Ford clocks up 1200 Mustang orders

ABOUT 1200 Australians have placed an order for the new-generation Ford Mustang, just shy of a year before its showroom debut, according to the Blue Oval's local arm.

The sixth-generation version of Ford's iconic pony car is set to start rolling into dealerships in late 2015 with the choice of a 306kW 5.0-litre V8 engine, or a more economical EcoBoost 233kW 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder unit.

The American car-maker said in a statement that strong interest in its hero sportscar has prompted it to set up a pre-ordering website for its dealers so they can identify the “most serious” buyers out of the 15,000 Aussies who have already expressed interest in the 2015 Mustang.

While the system was designed to assist the 200-strong dealer network to manage the enquiries relating to the US-built coupe and convertible, it will also allow them to pinpoint potential buyers that may have initially been interested in the Mustang but are likely to end up choosing another Ford-badged model.

The newly developed website, which is only accessible by registered Ford dealers, gives buyers the opportunity to choose between options, decide on a body colour and select their preferred engine, transmission and body-style.

Ford Australia says that while 15,000 people have expressed interest in the Mustang, it has registered 1200 orders for the returning pony car and out of that number, 600 customers have put down a deposit.

Ford Australia president and CEO Bob Graziano said the new pre-ordering system helps dealers as well as buyers who have the opportunity to put together their new Mustang well in advance of taking delivery.

“The Mustang is drawing people to Ford well in advance of its arrival, and we’ve reacted quickly to find a way to communicate with these new potential owners,” he said.

“With more and more customers coming forward each week, this new pre-ordering system will allow us to plan and cater to their specific requests from the outset.

“In addition, the Mustang is giving people a new reason to think about Ford and, a truly exciting opportunity to show Australians the future of our brand.

“We realise many people who are drawn to us by Mustang may choose a Ford vehicle in a different segment, giving us a great chance to show them our exciting new line-up of stylish, innovative products.”

The Mustang will cap off a huge 2015 for Ford Australia, with the car-maker set to launch the long-delayed Mondeo mid-sizer in February, the locally developed Ranger ute-based Everest seven-seat SUV about mid-year, the facelifted Focus ST hot hatch in March and the rest of the updated Focus range in July.

The updated locally built Falcon sedan and Territory SUV landed in dealerships earlier this month and will be on sale for approximately two years before the Blue Oval shuts its Australian manufacturing operations in Victoria and becomes a full-line importer.

Ford's coupe and convertible hero is seen as a replacement for performance variants of the Falcon, including the resurrected XR8 flagship.