• The Ford Mustang had its worst sales year ever in 2024.
This is the time of the year we see carmakers publish annual sales results for the year just ended. This is a month of press releases announcing invariably “excellent” results.
It's true that the year was a good one overall, and this will be reflected in several announcements of increased sales for certain models. When a product does less well, manufacturers are naturally less vocal about it. That's when some deeper digging is required.
Within the data for Ford, one stat that jumps out is the sales performance for its iconic Mustang. Produced without interruption since 1964, the muscle car has just had the worst sales year in its history.
In all, 44,003 units sold of the Mustang in 2024. Not catastrophic in itself, but this is the lowest total in the 60-year history of the famous pony car.
Until now, the worst year was 2022, with 47,566 units. The model rebounded in 2023 with some 59,000 units sold. For 2024 came a new generation, often a springboard to rejuvenated sales. Could the sagging sales mean that buyers didn't like it, or that their tastes are changing?
Perhaps it's a combination of factors. Many didn't appreciate the switch to screens inside the new model. At the same time, the model's price has only increased over the years, which certainly doesn't help drive sales. The Ford Mustang has always been known as the affordable performance car., and that's not really the case anymore.
Meanwhile, Ford sold around 7,000 more units of the Mach-E electric variant than of its ICE Mustang in 2024.
Perhaps more worrying for the sports car is the sharp drop recorded in the fourth quarter of this year. Compared to 2023, the decline in Q4 was 43.4 percent, with just 7,518 sales. If we extrapolate that over the year, we're talking about 30,000 units sold. It’s true that more Mustangs sell in summer than in winter, but even so, the figures point to another decline in 2025; something to keep an eye on.
The sad thing is that the current edition is arguably the best Ford Mustang in history, the one that appeals most to the general public because of its civilized character. It's still a beast for those who want it to be, but with electronic tuning, it's possible to enjoy a Mustang as gentle as a lamb today.
