(October 7, 2015) DEARBORN, Mich. — Younger buyers in Southern California opting for the new EcoBoost engine option are driving sales growth for the new Ford Mustang – according to J.D. Power PIN data.

Through the first half of 2015, Mustang reclaimed the U.S. title for best-selling sports car, a title it hasn’t held since 2009. This year also marks Mustang becoming the best-selling sports car in the world.

A big reason for this surge is that while Mustang has retained many V8 pony car loyalists, the addition of a thoroughly modern, efficient, 310-horsepower, 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine is greatly expanding the car’s appeal. In addition, Mustang gained an independent rear suspension for the first time in its 50-year history.

With the launch of the new Mustang, these two offerings combined are bringing new and younger buyers into Ford showrooms.

Nowhere is this truer than in Southern California. The EcoBoost option is helping Mustang capture sales beyond traditional sports car buyers.

“According to J.D. Power PIN data, the conquest rate for EcoBoost Mustang is just over 56 percent in Southern California,” said Erich Merkle, Ford sales analyst. “Almost all of our Mustang growth there can be attributed to EcoBoost.”

But it gets better, Merkle explained, as Mustang sales are skewing younger; from 2014 to 2015, Mustang saw gains with Millennial buyers — from 30 percent of sales to 47 percent.

“In Southern California — Mustang’s hottest market — buyers are younger,” said Merkle. “Of all buyers, 40 percent are Millennials, but these younger buyers account for 47 percent of EcoBoost Mustang sales. The EcoBoost option has flipped a switch with young buyers.”

With 60 days often cited as a normal days-to-turn metric for the industry, Mustang sits on dealer lots for just 16 days in Southern California, according to J.D. Power making it the hottest Mustang market in the United States.