Mustang Sales by Year

The Ford Mustang went on sale in 1964 as a 1965 model year. While so many cars have come and gone, the Mustang has been sold every year since. It’s weathered recessions, gas price hikes, and changes in consumer tastes.

The Mustang was originally built to be the second generation of the Ford Falcon. However, the line proved so popular that it has become the only Ford “pony” car to remain in production for more than five decades. It’s a household name and an icon of American automotive design.

View the table below to see the production numbers for each model year of the Ford Mustang.

Highs: Early Dominance in the Late 60s

The Mustang started strong, with over half a million units sold in the very first year. In fact, the three bestselling years (in order) were 1966, 1965, and 1967. Sales were 607,500, 559,500, and 472,000 cars, respectively. These cars represented the best that Mustang had to offer in its first generation. The novelty of an affordable, stylish, and performance-oriented American car made it a best-seller.

When the Mustang launched at the beginning of 1964, it received positive critical acclaim. It also got a large boost in public awareness from its appearance in the 1964 James Bond film “Goldfinger.” Within the first 18 months of production, Ford built more than one million Mustangs.

The Ford Mustang was launched five months prior to the official beginning of the 1965 calendar year. These early Mustangs are officially 1965 models. However, Ford gave the Mustang some changes at the start of the model year. This caused enough differences in the models that they're now separated as the 1964 1/2 and the 1965 models amongst enthusiasts. If counted together, the 1965 model would have sold roughly 686,000 units.

The 1966 coupe model still holds the record as the best-selling Mustang of all time, accounting for nearly 500,000 of that year’s sales.

Lows: The Great Recession

Mustang production numbers naturally fluctuated over the years. However, apart from a moderate dip in 1991 and 1992, Ford had never faced a sales slump like the 2008 Great Recession. Things came to a head in 2009, where sales dropped below 70,000 units for the first time ever. All automakers had a tough time, but cars that were less fuel-efficient and deemed “less practical” were hit especially hard.

Though things weren’t great, the Mustang still did very well compared to its rivals. It narrowly beat the Camaro in 2009, with 66,500 Mustangs sold versus 61,648 Camaros. The Dodge Challenger, a larger car but still a competitor, had just 25,852 sales.

After 2009, the S197 generation failed to surpass 100,000 in annual models sold. However, the launch of the S550 in 2015 finally put the Mustang back on the right track and generated lots of excitement.

Expanding the Mustang Brand

The S550 generation has been a success, but Ford is already looking forward. The new generation, code-named S650, is due to arrive in 2022. But Ford is also taking the Mustang in a new direction.

The all-electric Mustang Mach-E represents a new era for the Mustang brand and the beginning of a sub-brand family. Though model sales will still be counted individually, this will put the Mustang name on an even larger number of vehicles. It will also position the Mustang for future success as electric cars become more prevalent.

Sources: Ford | The Mustang Source | Ford Authority | GoodCarBadCar