World Leader
The Ford Mustang is the top-selling sports coupe on the planet
By Steve Turner
Photos courtesy of Ford Motor Company
If you got the sense that the latest Mustang is popular in your neighborhood, you are not alone. According to IHS Automotive registration data, the new Mustang is the top-selling sport coupe around. In fact, it was the only one to sell over 100,000 units in 2015, clocking in with more than 110,000 coupes sold.
When you add in the 30,000 convertibles sold, the Mustang is the clear leader in the category with total nameplate sales of 141,868 vehicles! That’s all the more impressive when you consider that its availability was limited in big markets like China and the United Kingdom, where sales didn’t begin until the final three months of last year.
“U.S. consumers have enjoyed interesting foreign sports cars for decades, so it was time for the Americans to return the favor with the worldwide launch of the new Mustang,” Ford sales analyst Erich Merkle said. “Global markets have responded in a huge way. Ford Mustang was the only sports coupe in the world with more than 100,000 units registered last year.”
It is true that the Mustang is well received around the world, but it is doing well close to its Flat Rock, Michigan, birthplace as well. It bested its local competition, the Chevy Camaro, in the US by 315 units with 12,248 units sold. It also continued its streak of sales leadership in Canada, while sales jumped in Mexico by an astounding 176 percent versus sales in 2014.
The Mustang is selling well in Europe too. As was recently announced, it was the top-selling sport coupe in Germany last Month. There, one in three Germans opt for a convertible and the Coyote engine is the most popular powerplant. Sales are taking off in the United Kingdom and France as well. UK customers bought 3,500 cars and in France the car kicked off 2016 with 339 units sold.
It’s interesting how the different areas receive the car, as the Chinese have overwhelming favored the more readily available EcoBoost models. However, Ford expects the sales to grow once all the engine families are fully deployed in these markets, as the global audience has a hunger for eight-cylinder performance. This is especially true in Australia and New Zealand, where the car was sold out until 2017—before 2,000 additional units were earmarked for that market—and 90-percent of the buyers down under are opting for the 5.0-liter engine!
“While much of the growth in Mustang demand in the United States has come from coastal markets—especially Southern California—and millennials opting for the 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine, buyers in other countries prefer the V8,” Erich said. “That unmistakable V8 warble is a hot commodity outside the U.S.”
It looks like Ford was definitely shifted gears at the right time when the company decided to take the Mustang global with the S550 platform. That investment is paying off in sales across the planet.
There are a lot of gearheads down under. In Australia and New Zealand the Mustang sold out quickly and 90-percent of customers are ordering the 5.0-liter V-8!
Conversely, in China the EcoBoost engine is the most popular choice for customers.
