Ask an automotive enthusiast what the best selling sports car is, and often the answer will be the Mazda MX5 Miata. So, this might come as a shock, but things are not as they seem. For 2019, The Ford Mustang was the world’s best-selling sports car. There are also other World’s Best titles that the Mustang holds.

Today, April 17th, Ford announced it is the 56th birthday of the Mustang, or Mustang Day. To show some respect and honor to the birthday car, Ford decided to go over some statistics the Mustang has achieved from data provided by IHS, Markit. 

The accomplishments

According to its website, IHS Markit is a global information and expertise provider. In Ford’s press release from this afternoon, IHS was used to analyze data of new car registrations from over 80 countries regarding its Mustang model. Ford shared what it found from that data today.

• From 1966-2018 the Mustang was America’s best-selling sports car
• In 2019, it was the best selling sports coupe, making five straight years
• The sixth-generation Mustang, which Ford began exporting in 2015, sold 633,000 units through 2019
• Of those, 102,090 units were sold in 2019 alone, making it the best-selling sports car in the world for the year

The rivals

Best selling, however, does not necessarily always mean the best. Each year the Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Challenger are compared with the Mustang for their pony car chops. During its production, there have been years when the Mustang has been the fastest to sixty miles per hour, and years when it has not. The same can be said for any evaluated category, from slalom tests, and skid pads, to quarter-mile runs, and general comfort. Regardless of testing methodology, the world has been better for the Mustang because it has created a friendly rivalry that has brought more horsepower, better handling, and technological innovation to the consumer’s driveways. 

There is one category however, that can not be taken away from the Mustang. That is that it has had the longest continuous production run of any of the pony cars. For those that are unaware, the Camaro and Challenger both had several years of hiatus. 

Model Years

• Ford Mustang
  • 1965 – present
• Chevrolet Camaro
  • 1967 – 2002, 2010 – present
• Dodge Challenger
  • 1969 – 1974, 1977 – 1983, 2008 – present

From the press release, 

“We’re proud of our growing Mustang stable and performance variants,” said Jim Farley, chief operating officer, Ford Motor Company. “From Sweden to Shanghai, more and more driving enthusiasts are enjoying the feeling of freedom and the American open road in these new Mustangs. We are honored to serve our owners, enthusiasts, and fans for 56 years and counting.”

Indeed, the Mustang has had a noteworthy run. There are not many models of any manufacturer, of any class, that can say they have been around for over fifty years, even fewer that have been in continuous production. Of those, how many can say that they are the world’s best-selling at anything? So, a respectful hat tip to the folks at Ford for making the Mustang, and continuously honing it to keep it culturally significant decades later.