Mustang top-selling sports car worldwide

The Ford Mustang was the best-selling sports car in the world for 2016, according to Ford analysis of IHS Markit global automotive registration data, with global sales doubling every year. The Mustang is now available in more than 140 countries, with six more to be added to the export list this year. Strong sales gains were seen in Germany and China, with Chinese sales up 74 per cent compared to 2015, according to IHS registrations. “We continue to make it available in new markets, and drivers in those markets continue to respond with resounding approval,” said Mark Schaller, Ford Mustang marketing manager. More than 395,000 sixth-generation Mustangs have been manufactured at Ford’s Flat Rock factory since 2015, with 98,000 shipped worldwide. Between 2015 and 2016, the percentage of exports doubled to 17.5 per cent. Ford Mustang sales in New Zealand skyrocketed in 2016, following the launch of the first ever right-hand drive model in December 2015. 76 Mustangs were registered in 2015, and this jumped to 987 in 2016. Previous models were converted from left-hand drive and imported from Australia, and were often difficult to handle. Sales of the Mustang continue to rise in New Zealand, with 271 vehicles sold in the first three months of 2017.