Ford and it's Mustang GT, leads the 250PS Sports Car segment, by some margin in the January-July time frame.

The Ford Mustang is UK’s most popular high-performance sports coupe, ahead of competitors from Porsche, BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes. Figures for sports cars with 250PS or more put the Mustang at the front of the pack from January to July 2016.

Since Ford started taking orders in January 2015, the Ford Mustang has topped 4,000 sales to date, with total 2016 registrations at 2,317, so far. This puts the Mustang comfortably at the top of the table against rivals, the closest being the Jaguar F-Type with 1,446.

Top 10 250PS+ Performance Vehicles (YTD July 2016) –

1. Ford Mustang (2,317)
2. Jaguar F-Type (1,446)
3. BMW 6 Series (1,367)
4. Porsche 911 (1,315)
5. Porsche Cayman (787)
6. Audi TT (778)
7. Porsche Boxster (526)
8. Mercedes SL (489)
9. Porsche 718 (482)
10. BMW i8 (382)

The current split in sales across models shows that 70 per cent of customers specified the 5.0-litre V8 engine, with the remaining 30 per cent favouring the 2.3-litre EcoBoost. Total customer orders for the Ford Mustang in Europe now stand at more than 19,500 since the car was launched in the third quarter of 2015.

Since June this year, all Mustang models have been fitted sophisticated SYNC 3 infotainment system as standard, offering a redesigned eight-inch touchscreen and faster performance, and the ability for drivers to control their connected smartphones, audio, navigation, and climate functions with more conversational voice commands.

In addition, the new Ford Mustang is available to order with three new colour options – Grabber Blue, Lightning Blue and White Platinum.

The Mustang’s popular European introduction is another page in the exciting Ford Performance story, which continues with the success of ST, Fiesta ST200, Focus RS and GT. More than 6,500 enthusiasts applied to buy the all-new Ford GT in just one month – with over 500 from the UK alone.

The Ford Mustang is available from the 75 FordStore locations across the UK, and via the fully customisable online configurator - http://www.ford.co.uk/

Volkswagen Group posts increased sales in first seven months of 2014.

• 5.78 million vehicles handed over from January to July / +6.0 percent*
• 808,500 units delivered in July / +6.7 percent*
• Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler: “Pleasing start to second half of year. Uncertainty continues to overshadow economic conditions in global automotive sector.”

The Volkswagen Group delivered 5.78 (January-July 2013: 5.45; +6.0 percent)* million vehicles from January to July. The company handed over 808,500 (July 2013: 757,500; +6.7 percent)* vehicles to customers in the month of July. “The Volkswagen Group and its brands have made a pleasing start to the second half of the year”, Group Board Member for Sales Christian Klingler said in Wolfsburg on Friday, and added: “Nevertheless, uncertainty continues to overshadow economic conditions in the global automotive sector.”

Group brands delivered a total of 2.32 (2.16; +7.2 percent) million vehicles on the overall European market in the first seven months of the year, of which 1.21 (1.12; +8.4 percent) million were delivered in Western Europe (excluding Germany). 724,300 (678,900; +6.7 percent) customers in the home market of Germany chose a new car from the Volkswagen Group, while the company delivered 383,300 (365,500; +4.9 percent) vehicles in Central and Eastern Europe. 157,400 (175,000; -10.1 percent) models were handed over to customers in Russia.

The Group delivered 500,700 (512,600; -2.3 percent) vehicles in the North America region from January to July, of which 337,700 (356,800; -5.4 percent) were handed over to customers in the United States. The Volkswagen Group delivered 410,700 (523,400; -21.5 percent) units in the South America region, of which 320,300 (386,300; -17.1 percent) were handed over to customers in Brazil.

The Volkswagen Group continued to record encouraging figures in the Asia-Pacific region, where 2.31 (2.00; +15.5 percent) million vehicles were delivered in the period to July, of which 2.10 (1.79; +17.2 percent) million units were handed over to customers in China, the Group’s largest single market.

Outline of developments at Group brands

The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand delivered 3.56 (3.43; +3.8 percent) million vehicles worldwide from January to July. The brand continued to develop well in the Asia-Pacific region, where 1.72 (1.48; +16.2 percent) million units were handed over to customers. Volkswagen Passenger Cars delivered 333,400 (362,300; -8.0 percent) vehicles in the North America region. The brand reported slight growth on the overall European market, where 1.00 (0.98; +2.9 percent) million vehicles were delivered.

Audi delivered 1.01 (0.91; +11.1 percent) million vehicles to customers worldwide in the period to July. Deliveries by the premium brand from Ingolstadt developed well in the Asia-Pacific region, where 375,000 (319,200; +17.5 percent) models were handed over to customers. Audi delivered 119,400 (105,900) vehicles in the North America region during the same period, an increase of 12.7 percent.

The sports car manufacturer Porsche delivered a total of 104,900 (95,300; +10.0 percent) vehicles from January to July. At 35,200 (30,700; +14.6 percent) models, the overall European market accounted for the largest share, while 32,200 (28,400; +13.4 percent) units were delivered in Asia-Pacific and 30,600 (27,700; +10.5 percent) vehicles were handed over to customers in the North America region.

ŠKODA delivered 605,300 (534,300; +13.3 percent) vehicles in the first seven months of the year. The Czech automaker handed over 159,600 (140,200; +13.9 percent) models to customers in Central and Eastern Europe, and delivered 164,300 (155,400; +5.7 percent) vehicles in the Asia-Pacific region.

SEAT continued to grow, delivering 234,600 (212,100; +10.6 percent) vehicles worldwide in the period to July. The increase was particularly strong on the overall European market, where 200,100 (175,000; +14.3 percent) vehicles were handed over to customers. SEAT also recorded growth in Germany, where the company delivered 49,900 (44,800; +11.5 percent) units, and in Central and Eastern Europe, where 14,900 (8,800; +69.0 percent) vehicles were handed over.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles delivered 255,200 (265,700; -3.9 percent) vehicles to customers worldwide in the first seven months of the year, of which 191,000 (180,100; +6.1 percent) were handed over on the overall European market. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles also grew deliveries in the Asia-Pacific region, where the company handed over 13,000 (12,200; +6.2 percent) vehicles.

*) excluding MAN and Scania