Mustang is the world’s best-selling sports car
BMW’s turbodiesel in-line six 5 Series to cross the Atlantic later this year
Once limited to North America, the Ford Mustang is now the world’s best-selling sports car.
According to new vehicle registration data from IHS Markit, Mustang sales jumped to more than 150,000 units globally — small potatoes compared to the Toyota Corollas of the world, but it represents a six per cent jump over 2015 for the pony car.
The key to the Mustang’s success? Selling it around the globe, because apparently, the rest of the world loves burly muscle cars.
Although U.S. sales were slightly down, Germany and China had particularly strong appetites for the Mustang.
And once the refreshed 2018 Mustang rolls out, Ford plans to introduce it to six new markets, including Brazil, the Ivory Coast and Palau.
BMW is expanding its redesigned 5 Series lineup in North America with an optional diesel powertrain.
According to Car and Driver, the BMW 540d is likely to join the 5 Series lineup later this year as a 2018 model. Technical details are still under wraps, but expect it to be closely related to the 530d available in Europe.
That means we’ll likely see a 3.0-litre turbodiesel in-line six under the hood. In the 530d, it pumps out 262 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque. In the U.S., the previous-generation 535d was available in both rearand all-wheel-drive flavours, while Canadian-spec models were AWD only.
If BMW decides to sell the 540d in Canada as well — and we can’t see a reason it wouldn’t cross the border — count on that arrangement to be carried forward.