robertlane Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 The latest version of Ford's iconic Mustang is appears to be growing old, and back-to-back monthly sales declines to start 2007 have the struggling company a little worried. The new Mustang, which made its debut in the fall of 2004, has been a bright spot for Ford at a time when bright spots have been few. So when Mustang sales dropped by 19 percent in January and February compared with the same months in 2006, company officials became a little concerned. MORE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitpup Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 My Gawd. It's the dead of winter and we're talking about a 300 hp rear wheel drive car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad103 Posted March 5, 2007 Report Share Posted March 5, 2007 Good article. I think part of the sales drop has to do with people waiting off for the new camaro and challenger. big clue for Ford to develop something faster otherwise sales will only continue to drop as competitors near. I love the idea that Ford is bringing back all the old named mustangs....Boss, Shelby, Bullit, Mach, etc. ...but it might not be a bad idea for Ford to also throw out something new. That or really bring back more iconic vehicles to get people to the showrooms and respect the company..ie GR-1, Cobra concept! Something, because I think that right now GM and Dodge may have one up on us because they are releasing more icons...Z06 SS, 600hp Viper...therefore they are getting more overall attention. Even for a family trip people might go into a Chevy dealership just to look at the SS. Also, people may start to think that, for example, Camaro is better overall because it is little brother to Z06 SS (the idea of sharing similar tech and parts) vs the new mustangs who are just there (vs the GT500 right now sharing with the Ford GT and also the GT Mustangs sharing from the GT500...etc). Basically, proven technology and performance. M2C. PS. I really look up to Ford because they are trend setters. Ford brought back the "old school" look with the Mustang and even T-Birds and now GM and Chrysler are running the same path. Good Job Ford! (again M2C) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shel-b001 Posted March 6, 2007 Report Share Posted March 6, 2007 The problem Ford with they didn`t keep up with the the changing market i.e mid size & smaller vehicles plus their customer service is not to good. Yes they have done a good job on the the Mustang but that won`t be enough to keep them in the top 4. I think jf you make a good quality product & service your customer it goes along way in keeping you on top. 2cts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUFDRAFT Posted March 6, 2007 Report Share Posted March 6, 2007 The Mustang and F-150 are Ford's Signature vehicles. They're never going away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad103 Posted March 6, 2007 Report Share Posted March 6, 2007 The Mustang and F-150 are Ford's Signature vehicles. They're never going away. You never know. To me the Camaro was a signature vehicle for Chevrolet and look what happened! I just think Mustangs have a huge threat coming and F150s are already in the combat zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classj Posted March 6, 2007 Report Share Posted March 6, 2007 All this while last april/may dealers were trying to get 2K over sticker on stick GT coupes. And 20K over on GT500s and Shelby GT's. This is all normal sales stuff. I don't care if it is a 30K dollar mustang, or a 300K dollar ferrari. Sales slide as the body style ages. The only brands that seems to do fairly well with that sort of thing are BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus. They have a very strong customer base with a lot of leasing. They always manage to have at least one of the three-four models be fresh and new every few years for those who want the latest and greatest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Five Oh B Posted March 6, 2007 Report Share Posted March 6, 2007 This is all normal sales stuff. I don't care if it is a 30K dollar mustang, or a 300K dollar ferrari. Sales slide as the body style ages. 70% of the Ford models will be redesigned by the end of 2008 and every single one by 2010 (including Mustang, which will be all new in late 2010 as a 2011 model), so that tells me that Ford is serious about staying fresh and new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Five Oh B Posted March 6, 2007 Report Share Posted March 6, 2007 My Gawd. It's the dead of winter and we're talking about a 300 hp rear wheel drive car. Amen. Mustang sales always peak in the spring and summer months. We park most of our new Mustangs out back during the winter months and display AWD and 4x4 stuff up front this time of year, as that's what people want to buy when the weather turns bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realshelby Posted March 7, 2007 Report Share Posted March 7, 2007 These drops are compared to last year in the same months. I think we had some pretty severe weather this year compared to last. I do believe there may be a slowdown ahead for the Mustang. I had hoped incentives would not become part of the fix. The real factor is product development. Why do we offer a 4.6 liter v8 with less horsepower than our competitors v6's? The Infinity G35 3.5 liter v6 with sport pkg has a horsepower rating of 306. Why cant we have a 350hp version of the 4.6? Why don't we offer a "sport" package with something more than a %&*@# stripe kit? Why not a version of the FMS handling kit? It is not uncommon for me to sell 5 Mustangs in one month, I am in the middle of every brand of competition you can think of. I know what customers say about Mustangs, They want refinements every year. Why not the new 3.5 liter v6? Much more refined. Don't give me the crap about production, let a few Edges sit waiting for engines. I'll guarantee Ford makes more on the Mustang than the Edge (BIG disapoinment). Mustangs are still the only Ford that actually draws buyers from the brands/target groups that Ford has nothing to offer (possibly the Fusion). We need to make sure these buyers are impressed with quality and substance. That is the only way they will consider a Ford product next time. OK, I am done, please excuse the rant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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