Dave Pericak speaks a bit about the Mustang's future

[Five_Point_OHHH]

Let's look at the US sales numbers over the last five years;


Calendar year US sales
2016 105,932
2017 81,866
2018 75,842
2019 72,489

And European sales over the same years;

Ford
Mustang
2016 15,204
2017 13,241
2018 9,851
2019 10,071

It looks like European sales are a pretty small percentage of total units sold.

So.....why is Ford continuing to worry about selling the car where they're banning ICEs? If they focused on making the car simply better, it would sell more here, and there'd be no need to worry about the Euro market.

Are Ford executives morons?

The company's stock hit a high of $42.45 a share in 1999, but is currently valued at $8.22. I think there was a time when Ford stock was a penny stock.....

Yes, they're morons. With their recent decision to stop production of passenger cars other than the Mustang, they're simply doing what other companies are doing. They don't lead, they don't innovate, they're short-sighted followers. They're best business plan right now? Get all the decision-making executives together. Brain-storm, debate, do the market research. Then, whatever the brain-trust at Ford figures out is the correct thing to do, do the exact opposite.

Screwing with the Mustang is just another example of this.

I'm not sure if I see it in the same way. Ford has struggled for some time in gaining ground back in the industry in several categories only to lose in the long run to Euro/Japan. They had a car for every consumer and became a jack of all trades kind of company and that isn't always a good thing. Combine that w high labor costs and it's not a surprise they've been bleeding money for years. It's a very common thing with the old guard of large corporations that don't adapt in time. Sometimes you need to rethink the entire business strategy, cut out all the fat and stick with what works. The F series is the best selling car in america (and has been for ages) and is in top % around the world. The mustang is history and pedigree. Consider for a minute if they just built a hand-full of models; mfg costs come down; efficiencies are increased; net profits increase (leading to more reinvestment capital and shareholder value).

Not sure about the earlier post regarding a sale to VW but that's an interesting rumor. Considering their auto portfolio however, that would be a large anti-trust review.

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[turboluke9000]

As much as the old folks bitch and moan, it makes perfect sense to build your cars for the younger generation, since that's who will be buying them. Ford won't care in the slightest what boomers think of their cars, because they'll be too busy rotting away in a retirement home to buy them.

 

[NoVaGT]

....Ford won't care in the slightest what boomers think of their cars, because they'll be too busy rotting away in a retirement home to buy them.

"Boomers".....

 

[Copperhead73]

As much as the old folks bitch and moan, it makes perfect sense to build your cars for the younger generation, since that's who will be buying them. Ford won't care in the slightest what boomers think of their cars, because they'll be too busy rotting away in a retirement home to buy them.

Plenty of Gen Xers like hot rods. There are some of us who are neither BooMEr nor MElinnial

 

[Jmtoast]

Plenty of Gen Xers like hot rods. There are some of us who are neither BooMEr nor MElinnial

Just take a look in any corvette or classic hot rod.

 

[turboluke9000]

Plenty of Gen Xers like hot rods. There are some of us who are neither BooMEr nor MElinnial

Absolutely, and it's wonderful. I myself love ICE's and always will. But we're also more accepting of change, and less of the "this is the only way because it's my way, the way we've always done it, and any other way is stupid" mentality that seems to be so prevalent among older people, and in this thread...

 

[Copperhead73]

Just take a look in any corvette or classic hot rod.

Man, it seems like 20 minutes ago those were all Boomers. Tempus Fugit!

Hoping I can get 25 more years in me before the retirement home!

 

[NoVaGT]

Absolutely, and it's wonderful. I myself love ICE's and always will. But we're also more accepting of change, and less of the "this is the only way because it's my way, the way we've always done it, and any other way is stupid" mentality that seems to be so prevalent among older people, and in this thread...

Examples? Maybe something specific?

Can you cite an example of people not accepting change "because it's my way, the way we've always done it, and any other way is stupid" mentality?""

Can you provide an example of what you mean by this?

 

[turboluke9000]

Examples? Maybe something specific?

Can you cite an example of people not accepting change "because it's my way, the way we've always done it, and any other way is stupid" mentality?""

Can you provide an example of what you mean by this?

Try these out for size, and that's just the first page of this very thread:

LOL how will the Mustang make younger buyers "feel". Im so glad I won't be around in another 30 years. When we are doing everything based on some kids feelings.

The Mustang: Either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain...

 

[NoVaGT]

Try these out for size, and that's just the first page of this very thread:

Neither of those quotes constitutes an "example of people not accepting change because it's my way, the way we've always done it, and any other way is stupid mentality?"

 

[turboluke9000]

Neither of those quotes constitutes an "example of people not accepting change because it's my way, the way we've always done it, and any other way is stupid mentality?"

"The mustang isn't going to be how I want it to be, therefore it is dumb, and Ford is dumb for doing it." That's exactly what is being said, that is what you have said repeatedly, and that is why I'm regretting getting into this at all. It's like talking to a wall.

 

[NoVaGT]

"The mustang isn't going to be how I want it to be, therefore it is dumb, and Ford is dumb for doing it." That's exactly what is being said, that is what you have said repeatedly, and that is why I'm regretting getting into this at all. It's like talking to a wall.

Luke, can I ask how old you are?

Because, seriously, the two quotes you.....quoted, aren't about not accepting change. Not at all.

The first one is worrying that product decisions are being based on younger and younger folks, when people are actually living longer. Which is actually a stupid business move. Very short-sighted.

The second one is a take on a very old saying/question, debating whether it's better to die young, or live long and eventually be viewed as a villain due to change.

Neither are about not accepting change. In fact, they're both about the fact that change occurs.

 

[Hack]

This is my driving position. No one is sitting behind me unless they are sideways. I don't care if you are 5'10" or 3'10".

My driving position is the same, but I want the rear seats to stay so that I have the ability to lean the front seat into the area above the rear seat. I often don't fit into 2 seaters. I wouldn't mind if the rear seats got smaller, though. I also wouldn't mind if the car got lower and shorter.

Absolutely, and it's wonderful. I myself love ICE's and always will. But we're also more accepting of change, and less of the "this is the only way because it's my way, the way we've always done it, and any other way is stupid" mentality that seems to be so prevalent among older people, and in this thread...

And maybe less prone to actually think about pluses and minuses of a change before just doing it and then saying, "whoops!" ? I can call you young and naive while you call me old and stuck in my ways. Where does it get us?

"The mustang isn't going to be how I want it to be, therefore it is dumb, and Ford is dumb for doing it." That's exactly what is being said, that is what you have said repeatedly, and that is why I'm regretting getting into this at all. It's like talking to a wall.

I wouldn't say it's dumb, but I will say that if Ford makes a car that doesn't entertain me I will spend my dollars elsewhere. It's just common sense.

 

[AnalogDan]

Young people don't have money for cars.

Look at the number of hours a young person needs to work to pay for a college education compared to previous generations. The student debt crisis has set young people up for much tighter finances than previous generations.

Even young people who like performance cars largely can't afford them.

This is an economic problem, not a 'latte-sipping hipster' problem, or whatever other drivel you come up with to misguidedly deflect it into an identity politics issue.

 

[turboluke9000]

Luke, can I ask how old you are?

Because, seriously, the two quotes you.....quoted, aren't about not accepting change. Not at all.

The first one is worrying that product decisions are being based on younger and younger folks, when people are actually living longer. Which is actually a stupid business move. Very short-sighted.

The second one is a take on a very old saying/question, debating whether it's better to die young, or live long and eventually be viewed as a villain due to change.

Neither are about not accepting change. In fact, they're both about the fact that change occurs.

Would it make you feel better if I said that I am 17, that daddy bought my car for me, and that I know nothing about how the world actually works? Or should I say that I'm 67 and have seen and done it all so therefore I know best even though the world I grew up in doesn't exist anymore and any ideologies I have from those days are irrelevant in a world that changes as fast as ours does? It doesn't matter.

Now let's discuss something actually relevant top the discussion at hand. You believe that making business decisions based on a younger crowd is a bad business decision. That is a valid opinion. I personally disagree with it because no matter how long people live, the young will still live longer unless we have some catastrophic world ending event. Younger people outlive older people, and therefore will be buying cars for a longer time. Of course, my opinion is not worth any more than yours, or anyone else's; it's an opinion, not a fact. What is a fact is that the S550 has been an unparalleled success both from a business (sales) perspective, and a consumer's perspective, hence why we spend our days on a forum discussing it, because it's a great car. And yet, the S550 in many ways is the most "un-mustang like" version of the car we've ever had, give or take the new electric SUV (and look how much hate that things gets). IRS, more computers than I can count, European inspired styling, etc. The S550 is a far cry from the cars that rolled off the line in the 60's. Cars change with the times. Whatever Ford dreams up for the future mustang will be different for sure. Someone saying that they are glad that they will be dead and not have to even give future cars a chance sounds pretty unaccepting to me.

The second quote is implying that future mustangs will be "villains" aka bad. We have no basis on which to say this, because we know nothing about what future cars will be like. For all we know there will be a breakthrough in ICE technology that gives us super efficient engines, or a 100% renewable fuel and suddenly we have a new generation of cars with 10L big blocks because we have the technology to do so without harming the environment. We simply don't know, because we can't predict the future. Dismissing future mustangs for no reason other than they will be different, without even knowing how different, again sounds pretty unaccepting to me.

TL;DR the mustang changing over time gave us the S550, which everyone here should argue is a great car. Why are we writing off future mustangs without giving them a chance? That's what's unaccepting here.

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