Mustang Proves to be the Best Selling Sports Coupe for Fourth Consecutive Year

The Mustang has proved to be the best-selling sports coupe in the world for the fourth consecutive year as Ford celebrates the model’s 55th birthday on National Mustang Day on April 17.

113,066 Mustangs were sold in 2018 in countries ranging from Australia to Peru, based on data from IHS Markit. The Mustang was also the best-selling sports coupe in the United States, where 75,842 Mustangs were sold in 2018.

Commenting on this achievement, Jim Farley, Ford president, global markets said that Ford  broke the mold when it debuted the Mustang 55 years ago with the model symbolizing  freedom and emerging as an icon that represented the sheer joy of driving for millions across the globe with the roar of its V8 engine and its powerful look.

Based on Ford’s global sales data, the Mustang was available at the retail level in 146 countries in 2018. It has continued to be popular in recent years, with over 500,000 sixth generation Mustangs being sold globally since 2015 and the model gaining an additional half point of global share last year to account for 15.4 per cent of the segment. This spurt in sales was fueled partly by the new variant, the Mustang Bullitt, which exceeded its global sales forecasts by 25 per cent.

Commenting on the Mustang’s success, Jamie Rae, marketing director for Ford Middle East said that the Mustang continues to lead its segment not only in the United States, but around the world, and especially here in the Middle East. It impresses with its design and engineering. The Mustang is still a dream car for many people across the world the Mustang lineup continues to raise the bar year after year.

Mustang’s popularity in the Middle East is underscored by its continued success in showrooms around the region. In 2018, sales of the Mustang grew by eight per cent when compared to the figures for the previous year and in Q1 2019, the figures were up by an impressive 41 percent over those for the same period last year.

Mustang 55 celebrations in the Middle East

In the build up to April 17 – the date in 1964 that the first Mustangs arrived in dealerships across the US – Ford Middle East invited Mustang owners and enthusiasts to celebrate 55 years of the iconic pony car.

In Dubai, over 250 Mustang owners belonging to five dedicated Mustang clubs, gathered to mark the occasion at Mina Rashid – with live music, competitions and activities for the entire family. Ford worked with media partners ArabGT to host the event.

Al Tayer Motors, Ford’s UAE importer-dealer, provided various Mustang models to test drive and display – including a Mustang GT, GT convertible, Shelby GT350, Shelby Super Snake and a Roush-tuned special edition Mustang. LEGO brought along a pop-up stand with free giveaways for children, as well as a freshly sourced supply of the extremely popular Creator collector kits – inspired by the 1967 Mustang GT – which had sold out just days after their release. Popular streaming music service, Anghami was also present at the event to prelaunch the app ahead of its official release via Ford SYNC® AppLink in May.

“It’s clear, from our anniversary event, that love for the Mustang is as strong as ever in the Middle East,” Rae added. “It’s obvious that Mustang owners simply love their cars – and that Ford continues to inspire new generations of drivers to get out and enjoy the thrill of driving with every generation of Mustang we have made.”

Driving for pleasure

The Mustang was initially made in the 1960s to appeal to the fastest growing segment of young people who were looking for a muscle car with outstanding performance and wanted to drive for pleasure and not just to go from point A to point B. It effectively combined the styling and features of pricey European cars with the affordable price point, economies of American mass production and traditionally high quality that Ford was known for.

Those values have endured for the past 55 years and over 10 million Mustangs have been sold across the globe after the model was launched in 1964. Legendary car fans like Carroll Shelby, Jack Roush and Mickey Thompson have helped to enhance the Mustang’s reputation for performance while drivers like Parnelli Jones, Scott Pruett, John Force and Dan Gurney helped cement its reputation for dominating races. No wonder that the Mustang is still going strong at 55.