World's Best-Selling Sports Car Revealed — The Pony Does It Again!

Ford sold over 150,000 units of the Mustang worldwide in 2016, including over 45,000 of them outside the U.S., up 101 percent from the year before. China and Germany contributed the most on the growth.

The success of the pony car is even more remarkable when acknowledging that 2016 is only the second year of Ford officially exporting the Mustang to 140 markets worldwide. In 2017 the Ford Mustang will be available in six more markets.

IHS has not specified what makes up a "sports car" in its rankings, nor would it give data, but it did validate that Ford's analysis is correct.

Other sports cars that were tracked include the BMW 4 Series, the Nissan 370z, the Porsche 911, and the Mazda MX-5.

The next-generation Ford Mustang will be the first in decades not to have a V6 heart; however, the new model will possess a new 10-speed transmission, along with an upgraded 5-litre V8 mill in the Mustang GT.

Visually, the next-generation Mustang with its revised styling makes the car look even more aggressive, particularly from the more defined arch in the hood and angular headlights.

China and Germany were particularly fond of the pony car already. The Mustang was the best-selling sports car in both countries in 2015. Shipments of the Mustang in the major Asian market surged a further 74 percent in 2016, as well.