Last gen Mustang?

[Somms]

Am I the only one that thinks the Mustang is in some serious jeopardy of not surviving for many more years? While Ford is going to be celebrating 50 years, part of me thinks it is in real panic mode over the Mustang which is why it's suddenly going global and doing a radical change of design and now with the 4 cylinder. I'm not saying its going to be discontinued next year or the year afterbut it's hard to ignore these REALLY bad U.S. sales from Wiki.

It's almost in the same sales numbers ballpark as right before the 4th Gen Camaro stopped production. That's how bad it is. And it's not like the competition is getting any better. Got to wonder is this gonna be the last gen of the Mustang?

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[KZStang]

Well, we're certainly a long way from the days of seeing a whole fleet of Mustangs dominating dealer lots......

But as per the sales figures just released, Mustang sales are looking up the last few months. The real test will be the 2015 and beyond of course.

I think what the historical sales figures you posted indicate is that Ford can't afford to wait another 10 years to significantly overhaul the Mustang. Refresh cycles have to be much more frequent.... just look how drastically sales tapered off after 4 years (40% drop) on the s197 platform.

 

[Boydstang]

Definitely the market drop and very high gas prices factor into those numbers as well. I think the next 5 to 7 years will see a big boost in sales, with the redesign coming, eco-boost engines (4cyl and/or 6cyl) on the up and the global sales now. Plus there are a few more "muscle cars" choices now, Camaro and Challenger are back.

I think the mustang will be around for a looooooonnnnng time to come.

 

[stangray11]

It's really not that close. They produced only 42k camaros in the year it was discontinued. Ford is double that number last year and may see over 100k once again next year and well over that in 2015 when most people will be able to get their hands on a new one.

 

[Thed]

Definitely the market drop and very high gas prices factor into those numbers as well. I think the next 5 to 7 years will see a big boost in sales, with the redesign coming, eco-boost engines (4cyl and/or 6cyl) on the up and the global sales now. Plus there are a few more "muscle cars" choices now, Camaro and Challenger are back.

I think the mustang will be around for a looooooonnnnng time to come.

+1 Recessions are never good on sports cars, as people generally prefer to drive something that is a little more rational and fuel efficient. When the economy starts to turn around some more and when the new Stang arrives sales should go up a considerable amount.

 

[MustangDizzle]

Omg, I'm sick of these types of threads. Go away.

 

[BoostedSVT]

Slumping sales? The same can be said about the Camaro and just about every other muscle/sports car. If you look at those years, a bad economy can be blamed for some of it.

I also think that if you analyze sales and production numbers from all manufacturers you'll see that a retro car's product lifecycle is much shorter because the look appeals to fewer people as the novelty value wears quickly. I have a feeling those sales numbers will be more resilient for the S550 as it gets longer in the tooth.

 

[Thed]

Omg, I'm sick of these types of threads. Go away.

They can be a wee bit tiring, can't they?

 

[GTsquid]

Slumping sales? The same can be said about the Camaro and just about every other muscle/sports car. If you look at those years, a bad economy can be blamed for some of it.

I also think that if you analyze sales and production numbers from all manufacturers you'll see that a retro car's product lifecycle is much shorter because the look appeals to fewer people as the novelty value wears quickly. I have a feeling those sales numbers will be more resilient for the S550 as it gets longer in the tooth.

Hmm where's the proof that modern design has more lasting power in sales than retro?

 

[S550Boss]

Am I the only one that thinks the Mustang is in some serious jeopardy of not surviving for many more years? While Ford is going to be celebrating 50 years, part of me thinks it is in real panic mode over the Mustang which is why it's suddenly going global and doing a radical change of design and now with the 4 cylinder. I'm not saying its going to be discontinued next year or the year afterbut it's hard to ignore these REALLY bad U.S. sales from Wiki.

You are missing the point entirely, and drawing the 180-degree wrong conclusions form where Ford is taking this.

The "same old same old" crude Mustang doesn't cut it anymore. Solid axles and low-tech engines don't work. Especially for more sophisticated audiences world wide, which have shown an interest in the Mustang when it isn't at it's lowest in sportiness and quality but when it shows creativity, verve, and stands out from the rest. Modern American audiences also don't want something with a hard plastic interior (and the current car is the worst it's been in that regard in many years) and godawful ergonomics. There has to be an interesting driving experience beyond just grunting "ugh" and it's done.

Going global is an assurance that there will be a Mustang going forward because the car will be sold worldwide and total sales numbers will improve to make an even better product. And product means reinvestment in even more product.

Indeed, Ford has already been on this track - it's not just starting in the next gen. The entire point of the new 3.7 (and an entire array of options for the base engine car) was to eliminate boring and absolutely pointless base engines, that only the poorest buyers could afford and which mean that the only interesting model is the V-8 model (which not everybody wants due to insurance and gas expense). The wretched 4 liter engine is thankfully long gone, as is the 2.3 liter 4 and 3.8 6 before that - all horrible engines that had zero to offer a discerning buyer (not even fuel economy) and represented the worst of the North American car industry (an worldwide embarrassment to Detroit). Instead we have new engines that make for interesting and enthusiastic driving dynamics. And the turbo 4 will be more so, it will be a premium engine above (and even more interesting to drive than) the 3.7.
And instead of yesterday's styling - and the 2005 was a particularly awkward example that looks noticeably old already - we'll have something fully modern and a split from what has been offered repeatedly over 50 years. Hopefully the same for the interior because that has to be a focus point even more than in the past.

So for 2015 we'll get not what the budget has constrained Ford to do, but - for a change - what Ford engineers and planners are capable of doing. Not just "good enough", but ground breaking. And the magazine reviews won't say that line they have said for so many years: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", they will say "kudos" to Ford for leading instead of following. We'll see conquest sales, instead of a slow but steady drain away to other brands. And we'll see sales to people who never would have considered a Mustang before, who would think the current car is a stereotype they don't want to be a part of.

Now lets just hope that idiots like Phil Martens and Hau Thai-Tang don't get in the way again and send the car back to the ground floor. That first idiot cut the budget for the IRS and the second explained it away and called sophisticated buyers snobs. Martens was then downsized and Thai-Tang sent to South America (when he should have had his ass immediately fired). Too bad that jerk is back and hopefully he stays in his hole.

 

[Somms]

To the posters above, I was trying to give an honest question about pretty worrisome mustang sales trend, if you dont like it dont read it. But I guarantee Ford is thinking about stuff like this. Fact is even though they outsold the Camaro and Challenger this past month, it is still down 15% from just last year alone.

And to S550Boss, I agree with most of what your saying that Ford has done a much better job in the last few years of being better than "good enough". They've developed some great engines and actually designed some great lookin cars. The f-series, fusion, escape etc all whooping ass. But the mustang is being left behind in all this. And yes they are going global, but I just think it's a chicken or the egg issue... maybe more reactionary since the car is just not selling well where it should ----- here in the USA. They have said on record that they dont expect Europe to be big volume. It's going to be very niche there so I dont see it being an assurance of survival as you say it is.

The pony/muscle car market is really a dying breed which obviously is a prob for all of them not just mustangs. The saving grace the way I see it is if they can grab share away from more traditional and more luxury sports cars. It's going to have a lot of image makeover to do then.... and wont be the same pony car we know adn love. Just my opinion.

 

[Thed]

The wretched 4 liter engine is thankfully long gone, as is the 2.3 liter 4 and 3.8 6 before that - all horrible engines that had zero to offer a discerning buyer (not even fuel economy) and represented the worst of the North American car industry (an worldwide embarrassment to Detroit).

HEY HEY HEY HEY NOW... I love my pathetically slow 2.3L Lima bean. 230k+ hard miles later with oversized tires I'm still getting 21-23 MPG in my city driving.

But as reliable as they are, it is still slow. Thank god I'm throwing a badass 302 in that truck. :ford:

 

[BoostedSVT]

Hmm where's the proof that modern design has more lasting power in sales than retro?

Proof? What other proof do you need than the sales of current retro-design muscle cars? They're all in the shitter.

I love the classics, but the reason they sold so well is because they were unique and had their own identity. Staying retro in the 21st century is a mistake. Retro design is boxy, has sharp lines and is anything but aerodynamic. Then you get the stupid comparisons between the 2005+ and the Mustang I, as if those cars share anything in common.

How about creating a new legacy so that one day a future stang can resemble the 2015 cars instead of constantly exhuming a car that was laid to rest 50 yrs ago

 

[Ricky35]

Proof? What other proof do you need than the sales of current retro-design muscle cars? They're all in the shitter.

I love the classics, but the reason they sold so well is because they were unique and had their own identity. Staying retro in the 21st century is a mistake. Retro design is boxy, has sharp lines and is anything but aerodynamic. Then you get the stupid comparisons between the 2005+ and the Mustang I, as if those cars share anything in common.

How about creating a new legacy so that one day a future stang can resemble the 2015 cars instead of constantly exhuming a car that was laid to rest 50 yrs ago

How are the current Mustang, Camaro and Challenger sales in the shitter?

Here's a chart I saw on another site. Yea they aren't as high as in 2009 but they're not THAT far off.

"In the shitter" to me means that sales have completely tanked. Which they haven't.

 

[Herr_Poopschitz]

The pony/muscle car market is really a dying breed which obviously is a prob for all of them not just mustangs. The saving grace the way I see it is if they can grab share away from more traditional and more luxury sports cars. It's going to have a lot of image makeover to do then.... and wont be the same pony car we know adn love. Just my opinion.

How does the Challenger and Camaro being revived in the middle of the worst recession since the Depression constitute a 'dying breed'? :shrug:

I can say the only reason I haven't bought a newer Mustang was due to the lazy, unimaginative styling since '05, and I'm anxiously awaiting what the '15 offers us. I think a lot of people are in the same boat.

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