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shogun32

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I find it interesting that heavy trucks and expeditions are the only growth items from 2021 to 2020.
it just means those are high-margin and Ford biased parts allocation to keep those lines running as best as possible and thus had units available for sale. F150 was slightly less lucky. Remember there were 7000 partially finished F150 for a few months sitting around.
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Great that they made 3,000 more than they sold. That means inventory stock is going up. More to choose from on the lots.
 

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So by the numbers... almost 40% of the mustangs produced this month are unsold and sitting on the lots somewhere?

Year to date looks like 13000 mustangs are out there right now. Basically 20% of what was produced did not sell.

I have no idea if this is good or bad but that’s a lot of unsold cars if you asked me. What are typical numbers for similar models? Any big incentives going on?

Interesting none the less. Again, I have no knowledge of what’s good or bad but if I had 20% of my product left over and the last month was close to 40% left over, I’d be wanting to wash my hands of it.
That doesn’t make sense. Are you referring to December instead, as in last month? Ford literally started 2022 production on Monday, so they are definitely not gonna arrive at dealers until maybe February at earliest.

These figures don't include vehicles during January 2022. Mustang production for 2021 ended right before Christmas, for the end of year shutdown.
 

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Your are assuming cars are sold in the month they are produced. I would imagine there is a several month delay between production and sale of a vehicle.
Bingo, as yes there always is a delay in most cases. In rarest of cases, early month production date gets delivered before the end of the month.
 

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Ford needs to GET the S650 OUT THERE!!!

The last set of major changes for 2018 were NOT on THEE level of this, which was just 4.5 years into the life cycle of 5th generation Mustang. And Ford even delayed it a few months, from 2008 launch as an '09 model.
ford_mustang_gt_83.jpeg
ford_mustang_gt_6.jpg
2008-ford-mustang-convertible-dashboard-carbuzz-638112.jpg
ford_mustang_gt_997.jpg
ford_mustang_gt_5.jpg
20101117_110411_2011_Ford_Mustang_Shelby_GT500_interior_image.jpg

Being in charge of operations from 2017 to 2020, Jim Hackett has kept the S550 past its sell by date! Not to mention, him and his successor (current CEO), have continued to fumble readying its replacement in a timely fashion.

The Challenger is quitr dated and has not seen any visible changes since late 2014, but it never got controversial changes which split the Mustang camp in half in 2017-2018. I hated the newer Challenget rear and "softer", more organic Viperesque interior, but hey it works.

For 2008-14, it drew from heritage of the 1970. They updated it 6 years later, by borrowing from heritage again and using the 1971 as inspiration.

Although the 2015 S550 allegedly borrowed from 1969/70 Mustang and put it into contemporary fashion and not retro, the 2018 refresh did none of those things, got way more expensive, dropped the V6, and thus sales fell year after year.

FCA at worst, has an aging interior compared to the Stang, but it somehow works anyway, unlike the Camaro's. Just not as planted in the corners.

The real story, is that Mopar's current muscle nameplates resonate a lot more in popular culture with Gen Z and younger Millennials across broad demographics (minorities), where Hellcat/Scat Pack is often namedropped in the mainstream compared to GT or GT500/GT#$% anything now.

Mustang remains an American staple, but feels often now relegated to clueless posers on social media posing in front of rental Ecoboost verts and not enough folks signing on the dotted line for a spankin new unit of their own.

Maybe this is partly because of F&F franchise, easy to obtain credit through Santander backed Chrysler Capital, as opposed to much more strict Ford Credit, who knows? Endless Chrysler Capital Incentives (as wisely pointed out below)?

Ford was supposed to have pushed forward midcycle for the S550 early, for MY2018, on the premise an all new S650 would arrive in 2020-early 2021.

Hackett came in with bulldozers in 2017, canceling cars of Mark Fields' pipe dreams and also undid that state of the art 2021 S650 to please Bill Ford, in order to pump up stocks short term. Didn't even work anyway, took years to "pay off", improving only when the Bronco and '21 F150 were revealed.

Then the scrapped new platform S650, now heavy redo S650 coming, was supposed to be out in late 2021/early 2022.

Circa 2018-19, they decided internally they wanted more stuff in it, so it became a mid-2022 release as a 2023.

In the midst of that, they didn't once think about keeping the S550 fresh and committing to bringing out another update for MY2021 a la 2013, to fix some bits of the 2018-20 models.

The Mach 1 at least did a fine job of that, while the rest keep the same love or hate it front end since December 2017.

Then S650 became late 2022 during the pandemic...

Now, we are likely not going to get the car until April or May 2023 as a possible 2024 model? Good riddance to Ford. I know there's a chip shortage, but they deserve this sales drop. Happy to see it, I WANT a new model sooner than later.

I already hate that they're reusing the platform and even more that they're dragging this out. A heavy redo shouldn't take this long to execute, let alone hide it like it doesn't exist to curious owners waiting to replace or supplement their existing cars.

The Bronco and trucks needed the chips first, but I find it stupid how they left the current S550 to essentially wither on the vine another 2-3 years, as they keep pushing back its replacement, to a point it runs out of space against the Mach E and alleged S650 replacing EV coupe.

-Updated-
 
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Fit and finish and materials sells upgrades. In case of Mopar it's practicality, to a point and frankly durable styling.

The mustang hasn't changed in looks since s197. With no more runway left until ice is declared dead, ford can't do anything exceptake inconsequential and trivial cosmetic changes.

They can't make the paint better or the fit and finish better because they'd have to fire their union, their suppliers and "don't care" ethos baked into the entire company.

Quality is job1.is nothing more than a throw away line that nobody believes in, let alone held to.

There are easy things ford can do to fix the sad sack chassis and suspension. Steeda won't be happy but buyers will notice.

I'm fine with s550.2 being the last mustang for 5 more years.
 

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So by the numbers... almost 40% of the mustangs produced this month are unsold and sitting on the lots somewhere?

Year to date looks like 13000 mustangs are out there right now. Basically 20% of what was produced did not sell.

I have no idea if this is good or bad but that’s a lot of unsold cars if you asked me. What are typical numbers for similar models? Any big incentives going on?

Interesting none the less. Again, I have no knowledge of what’s good or bad but if I had 20% of my product left over and the last month was close to 40% left over, I’d be wanting to wash my hands of it.
Dealership greed has many sitting on the sidelines.
Some see a bad deal and don't pull the trigger.
And other than the HAVE TO HAVE IT crowd, everyone else is like duck this shyt I'm out.
For most people the pony car is a 2nd car or a want not a need. paying STICKER or more is a deal breaker for most folks .
 

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Ford needs to GET the S650 OUT THERE!!!

The last set of major changes for 2018 were NOT on level of this, which was just 4.5 years into the life cycle of 5th generation Mustang.
ford_mustang_gt_83.jpeg
ford_mustang_gt_6.jpg
2008-ford-mustang-convertible-dashboard-carbuzz-638112.jpg
ford_mustang_gt_997.jpg
ford_mustang_gt_5.jpg
20101117_110411_2011_Ford_Mustang_Shelby_GT500_interior_image.jpg

Jim Hackett has kept the S550 past it's sell by date! Not to mention, him and his successor, have continued to fumble readying its replacement in a timely fashion.

The Challenger is dated and has not seen any visible changes since 2014, but it never got controversial changes which split the Mustang camp in half in 2017-2018.

For 2008-14, it drew from heritage of the 1970. They updated 6 years later, by borrowing from heritage again and using the 1971 as inspiration.

Although the 2015 S550 allegedly borrowed from 1969/70 Mustang and put it into contemporary fashion and not retro, the 2018 refresh did none of those things, got way more expensive, dropped the V6, and thus sales fell.

FCA at worst, has an aging interior compared to the Stang, but it somehow works anyway, unlike the Camaro's. Just not as planted in the corners.

The real story, is that Mopar's current muscle nameplates resonate a lot more in popular culture with Gen Z and younger Millennials across broad demographics, where Hellcat/Scat Pack is often namedropped compared to GT or GT500/GT#$% anything now.

Mustang remains an American staple, but feels often now relegated to posers on social media posing in front of rental Ecoboosts and not enough folks signing on the dotted line for a spankin new unit of their own.

Maybe this is partly because of F&F franchise, easy to credit through Santander backed Chrysler Capital as opposed to much more strict Ford Credit, who knows?

Ford was supposed to have pushed forward midcycle for the S550 early, for MY2018, on the premise an all new S650 would arrive in 2020-early 2021. Hackett came in, canceling cars and also undid that to please Bill Ford, in order to pump up stocks short term. Didn't even work, took years to "pay off".

Then the scrapped new platform S650, now heavy redo S650 coming, was supposed to be out in late 2021/early 2022.

Circa 2018-19, they decided internally they wanted more stuff in it, so it became a mid-mid-2022 release as a 2023.

In the midst of that, they didn't once think about keeping the S550 fresh and committing to bringing out another update for MY2021 a la 2013, to fix some bits of the 2018-20 models. The Mach 1 at least did a fine job of that, while the rest keep the same front end since December 2017.

Then S650 became late 2022 during the pandemic...

Now, we are likely not going to get the car until April or May 2023 as a possible 2024 model? Good riddance to Ford. I know there's a chip shortage, but they deserve this sales drop. Happy to see it, I wanna a new model sooner than later.

The Bronco and trucks needed the chips first, but I find it stupid how they left the current S550 to essentially wither on the vine another 2-3 years, as they keep pushing back its replacement, to a point it run out of space against the Mach E and alleged S650 replacing EV coupe.

Well said.

Mustang sales are dwindling. Ford will say it's a shrinking market. It may well be, but to keep product relevant and selling well, it needs to be kept fresh. I, along with many others thought those camo'd prototypes from a couple of years ago would be the '21 refresh the S550 needed. Instead it was the Mach 1. Certainly, in my opinion, the most desirable S550 yet, but a limited production model, not the bread and butter that keeps those sales numbers up.

By not keeping the product fresh, that Ford mindset that the pony car market is shrinking becomes a self fulfilling prophecy!

It crazy to think the facelifted S550 might be almost 7 model years old before its replaced :facepalm:
 

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Well said.

Mustang sales are dwindling. Ford will say it's a shrinking market. It may well be, but to keep product relevant and selling well, it needs to be kept fresh. I, along with many others thought those camo'd prototypes from a couple of years ago would be the '21 refresh the S550 needed. Instead it was the Mach 1. Certainly, in my opinion, the most desirable S550 yet, but a limited production model, not the bread and butter that keeps those sales numbers up.

By not keeping the product fresh, that Ford mindset that the pony car market is shrinking becomes a self fulfilling prophecy!

It crazy to think the facelifted S550 might be almost 7 model years old before its replaced :facepalm:
Ford needs to build a v8 Mustang that is 34-35 k without it being featureless. The s550 tooling is paid for. pound out a bunch of gt's all with the same gear and a price point most vehicle buyers will willingly get in line for. and tell the dealers to stuff the ATM'S up their butts.
Only so many buyers are willing to get bent over and take it up the_____. when buying a Mustang. After all it is a Mustang, not a lambo. Make the best use of the tooling before it is removed. pound out a bunch of cars that the only difference is the color. get them on lots. and move them before the s650 comes out.
 

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It's also worth remembering Flatrock was closed for something like 8 weeks this year. The first closures were due to lack of commodities (chips), then another couple of weeks for the fuel leak.

It makes sense for Ford to ensure the vehicles with the most profit (F-Series) get the chips and get built......but that needs to be taken into context when using the headline "worst Mustangs sales year ever".

I've no idea if the Challenger plant was down this year due to lack of chips, but I suspect it would have been impacted to some degree too.

As for the price. I agree Mustang is no longer the "bargain" it once was. Here in the UK, when the '15 was launched it was a £35k entry point. Now that's £48k.

At least in the US you can still get a base car for $36k.
 

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It's also worth remembering Flatrock was closed for something like 8 weeks this year. The first closures were due to lack of commodities (chips), then another couple of weeks for the fuel leak.

It makes sense for Ford to ensure the vehicles with the most profit (F-Series) get the chips and get built......but that needs to be taken into context when using the headline "worst Mustangs sales year ever".

I've no idea if the Challenger plant was down this year due to lack of chips, but I suspect it would have been impacted to some degree too.

As for the price. I agree Mustang is no longer the "bargain" it once was. Here in the UK, when the '15 was launched it was a £35k entry point. Now that's £48k.

At least in the US you can still get a base car for $36k.
If there are cars on lots, the factory being idle wasn't an issue other than for customers orders.
There is now 6 model years of the s550 on lots, soon to be 7 new and used. a base 36k car won't cut it.
Ford should go out with a bang, dump that joke of a 4"x5" screen in the base and put the base touch screen in.
infotainment sells cars today, a 4"x5" screen with nothing will not move base cars, only people willing to put up with that is buyers that are all performance no fluff, and that is a limited buying pool.
Last year of the tooling cycle It is their only car, build 75% of the dealer stock 22's all the same other than color and price them to move. Getting people into a Ford pony car that normally would not ever think about it. because of the cost.
Dealers ATM'S will kill off the model. if they are allowed to keep that crap up.
 

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The most basic trim (any engine) should start with 4 pot brakes, the touch screen, the FP track dampers and sways. Active exhaust should be no more than 500. Premium trim should be 2000 upcharge. The digital dash retrofit not a penny over 800 and not exclusive to premium. $3500 track pack gets you the FP tune (dealer flashed), the MR suspension, PP1 radiator, oil cooler and diff cooler. Recaro seats optioned at 800 not 1600.

Mustang is not corolla. It's not Porsche.

Mopar was closed but for brief time and you can buy new cars for 7% or more below MSRP no problem. Mopar has 1500 incentive for entire year of 2021 and even now. Ford just 3 days ago put out a weak 500.
 
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Fit and finish and materials sells upgrades. In case of Mopar it's practicality, to a point and frankly durable styling.

The mustang hasn't changed in looks since s197. With no more runway left until ice is declared dead, ford can't do anything exceptake inconsequential and trivial cosmetic changes.

They can't make the paint better or the fit and finish better because they'd have to fire their union, their suppliers and "don't care" ethos baked into the entire company.

Quality is job1.is nothing more than a throw away line that nobody believes in, let alone held to.

There are easy things ford can do to fix the sad sack chassis and suspension. Steeda won't be happy but buyers will notice.


I'm fine with s550.2 being the last mustang for 5 more years.
Very well stated, I love this comment, even if I disagree with the last line subjectively.

Although I in the past mistakenly referred to the current S550 as being the same (platform) as the S197, Ford claims it was basically an all new car inside out, as they tore down existing hard point requirements and allowed engineers to design new components quarter way through development.

Problem is, analysts and forecasters, blindly list it as D2C (or D5) without verifying with Ford if up-to-date, even though it is a totally different in many ways from the S197 and might as well be called the S550 platform or D5 II.

Ford knew they needed to update the front end and side profile of the S550 away from the retro of the S197, but keep the key tenets of the dual tribars at the rear, while making it more exotic and elegant looking.

I grew from liking the SN95 as a kid to hating it as a teen/young adult, upon seeing the 2003 concept and coming of age with the more brawny looking, throwback S197.

As it became more cutting edge by MY2013 and more chiseled, I felt in 2011, it was time to make the nameplate more premium looking than ever before for 2015 and Ford had to balance that against, the tide of fans who expected a high dose butchiness in that formula.

Some complained it was too different or too familiar. It was the right balance for me, so decided to get one. However, I also knew, trying to get another 9-10 years out of the S550 would be a joke. And so did for execs of the early-mid 2010s. Today? Don't what the hell they're doing.

Mark Fields wanted to squeeze in a fully renewed take on the traditional Mustang formula and consolidate costs on the then modular CD6, before possibly ICE got phased out.

Unfortunately became Explorer/Aviator only once he got the boot. Then when the EV aspect of things took bigger focus, making another new ICE Mustang became the conundrum you describe it as.

Decrease ICE Mustang investment basically and never redesign it as something truly new, nor create new V8s. Just recycle the Coyote over and over, meaning why get another Mustang, if it's too similar to what I have, if mine is just working fine already?

The staff at FRAP is world's ahead of Chicago in work performance, but how good exactly? I never have had any issues, but getting one of the last 2017s built as a special order clearly can have its privileges.

No one should expect a $100k Lexus LC 500 in build quality, as even those have their (few) problems. But allowing the value to performance ratio and good looks, be tarnished by less stellar reputation for perceived quality, is confusing to me.

What does Ford expect to achieve, if people can easily nitpick their attractive products, on the false or somewhat true claim, that they're interiors are "awful" quality, via "cheap" materials or poor assembly.

I get annoyed reading cheapshots on the Broncos, Mustang and F150s, but wonder if there is any objective truth to the claims?

Going forward, the S550 has sadly run its course and unfortunately it shows in Fords lack of care to it after GT500 dropped and their struggle to push out its replacement.

Now, that S650 MUST the best ever built Mustang to leave the factory floor, so no amateur reviewers or previously aggrieved detractors, get another opportunity to take easy potshots, at how it doesn't feel as quality as a Lexus or Mercedes-Benz on the interior, so therefore it's apparently a bad value (or similar dumb logic).

It also must tie up all the mechanical loose ends of the outgoing car and bring something fresh "enough" to the table at the same time, to ensure people are not universally bored and pass on it.

I hope they have spent their time well, working to achieve this and will for once browbeat suppliers and factory line workers, into doing a 5 star job for this last 5-7 year rodeo. The first CD6 iteration and current iteration of S650 have been in development combined since 2015, with a shift beginning in 2017/18.

They get the S650 wrong and it's virtually over. 60 years of ICE Mustang down the drain.

I can understand the 5th generation S197 later suffering against the newer, concept car derived and Transformers fame Camaro in 2009-2014, but against a more than dozen year aging retromobile in the Challenger, with the smallest of its bits and basic styling dating back to the DaimlerChrysler era?

Hell, the idea for the reboot of a 4 door Charger was dreamed up by Lee Iacocca, during his last days in the early 1990s. Challenger branched off of that later after LX hit the market.

Comparably inexcusable for the Mustang against the Challenger, only partly so due to the shortage and prioritizing newer/higher margin product, meaning less incentives compared to the Challenger.

I strongly disagree with any suggestion in keeping the S550 unchanged going forward. It's gotten stale in some areas and needs renewal. Outside of a CPO GT350, I won't touch another Mustang until that happens.

Heck even an S550.3 might be a little agreeable, but S650 is probably a better bet.

Additonally, there might be positives to making the Mustang BEV and in the process shutter ICE focus, but many negatives for this niche of vehicle, come from the reality that the loss of aural pleasure might be too strong.

I don't know how Ford will do with class of vehicles, when they will be selling only cynically sound enhanced BEV product with no actual transmission or traditional tenets, associated with the Mustang since the beginning.

Works for a Tesla, but not so much a Stang. Porsche knows this and still is trying to get around it, by looking into alternative fuels to keep ICE around longer.

BEV in general, suffers from the reality, a lot of the fickle and easily influenced general public, only buy Teslas solely because of the name recognition or alleged lifestyle. Not because they are EVs or the engineering prowess. It ticks me off, because this is definitely a thing.

All the others are trying to get in game and might fall on their faces, because clueless influencers or cultists care more about the Tesla name/association and not if the next EV truly makes the case for a better product.

They will not consider any other BEVs from legacy automakers, because on a one word basis (to them), saying they drive a Tesla at all, has way more cache than driving a BMW, MB, GM, or Ford BEV.

Automakers are in a race to undo years of hardwork, by fully switching to BEV and prematurely abandoning further development of ICE and some avoiding transitioning with steady hybridization.

You should give buyers choices, until they've naturally adopted the newer innovations and don't force it on them. Tesla is by far overvalued, but don't get me even started on that.

How does Ford intend to keep this nameplate alive and truly and UNIQUELY appeal to buyers going forward, without tarnishing their fanbase, young, mid, and old?

The affordability quotient and uniqueness goes out the window, with a non-ICE Mustang only available come 2029. At that point, it would likely be a Corvette competitor, if not exclusively a 4 door one day or 100% in the realm of Mach E.

So, for that reason S550 has to be topped by S650 sooner than later. Sales decline has been happening for years, only masked by growing international success. Not acknowledging it and dismissing as just the chip shortage, is dangerous like I see at BOF. They live to be Ford apologists.

Challenger with a much shorter and less consistent legacy, should have NEVER had any breathing room to come close to Mustang sales, on even a bad day (year)!
 
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Very good points, as usual @amk91

Jumping ahead to a potential BEV 8th Gen/S750 does worry me. For many, especially here in Europe, they'll put up with sub-par quality build and poorer interior plastic quality because when they start the engine and hear that Coyote rumble, everything else pales into insignificance. Take that away and some of those less desirable qualities start to look glaringly bad. Mustang will then be left to sell on its heritage. But BEVs are stupid fast......the EV lovers scream. Yeah, well here in Europe speed limiters are being installed in all cars being type approved after July. Sure, they can be overridden by pressing harder on the accelerator, but you won't be able to turn off the visual and audible warnings. More meddling from do-gooder politicians........the same people who have now forced us into buying BEVs by banning the sale of ICE vehicles from 2030.

There are times when I think Mustang should be put out to pasture after S650. Let it die with dignity. There will still be 60+ years of great (old) cars to choose from! Unless, of course, Ford really can make it something unique and exciting. I wish them well.
 

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Dealership greed has many sitting on the sidelines.
Some see a bad deal and don't pull the trigger.
And other than the HAVE TO HAVE IT crowd, everyone else is like duck this shyt I'm out.
For most people the pony car is a 2nd car or a want not a need. paying STICKER or more is a deal breaker for most folks .
American car dealers really do not get it at all.

When selling vehicles under a price sensitive nameplate, you do not go and ADM it to hell. From past cars of the later 20th century to recent stuff like the Shelbys, Focus RSes, Broncos, and high performance pickups, you have to be careful.

These are not high performance, rare Porsches nor six figure exotics.

They were made in the first place, to serve a business case, that allows the middle or upper middle class, to have a taste of road going excitement and daily comfort when commuting.

This idea, to hike up the pricing of each and every new special coming out, has grown weary.

Businesses have got to make a living, but I am sure that OEMs have somewhat already accounted for their dealer body in first place, when setting pricing.

All these extra ADMs is just stupid excessive greed, with no amount of BS excuses about allocation or loss leaders defending it morally.

Overpricing products already sold by high end retailers like rare Ferraris costing $1 million vs $400,000, doesn't justify charging $120k for a new Raptor or GT500, that retails thousands of 5 figures less. Ditto for Rebel TRX and many other brands, that do not wear a premium badge.

In the same breath, I do wonder at times if some enthusiasts/buyers expect the world and want to get steak, for the price of kids meal at McD's?

The Focus ST and RS were hurt by test drive denials, high ADMs and on the profitability end, excessive discounts reaching almost 5 figures in some cases (ST3s being sold for well under $20k OTD).

People should expect and be prepared to pay a reasonable price for a Mustang GT and not expect to be getting 460 HP of RWD, V8 power and relatively modern creature comforts, for anywhere below $30k.

Is it really Ford's fault, societal wages cannot keep up with inflation and the cost of meeting regulations year to year, with new standard equipment?

Well said.

Mustang sales are dwindling. Ford will say it's a shrinking market. It may well be, but to keep product relevant and selling well, it needs to be kept fresh. I, along with many others thought those camo'd prototypes from a couple of years ago would be the '21 refresh the S550 needed. Instead it was the Mach 1. Certainly, in my opinion, the most desirable S550 yet, but a limited production model, not the bread and butter that keeps those sales numbers up.

By not keeping the product fresh, that Ford mindset that the pony car market is shrinking becomes a self fulfilling prophecy!

It crazy to think the facelifted S550 might be almost 7 model years old before its replaced :facepalm:
Thanks, likewise Twin Turbo. As you know, on another forum with sometimes great insight, they'll try an and excuse this one away, if not downright ignore it.

And if you bring it up, shut you down with the highest condescension.

The problem with product planning automobiles, it has to be executed years in advance.

These decisions should have been made 4-5 years ago, but the guy in charge had his own agenda and Farley today, is probably just trying to salvage the rest of it and ensure the new product comes out well.

The wheels were already in motion, before he took over 15 months ago.

It's a self fulfilling prophecy for sure, because they've all but given up. Market research needs to be done, as to why the sharpest declines in Mustang sales have come at all. And not just anecdotal assessments.

In the US Southwest and mid-South, I do see a lot of young Latino faces behind the wheel of Mustangs the most, but I cannot say the same for other Americans, who I see more in Challengers and Chargers.

Mopar has been making up ground against both Ford and GM, while GM and Ford also cannibalize their Mustang/Camaro sales, with attractive and reasonably priced 4x4 performance vehicles and stuff like Corvette C7/C8.

Those who want just a toy here, swung for the C8 and some the C7. A lot of people also migrated to performance pickups, leaving pony cars behind altogether.

The Mopar cars becoming a cult classic, alongside funny, but tired Mustang crowd memes doesn't help mainstream sales, if through word of mouth they come across negatively.

Ford needs to build a v8 Mustang that is 34-35 k without it being featureless. The s550 tooling is paid for. pound out a bunch of gt's all with the same gear and a price point most vehicle buyers will willingly get in line for. and tell the dealers to stuff the ATM'S up their butts.
Only so many buyers are willing to get bent over and take it up the_____. when buying a Mustang. After all it is a Mustang, not a lambo. Make the best use of the tooling before it is removed. pound out a bunch of cars that the only difference is the color. get them on lots. and move them before the s650 comes out.
It's too late, all resources on S650 I imagine. S550 is withering on the vine now. It was designed to last through 2020/21, now stretched out to 2023 because of internal setbacks. December 2022 Job 1 was already pushing it, now 2024MY just takes the damn cake.

Back to your point, I am totally sick of the dealerships playing with pricing on models sold in or under price sensitive markets/segments/brands.

Toyota Tacomas shouldn't be costing almost $60,000 in any case neither should basic GT 300As be anywhere in the $40k range, with no options.

As the Mustangs get more tech heavy and try to keep up with the overall market, the added costs plus ADMs, will cause the market for this nameplate to vanish quickly or force people to sit out briefly, in which they'll could buy another product in the meantime that is more in line with the pricing they expect to pay.

A Mustang LX style offering wouldn't make sense, as the whole 300A/301A vs 400A/401A complicates things a lot.

It's also worth remembering Flatrock was closed for something like 8 weeks this year. The first closures were due to lack of commodities (chips), then another couple of weeks for the fuel leak.

It makes sense for Ford to ensure the vehicles with the most profit (F-Series) get the chips and get built......but that needs to be taken into context when using the headline "worst Mustangs sales year ever".

I've no idea if the Challenger plant was down this year due to lack of chips, but I suspect it would have been impacted to some degree too.

As for the price. I agree Mustang is no longer the "bargain" it once was. Here in the UK, when the '15 was launched it was a £35k entry point. Now that's £48k.

At least in the US you can still get a base car for $36k.
Context does matter indeed and it's definitely a fact Ford suffered downtime with the Mustang.

However, that isn't the whole story as you said. Something went wrong somewhere, when they updated it for 2018/19 and priced shot up globally.

Were the changes satisfactory enough, to welcome and swallow the price increase? Was it harder to market and sell a car, intended to have a 6-7 year run, long than 5 years of that given period (2014-2019)?

BMW tends to break even 60% through the lifecycle of a incumbent model generation, which is when the bulk of next generation budget starts getting spent.

If there are cars on lots, the factory being idle wasn't an issue other than for customers orders.
There is now 6 model years of the s550 on lots, soon to be 7 new and used. a base 36k car won't cut it.
Ford should go out with a bang, dump that joke of a 4"x5" screen in the base and put the base touch screen in.
infotainment sells cars today, a 4"x5" screen with nothing will not move base cars, only people willing to put up with that is buyers that are all performance no fluff, and that is a limited buying pool.

Last year of the tooling cycle It is their only car, build 75% of the dealer stock 22's all the same other than color and price them to move. Getting people into a Ford pony car that normally would not ever think about it. because of the cost.
Dealers ATM'S will kill off the model. if they are allowed to keep that crap up.
Crazy enough and maybe too opinionated of me, but I think you named one of the biggest culprits for Mustang sales struggling.

Dealers tend to stock, automatic EcoBoosts and regular GT 300As with small screens.

301As with the RIGHT screen, are not too common. That's very annoying.

ADMs, do NOT belong on products targeted as a bargain to upmarket alternatives.

No one wants to be paying over $60k for GT Premiums, based on a interior out since 2014.

ADMs really need to be reined in industry wide and not just at Ford. Save that stuff for special AMGs or Porsches. Anything under mainstream brand, should not be seeing ADMs that cost more than a basic option package or if even at all.

The most basic trim (any engine) should start with 4 pot brakes, the touch screen, the FP track dampers and sways. Active exhaust should be no more than 500. Premium trim should be 2000 upcharge. The digital dash retrofit not a penny over 800 and not exclusive to premium. $3500 track pack gets you the FP tune (dealer flashed), the MR suspension, PP1 radiator, oil cooler and diff cooler. Recaro seats optioned at 800 not 1600.

Mustang is not corolla. It's not Porsche.

Mopar was closed but for brief time and you can buy new cars for 7% or more below MSRP no problem. Mopar has 1500 incentive for entire year of 2021 and even now. Ford just 3 days ago put out a weak 500.
Very interesting, as I start to wonder if margins are way too high for certain options and option packages on the Mustangs?

The Recaro are the same design, still somewhat identical to what debuted in February 2011 on MY2012 S197s in Boss 302 and GT500 5.4L. I made sure my car had them and had to wait 5 months to ensure it.

They've been more refined over the years, but at this point maybe $900 makes more sense for cloth examples and $1300 for leather. But of course, cutting prices is a no-no right.😏

As for Mopar, bingo. All walks of life have seemingly gravitated to the Mopar cars, while Mustang buyers seemingly are becoming more homogenous or diverse only select regions.

Chrysler Capital lending to almost every and anyone on top of incentives, makes it very easy to catch up.

Why are they able to be the best selling sports car in the world, yet be declining year after year in the United States?
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