When the new Mustang comes to Ireland in 2015 it will be sold in a selected set of dealers within the Ford network, writes Brian Byrne. The car is pictured above at this afternoon's European reveal in Barcelons.
The executive chairman of the Ford Motor Company, Bill Ford, drove the car onto the stage and said it represents the 'new spirit of optimism' for the brand in Europe. "Its arrival on this continent is truly a milestone for our brand," he added.
Earlier, Ford's Europe boss Stephen Odell said the new Mustang will be a 'lighthouse' for the Ford brand in Europe. "It is a legend, an icon of popular culture which over 50 years has formed 9m memories," he said.
The 'Go Beyond' presentation also provided the first view in Europe of the new Ka Concept (above) recently launched in South America but which will go global, and the new Edge Concept (below) revealed at the Los Angeles Motor Show which will come to Europe as a flagship of the brand's SUV range.
In Ireland the Mustang will be aligned with the Vignale premium range of upmarket versions of Ford models in 'a handful' of dealerships, says Ford Ireland MD Eddie Murphy. "Both are 'halo' items, and there would be no point in having them in every dealership," he said.
At the reveal of the sixth generation of the iconic 'pony' car in Barcelona today he said no forecast figures for sales were yet available.
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| The original Ford Mustang of 1964. |
The new version of the car that not just became iconic in its own right, but also spawned a whole genre of so-called 'pony cars' in the US, retains all the style cues of the original. But it has been completely re-engineered even against its immediate predecessor, launched in 2005.
Changes include a brand new suspension, and a 2.3 EcoBoost four petrol with 309hp alongside the traditional 5.0 V8 with 426hp.
Ford is aiming the Mustang at a global market, and today's launch is being replicated in different time zones in six cities on four continents. European sales won't start until 2015. It will be produced in RHD for European, Australian/New Zealand, and Asian markets which drive on the left, including the UK and Ireland.
More than 9m Mustangs have been sold since the model was first launched in April 1964. The first million of those were built in the first 18 months of the nameplate's life.
The original project from which the Mustang developed was called the T-5 within Ford and the brief was for a 2-seat roadster, with a mid-mounted engine. The prototype used a German Ford V4 engine which at the time powered a number of Ford models in Europe.
But very quickly the project was switched to a 4-seater, the rear a relatively narrow bench seat. Prior to the Mustang being launched, it made an appearance in the James Bond film 'Goldfinger', beginning an association between the spy movie franchise and Ford which was used to showcase other models prior to full release down the years.
The best-known film appearance of the Mustang was in 'Bullit', the San-Francisco-based thriller in 1968 which starred Steve McQueen.
When Ford first tried to sell the car in the key European market in Germany, they found that the name had already been trademarked by a local truck company for a truck. Imports were de-badged and sold in a grey market as the Ford T-5, resurrecting the in-house development name.
Next year's Silverstone Classic in July will feature special 50th birthday celebrations of the Mustang, with the Mustang Owner's Club in the UK.
The weekend will not only include dedicated displays and parades showcasing all five generations of the car, but also two races dedicated to American V8-powered machines from the 60s. Other large American cars will feature in both races, but vast majority of the field will consist of competition-prepared Mustangs.
