Upscaling the Mustang

[StangFX]

Are you serious? This is very well publicized already.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs.../why-arent-younger-americans-driving-anymore/

http://jalopnik.com/how-do-you-get-young-people-to-care-about-cars-483175195

There's all kinds of stats you can cite to, lower total driven miles of younger people, the fact that since the early 80's, total number of 18 year olds with driver's licenses dropped 80%.....

Now I'm in this category of younger gen drivers so I dont really relate to this, but it's a real problem. Ford has it especially bad with the Mustang since it is so rooted in the past.

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[MustangDizzle]

Nearly every single 16 year old in my state takes drivers education, gets their license and begins driving and they WANT to.

There's a difference between not wanting to, and not needing or being able to.

The articles specifically state that economic environmental factors is a huge part of the reason why young people aren't driving.

Aside from my regular job, I coach high school sports and so I'm around younger drivers daily. They talk about cars, trucks and motorcycles a lot. They always compliment me on my car and say "I want one".

Younger people want to drive.

I'm only 26, and every single one of my cousin's that are a teenager and older all love fast cars, etc and love dreaming about their ideal car or truck. Girls and guys.

Statistics are one thing. How many miles are driven, etc. Amount of 18 yo with licenses, etc.

But the fact is that if young people had the financial resources to buy a car, especially one they actually are enthused about, then they would buy one. Ask any random person between 15 and 30 and the vast majority would love to have that mustang, camaro, bimmer, challenger, audi, etc.

 

[pistolpete]

I think Ford is in a great position right now. Yea younger kids are driving less these days because of the bad economy and high gas prices. History repeats itself, we've been through this before. When things improve, Ford will be in a great position to benefit. The Mustang will have all of the things the young consumer will look for: modern styling, more fuel efficient, powerful, and affordable. They won't be looking for an overpriced BMW, Audi, Benz etc.

I think the way to do it is to offer a slightly more upmarket Mustang GT trim to capture part of the market that would be shopping for a basic BMW/Audi. Those that can't afford it can buy the base or wait to get a slightly used (but still much better quality than current) 6th+ gen Mustang.

 

[Interceptor]

That said, I would nto be surprised to see Ford offering a much nicer premium fit and finish in its stock GT and raise the price $3K or so, then for those who either don't care or want the power without the nicer finish, offer a GTS model, basically a GT powertrain into a plain Mustang shell, like they did in the 90's.

No, in my opinion, you do not want to see a stripped down GT model being offered. That's a poverty spec trim that will dilutes the value of the higher end models that share the same styling. Also, in this day and age, these companies can not afford the costs of producing so many different trims. They need to upscale the performance model for those that can afford it and keep the base more in line with the current base trim/current prices and offer a better PP + GT/CS premium packages. That covers all the bases from average/younger consumer to older/higher income purchasers. With the rumored power increases of the 4-cylinder, V6 and V8, I think those that can not afford a GT will be more than happy if they can get the 4-cylinder and V6 making anywhere near 300/375HP respectively.

 

[shelby1k]

Europe has very little to do with "upscaling" the Mustang. And you're actually behind the times if you think the economy is making young people avoid buying cars or even more expensive cars. Car buyers' preferences are shifting. Young people are no longer waiting until their 3rd or 4th car to get into the luxury market. This article sums it up well. The luxury market is booming and Ford wants a piece of this, not just with the Lincoln, but its performance models.

“A lot of luxury customers were waiting to see how things would shake out in the economy and the stock market,” said Alec Gutierrez, an analyst at Kelley Blue Book. “But they are becoming more and more confident.”
New vehicles at the auto show range from small, entry-level models like the Audi A3 that cost about $30,000, to plush sedans like the Bentley Flying Spur, with a price tag closer to $200,000.

The luxury segment is expanding in every direction. There are more compact cars sold under prestigious brand names, a growing variety of leather-and-wood trimmed S.U.V.’s, and updated models from ultraluxury carmakers like Bentley and Rolls-Royce.

The smaller models are aimed mainly at attracting what industry executives say is a growing group of younger luxury buyers, as well as more Hispanics and women, who do not want to wait until middle age to own more sophisticated cars.

“They are going to transform our industry,” said James Farley, Ford’s head of global marketing, referring to the younger market. Older buyers might consider cars like the Audi A3 too small, while younger consumers might find that those cars better fit their lifestyles and tastes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/28/automobiles/automakers-focus-on-luxury-cars-as-sales-rise.html

 

[Thed]

No, in my opinion, you do not want to see a stripped down GT model being offered. That's a poverty spec trim that will dilutes the value of the higher end models that share the same styling.

What if I want to see a stripped down Mustang? All I want are basic power features with a replaceable radio and decent A/C. "High-quality" materials be dammed... I want something cheap, simple, and light. The current base Mustang GT is almost perfect for me.

 

[fastback69]

Europe has very little to do with "upscaling" the Mustang. And you're actually behind the times if you think the economy is making young people avoid buying cars or even more expensive cars. Car buyers' preferences are shifting. Young people are no longer waiting until their 3rd or 4th car to get into the luxury market. This article sums it up well. The luxury market is booming and Ford wants a piece of this, not just with the Lincoln, but its performance models.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/28/automobiles/automakers-focus-on-luxury-cars-as-sales-rise.html

One of the most telling parts of the article is this.....

"Analysts said competition in the luxury segment is particularly fierce because automakers have to work harder to differentiate their luxury vehicles from mass-market models."

As others on here have said you can't deny that as cars have gone more upmarket, more global, and less overall trims and individual options to choose from, they have lost their uniqueness. The same may happen to the Mustang if they are not careful.

 

[MustangDizzle]

What if I want to see a stripped down Mustang? All I want are basic power features with a replaceable radio and decent A/C. "High-quality" materials be dammed... I want something cheap, simple, and light. The current base Mustang GT is almost perfect for me.

You are in the small minority here.


No way will they offer a bare bones stripped model.

The base level cars will not be jam packed with stuff, but they won't be bare either. They still need to hit that price point.

 

[Metronome]

Yea they pretty much penalize you for wanting a stripper model these days.

 

[Mriley]

They don't penalize you. They just figure most people who want a stripped down car without the usual comforts is a hardcore driver who wants a track thrasher. So they give you that with a ton of other suspension and engine upgrades and charge you for the privilege of being an owner of such a niche car.

 

[Krishna]

I saw this article that made me laugh complaining about how the Mustang is unrefined and now that they are going into Europe it "NEEDS" to go more upmarket for 2015. Since when was this a requirement to selling in Europe? It just reminded me of that top gear episode with clarkson ranting and crying about how the GT500 is unrefined, feels cheap, unsophisticated, poorly made, etc... then he compliments the European Focus.... so basically even Ford knows it's cars are shit in the US and need to be better when selling in Europe?

I find this funny because isn't the whole point of a muscle car lack of refinement? It's not meant to drive or feel like a BMW or Benz. Isn't that what the LincolnStang is for?

And I thought the whole point of selling in Europe was to expand its market... which to me means going for the low hanging fruit (meaning cheaper), not competing in a really crowded segment with the likes of Audi, BMW, etc that dominate over there.

Young people will pay more for a more premium feel even if they get less real value IMO. Its the Apple generation.... and the new Fusion is riding on the coat tails of that.

The new fusion is really not any better than the '12 model and actually a step back in terms of power... it does have more advanced tech options and more fuel efficient powertrain options but that's about it. It's selling because it stands out in design and has an upscale feel in a reall bland mid-sized sedan segment filled with boring Camrys and Altimas.

I think the Mustang has a lot more competition in the design department, but it can stand out if it does what it did for the Fusion consumer which is give customers a more premium fit and finish, styling, performance and fun at a price point you don't usually expect to see it.

 

[NRMStand]

What if I want to see a stripped down Mustang? All I want are basic power features with a replaceable radio and decent A/C. "High-quality" materials be dammed... I want something cheap, simple, and light. The current base Mustang GT is almost perfect for me.

Stripped down launches are driven purely by cost. Either the higher trims are not selling in enough volume or they are not too profitable. The GT does not have either of these problems so Ford would see no reason to offer a stripped down GT. They're also usually done to reach a wider audience at a lower price, but the base V6 is already plenty powerful for the average driver, a great value and pretty bare bones in terms of options.

 

[Melino]

What if I want to see a stripped down Mustang? All I want are basic power features with a replaceable radio and decent A/C. "High-quality" materials be dammed... I want something cheap, simple, and light. The current base Mustang GT is almost perfect for me.

Here you go, new stripped down GT straight from Ford

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