Ford Mustang plant temporarily idled after sales plunge 32 percent

[Titan ;x]

Sales decline gives the Camaro an edge, but even there it's all relative

September wasn’t kind to the Ford Mustang: Sales plunged a whopping 32 percent last month, and in response, Ford has idled Mustang lines at its Flat Rock, Michigan, factory -- the only facility making the car -- for one week. According to Bloomberg, production will resume on Oct. 17. Workers will be paid in the interim.

The report comes on the heels of news that Jeep saw sagging sales in September; the brand's single-digit overall decline may have been less startling, but the fact that can't-build-'em-fast-enough favorites like the Wrangler aren't flying off lots like they used to points to a broader trend. We can think of a few other reasons sales of enthusiast favorites like the rear-wheel-drive Mustang and convertible top-equipped Wrangler might be dipping this time of year (namely, the impending onset of winter and the arrival of 2017 model-year vehicles), but at this point a widespread cooling of the automotive market seems undeniable.

It's not all dark clouds: Utilitarian vehicles like crossovers and trucks are still moving, at least for the time being. Plus, the massive miss in Mustang numbers also marks the first time the Chevrolet Camaro got a leg up in the pony-car sales battle since October 2014. Yet even there, we'll note that it's all relative, as both the Mustang and the Camaro are down year to date (9.3 and 11 percent each, respectively).