INTERNATIONAL NEWS - For South Africans anxiously watching for updates on the new Pony, it will be good news to hear that production on right-hand-drive models has started and that the car is still on track for its local unleashing.
Ford has announced that customers around the world have made Ford Mustang the best-selling sports car on the globe during the first half of the year, based on registration data from Global IHS Automotive.
"Initial global response to the Mustang has been strong, and we are only in second gear," said Stephen Odell, executive vice-president of Global Marketing, sales and service. "We continue accelerating production and global reach with right-hand-drive models now coming out of the plant."
Production of the right-hand-drive Mustang model is officially underway at Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Flat Rock, Michigan in the US, continuing the Mustang's first-ever global launch.
This is the first year Mustang is available to customers in more than 100 markets around the world. The addition of a right-hand-drive Mustang to Ford's global vehicle lineup allows export to more than 25 of those markets, including the UK, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, as well as Cyprus and Malta as well as some Caribbean islands.
The Mustang made its way to European markets this summer and in the US, Mustang sales were up 70% in August,overtaking the Chevy Camaro for best-selling sports car there, based on Ford's reported sales.
New buyers are driving US sales growth, especially in regions such as Southern California - the largest sports car market in the country where Mustang retail sales have more than doubled this year. Mustang is a new entry into China, but already one of the nation's top-selling sports cars, thanks to "hot sales" in Beijing, Guangdong and Shanghai, says Ford.
Dealerships report customers are eagerly awaiting delivery of the first right-hand-drive models in markets such as the UK where almost 2 000 orders have been taken since January. First customer deliveries are expected in November, with
extra supply to meet the greater-than-expected demand.
The right-hand-drive Mustang will be launched in South Africa later this year. We'll keep our readers posted!
