Ford’s Most Polarizing Mustang Is Winning a Race Against Tradition

With the shelving of the Camaro badge and the electrification of the Charger, the Ford Mustang stands alone as the last example of bona fide V8 American muscle on the market. 

And yet, despite the Blue Oval’s continued commitment to the model, the pony car seems to be losing a race against progress. In 2024, the ever-polarizing Mustang Mach-E galloped ahead of its gas-powered counterpart in sales for the first time. Earlier this year, it extended that lead.

Ford

Now, Ford has just posted its Q3 sales results for North America, and the electric crossover has only continued in its upward trajectory. Here’s how the brand’s most polarizing Mustang is beating out tradition.

The Mach-E hits record numbers

Although the Mustang Mach-E has outsold its gas-powered counterpart in the past, the delta has yet to be this significant. Over the course of Q3, Ford sold 20,177 examples of the electric crossover compared to just 9,267 internal combustion Mustang coupes. In other words, the Mach-E just bested its namesake by a little over 2:1 and improved its quarterly performance by more than 50 percent.

Ford

It’s a difference that makes itself evident in each model’s numbers for the year as well. With 41,962 sales for 2025, the Mustang Mach-E is up 17.8 percent year to date compared to 2024. By contrast, the Mustang is down by 10.1 percent, with sales falling from 36,485 cars over the first three quarters in 2024 to 32,818 cars over the same period this year.

Given that the federal subsidy ended on September 30th, it makes sense that buyers will have wanted to take advantage of the incentive before it expired. The uncertainty of future discount opportunities caused a spike in sales across the industry. (That said, Ford has supposedly since figured out a loophole to extend the discount through the end of the year, so it will likely continue to attract new buyers.)

Ford

Ultimately, though, the Mach-E is a more practical and palatable vehicle for a wider audience. While a two-door coupe might have been the norm back in the 1960s, today’s families are better suited to a crossover — even if it’s electric.

On the performance side, it’s also worth noting that the upgraded Mach-E GT and Mach-E Rally each undercut Ford’s Mustang Dark Horse in price.

Of course, much of this isn’t exclusive to Ford and its pony car. Be it a Subaru or a Lexus, many long-standing coupe and sedan nameplates are dropping like flies.

Ford

Ford is recalibrating its pony car

Tastes have changed, then, and the ‘classic’ Mustang needs more than muscle if it’s to continue to be relevant among today’s buyers. This is especially true if the car is to be a compelling alternative to its electric stablemate.

Ford knows as much, which is why it’s doubling down and diversifying the legacy nameplate. Models like the Dark Horse and the GTD have already tested the limits of what the enduring pony car can be from a performance perspective.

Ford

Moreover, like Chevrolet and the Corvette (or even its own Bronco for that matter), the Blue Oval is supposedly developing several variants of the Mustang in an effort to build a focused sub-brand.

Accordingly, rumors have surfaced about everything from a high-riding, knobby-tired off-road variant to a hybrid Mustang and even a four-door sedan. 

Ford

Regardless of which you believe holds the most truth, there’s one thing that seems clear: Ford intends to teach its pony car some new tricks to expand its reach and attract more buyers.

While the Blue Oval might not be turning the Mustang into an EV, then (at least more than it has), it’s clear that the Mach-E is winning the race against tradition. Ford will have to rely on more than heritage if it wants an internal combustion Mustang to be a volume seller like it was back in the day.

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