Thanks to a 27% increase in sales, the electric Mustang Mach-E outsold the pony car that inspired it in 2024
- Ford Mustang sports car sales hit an all-time low, totaling just 44,003 units in 2024.
- Mustang Mach-E electric crossover outsold its namesake sports car by over 7,700 units.
- Ford EV and hybrid sales surged, but gas-powered vehicles saw nearly stagnant growth.
The Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro are now long out of production, leaving Ford’s Mustang as the last true muscle car standing. You’d think this would send Mustang sales soaring. After all, it’s now the only game in town. Instead, the pony car just suffered its worst sales year ever.
To twist the knife, the all-electric Mustang Mach-E SUV outsold the classic sports car, officially becoming the best-selling vehicle with “Mustang” in its name—even if purists would argue it’s not a real Mustang.
Mustang sales have been a roller coaster over the last few years, and not the fun, thrill-ride kind. Back in 2022, Ford’s muscle car hit rock bottom with just 47,566 units sold. That handily beat the Camaro but trailed the long-in-the-tooth Dodge Challenger at the time. In 2023, Ford retook the Muscle Car sales crown with 48,605 sales. Now, things are taking a big dip in the wrong direction.
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For the full year of 2024, Ford sold just 44,003 Mustang sports cars, marking a 9.5 percent decline from the previous year. To put it bluntly, two of the Mustang’s worst sales years in history have occurred in the past three years. Ford hasn’t shared any clear plans to reverse this slide, but they’ll need to act fast if they want to keep the Mustang’s legacy alive.
The Mach-E Steps Up
As Motor1 rightly points out, the fourth quarter was a big issue for Ford’s Mustang and one that looks a lot like the last quarter of new Chevrolet Camaro sales. That’s potentially an issue but for now, the Mustang Mach-E electric crossover is helping the brand’s bottom line.
In 2023, Ford sold 40,771 units of the Mach-E. Fast-forward to 2024, and sales jumped 26.9 percent to 51,745 units. Generous dealer incentives likely played a big role, but it’s still an impressive feat. The Mach-E’s success even eclipsed other Ford staples like the Ranger (46,205 units sold, up 42.9%) and the F-150 Lightning (33,510 units, up 38.7%). It also outsold every single Lincoln model. Say what you will about the Mach-E’s Mustang nameplate—the increase in sales demonstrates a source of success for Ford.
Bright Spots in the Lineup
The Mach-E wasn’t the only Ford model on the rise. The Explorer continued its reign as America’s best-selling three-row SUV with 194,094 units sold—a modest but solid 3.9% increase over 2023. The rugged Bronco saw 109,172 sales (+3.3%), while the Maverick pickup had a standout year with 131,142 units sold, marking an impressive 39.4% growth.
Across all of its models, electric vehicles, and hybrids saw the largest sales increase year over year. EVs were up 34.8 percent, hybrids (Ford and Lincoln combined) were up 40 percent, and internal combustion cars (Ford and Lincoln Combined) only managed a 0.2 percent bump.
Across all of its models, electric vehicles and hybrids saw the largest year-over-year sales increases. EV sales rose by 34.8 percent, hybrids (Ford and Lincoln model combined) climbed 40 percent, while internal combustion vehicles (also Ford and Lincoln combined) managed a meager 0.2 percent bump.
Overall, the Ford brand recorded a modest 3.1 percent increase in sales in 2024, rising from 1,914,094 to 1,974,009 units delivered.
