Ford sells more Mustangs than we thought

Global demand for the new 2018 Ford Mustang has driven Mustang to its third straight year as the best-selling sports coupe in the world.

Global Mustang registrations in 2017 made up a total of 125 809 cars, according to Ford analysis of the most recent new light vehicle registration data from IHS Markit. This data – compiled from government and other sources and capturing 95 percent of global new vehicle volumes in more than 80 countries – puts Mustang ahead of all other sports coupe competitors worldwide.

“Demand for Mustang continues to be very strong, especially overseas, where until recently people couldn’t get their hands on one,” says Erich Merkle, a Ford sales analyst. “Even more encouraging is that the updated 2018 Mustang is just now getting rolled out to export markets.”

Of the nearly 126 000 vehicles registered worldwide, Ford reported 81 866 of those were registered in the United States, meaning just over one-third of all Mustang registrations are occurring in export markets. Demand remains particularly strong in China, where Mustang was the best-selling sports coupe last year based on 7 125 registrations.

The most popular configuration worldwide is the Mustang GT with the 5.0-litre V8.

While sports cars have traditionally skewed toward male buyers in the United States, Mustang is increasingly finding favor with women. In an environment of relatively flat sports car sales to women, Ford research shows a 10 percent gain in women buying Mustang in the last five years.

Since global exports began in 2015, through December 2017, Ford has sold 418 000 Mustangs around the world.

In South Africa, 1929 Mustangs have been sold since local introduction in early 2016.

Sports coupes, as defined by IHS Markit, include two-door and convertible models.