For seven years in a row, the Mustang has been untouchable.
There are few things more American than the Ford Mustang. Some might think of apple pie, hot dogs, baseball, and that other American sports car known as the Corvette, but since 1964, the Mustang has been a winner among American buyers and has become a global pop culture icon. This Sunday, the car that started the ‘pony car’ classification celebrates its 58th birthday, and not content with celebrating quietly, it’s just racked up another record. That’s because, for the seventh year running, the Mustang has been declared the world’s best-selling sports car. Ford has the global audience to thank for the award, as the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger/Charger twins aren’t available globally, but the ‘Stang still managed to beat out everything from the Mazda Miata to the Nissan 370Z.
According to Ford’s own data, the good old US of A remains the Mustang’s stronghold and represented 76 percent of all sales in 2021, but the global market saw massive gains in sales. New Zealand for instance saw a giant leap in sales of 54.3 percent, South Korean sales jumped by 16.6 percent, and Brazilians bought 37.3 percent more ‘Stangs. Overall, customer retail orders came close to doubling in 2021 compared to 2020.
“When enthusiasts around the world get into a Mustang, they unlock that feeling of freedom and experience the open road. That feeling, along with iconic design, awesome powertrains and a passionate global community all contribute to making Mustang a sales leader for the seventh year in a row,” said Kumar Galhotra, president of newly-formed Ford Blue.
The current Ford Mustang lineup consists of the Mustang Coupe, Convertible, GT Coupe, GT Convertible, Mach 1 Coupe, and the monstrous Shelby GT500. Ford loves a good special edition, and recently launched the Mustang Ice White, Coastal Limited, Stealth, Shelby GT500 Heritage Edition, and GT California Special. There are new color options being offered for the 2022 model year, including Ford Performance-exclusive Code Orange, Brittany Blue for the Shelby GT500. Other new colors offered across the range include Grabber Blue Metallic, Atlas Blue Metallic, Dark Matter Gray Metallic, Eruption Green Metallic, Cyber Orange Metallic Tri-Coat, and Mischievous Purple Metallic.
Despite continued production setbacks caused by the semiconductor chip shortage, the Mustang keeps selling in record numbers. What remains to be seen is whether the Blue Oval will manage to hang on to its title for the eighth year. Things are already looking good with the ‘Stang leading American muscle car demand.
