranked

The 911 coupe is down significantly, by 48 percent, but that still means 4,533 sold in the first six months of 2019. Again, perhaps blame the ‘991’ to ‘992’ model changeover.

Lamborghini Huracan -49 percent

Sports car sales ranked

The Gallardo was the car that sold more units than all the Lamborghinis ever made previously. Its successor, the Huracan, isn’t doing so well. It’s down 49 percent, with just 192 sold in the first half of 2019.

Maserati GranTurismo -52 percent

Sports car sales ranked

If there’s a car on this list that you shouldn’t be surprised is doing poorly, it’s the GranTurismo. It’s probably the oldest car here, first appearing more than 12 years ago. It’s down 52 percent and 100 units, with just 97 sold in the first six months of 2019.

Maserati GranCabrio -52 percent

Sports car sales ranked

It’s the same with the GranCabrio. It is also 52 percent down, with just 86 cars sold in the first half of 2019.

Rolls-Royce Wraith -54 percent

Sports car sales ranked

The Wraith is doing even worse than the Dawn. Rolls-Royce sold a good number when new, but now it’s 54 percent down. Just 41 were sold in the first half of 2019.

Ferrari 488 Spider -57 percent

Sports car sales ranked

The 488 is winding down, so perhaps Ferrari merely isn’t making as many of them. Nevertheless, it’s 57 percent down compared to the same period in 2018.

Audi R8 Spyder -61 percent

Sports car sales ranked

The R8 Spyder is down, too. And a fairly catastrophic 61 percent on 2018’s sales figures, at 162 units sold.

Lamborghini Aventador Roadster -62 percent

Sports car sales ranked

There’s suffering at the upper end of the spectrum, too. The Aventador Roadster is also 62 percent down, although we’re unsure whether that’s winding down production, too. Just 39 were sold in the first six months of this year.

McLaren 570S Spider -62 percent

Sports car sales ranked

McLaren’s baby Spider isn’t having a good time. It’s 62 percent down, with 66 sold in the first six months of 2019.

BMW i8 -64 percent

Sports car sales ranked

Talking of winding down, BMW’s futuristic hybrid isn’t long for this world. It’s 64 percent down this year, with just 171 sold.

Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster -66 percent

Sports car sales ranked

Merc’s GT Roadster is doing even worse. It’s the second-worst drop here, at 66 percent down. It sold 415 cars in the first six months of this year. In the same period in 2018, it would have shifted circa. 1,000 units.

McLaren 720S -74 percent

Sports car sales ranked

Surprising perhaps is the shocking performance of one of the best supercars on sale. The McLaren 720S takes the cake for the steepest drop, at 74 percent. It sold just 92 cars in the first six months of this year, compared with more than 350 for last year.

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Ethan Jupp
Ethan Jupp
I'm Content Editor at MR. Road trips music and movies are my vices. Perennially stuck between French hot hatches and Australian muscle cars.

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