Sports Car Sales Take a Hit As Baby Boomers Outgrow Midlife Crisis

Baby boomers in the U.S. are starting to outgrow their midlife crisis years, and that’s bad news for automakers who want to sell sports cars.

It was a sign of things to come this month when Ford Motor Co. idled its Mustang plant for a week as sales for the year fell 9 percent. Other sports cars have faded at a similar rate, and even stalwarts like the Chevrolet Corvette and most Porsche models are slumping.

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pcar4evr - 10/21/2016 9:37:50 AM

+5 Boost

Considering that >50% of baby boomers have saved <$100K for retirement, might be a good idea.

vdiv - 10/21/2016 10:05:48 AM

+3 Boost

Yeah, but the gen. Xers are starting their midlife crisis, the auto industry's last hurray before all new cars are relegated to an appliance status. :(

TheSteve - 10/21/2016 11:26:27 AM

0 Boost

It's nothing to do with midlife crisis, and all to do with decreasing testosterone (less of a desire for brisk, invigorating sprints, and a shift towards the "practical"), and personal finances, as pcar4evr points out, 2 posts up.

PUGPROUD - 10/21/2016 5:51:25 PM

0 Boost

Tight money = fewer sports car sales. Just drive down any street and notice that the vast majority if not all cars/suv's on a block are grey, black or a dark color. The color of the car people buy is directly related to their economic optimism or pessimism. In the 50's the cars were mostly bright colors with lots of chrome because almost everyone's economic future was optimistic. Today with high unemployment, tight money, low returns and uncertain future the car colors are dark and drab. Sports cars are a luxury fewer people can afford until the economy picks up again. Just saying...

MDarringer - 10/21/2016 7:01:48 PM

0 Boost

Factor in that you can get a sports car and a crossover in a Porsche Macan and the nature of what is considered a sports car has shifted.

For normal people, an Escape ST and Escape RS would be welcome additions that would sell quite well. Tiguan "GTI"?? Equinox SS?

benzforlife - 10/22/2016 2:46:00 AM

0 Boost

All the reasons mentioned above make sense but also we shouldn't forget that being almost if not complete gay is being promoted on TV all fucking day long, very soon being a man is gonna be outdated if not illegal.
So with high prices of today and manly behavior being extinct of course sports cars will be less popular

qwertyfla - 10/22/2016 3:18:32 PM

0 Boost

You can now have performance with SUV, CUV, Wagons and 4 door sedans. Why settle for a smallish, impractical 2 door sports car. Sure I'd love me a 944 turbo S to screw around with and drive on the weekend but I don't have the space at this point in my life and the older I get the more simplified my life is becoming. Sports cars are wants -not necessities.