Ford Mustang is the world's best-selling sports car for the second year in a row

Ford is celebrating a big milestone this coming weekend as the Ford Mustang celebrates its 57th birthday. As part of its celebration, Ford has announced that the Mustang is the world's best-selling sports car for the second year in a row. The car also retained the title of best-selling sports coupe for the sixth straight year.

Ford points to a surge in sales of its high-performance editions of the Mustang, including the Bullitt, Shelby GT350, GT350R, and GT500 models as part of the reason for its sales title. In 2020, Mustang sold 80,577 units globally. That number represents 15.1 percent of the sports coupe market and an increase from 14.8 percent held by the Mustang a year earlier.

Ford also brags that sales of its high-performance Bullitt and Shelby versions were up 52.7 percent in 2020 from a year earlier. That's an impressive gain for very expensive models many enthusiasts can't afford. Ford is looking to continue its sales dominance with its latest limited-edition model, the 2021 Mustang Mach 1.

The strongest Mustang market on the planet is the United States accounting for about three-quarters of total sales. The biggest markets for individual sales in the US include Texas with 8600 Mustangs sold, California with 6200 sold, and Florida with 5864 sold.

Strong sales also helped Mustang retain its best-selling sports car in the world title with increased sales and various European markets. In Hungary during 2020, Mustang sales were up 68.8 percent compared to 2019. In the Netherlands, Mustang sales increased by 38.5 percent, in Denmark by 12.5 percent, and in the Czech Republic, sales increased 5.6 percent. Austria also saw Mustang sales increase by four percent.