Ford celebrates its 10 millionth Mustang

Ford Mustang – an American iconic muscle car – rolled its 10 millionth car off the assembly line on Wednesday after 54 years of production.

Mustang fans and top Ford executives celebrated at the Flat Rock, Michigan plant on Wednesday morning.

“People around the world love Mustangs and I think it shows the company swagger,” Ford Executive Vice President Jim Farley told FoxNews.com Automotive Editor Gary Gastelu. “When we are confident with a product like Mustang, Explorer, F-150 our pickup trucks, that’s where we do well as a company.”

History in the making

The very first Mustang was sold on April 15, 1964, for $3,347.50, two days before it was revealed to the public by Henry Ford II at the World’s Fair in New York. It was named after the P-51 Mustang fighter planes that were used in World War II. The base price at launch was $2,368.

It was an immediate success. Ford sold more than 22,000 on its first day and more than 400,000 within the first year. By March 1966 Mustang sales passed the one million mark.

While U.S. sales are declining, they are accelerating overseas. The Mustang was taken global in 2015 to 146 countries. Demand remains particularly strong in China, where it was the best-selling sports coupe last year based on 7,125 registrations.

Global demand for the new 2018 model has driven Ford Mustang to become the world best-selling sports coupe for three straight years, the company said.