It’s been a long wait but right-hand drive Ford Mustangs are finally here.
The first shipment of right-hand drive Ford Mustangs rolled off the MV Wallenius Parsidal at Melbourne’s Appleton Dock this morning ready for delivery to dealers. Three more ships are inbound and scheduled to arrive in the next few days.
Ford has racked up over 4,000 pre-orders of Mustang Fastbacks and Convertibles, with 80 percent paid deposits, accounting for the full 2016 production allocation. “We are simply overwhelmed and humbled by the reception to Mustang thus far, which is probably our closest equivalent to the Beatles first trip to Australia,” Ford President and CEO, Graeme Whickman said.
“The Mustang also punctuates a landmark year for Ford where we launched a huge number of new vehicles – including the Australian-designed and developed Everest SUV and Ranger – while investing more locally than any other automaker with more than $300 million in R&D alone.”
Whoever thought Australia had fallen out of love with the V8 engine ought to take a look at the breakdown of Mustang orders. Like North America, the V8 makes up the lion’s share of pre-orders, with the V8 GT models notching up 86 percent of sales. Ford expects that after the initial rush, the mix will shift slightly towards the more fuel-efficient four-cylinder EcoBoost-powered cars.
A similar situation surrounds the Fastback and Convertible split. There has also been more initial demand for the Fastback over Convertible, with around 88 per cent of Australian customers opting for the Fastback.
It’s been a busy year for Ford, with the Mustang joining new Ranger, Focus, Mondeo and Everest models in a massive refreshing of the product line. Here at Unique, we’re itching to get our hands on a new ‘Stang. Guy Allen won’t fit in it, Andy Enright will cremate its tyres and Phil Walker will tell everybody within earshot that it’s not as good as his Shelby. But you knew that already.
If you’re in the queue for a Mustang and are still stuck for a Christmas present, how about a Custom Plates Ford Mustang plate? Ford Australia requested the development of this licensed number plate to commemorate the launch and there are two Mustang plate colours to choose from priced from $195 to restyle yourexisting combination to a Ford Mustang plate or $495 for a Ford Mustang plate with a new combination. The Mustang plates can be purchased online, over the phone 1300 660 417 or in person at a VicRoads Customer Service Centre.