Next gen Mustang - not for Aus?

[Poetic Justice]

https://www.whichcar.com.au/car-news...20least%202030.

Originally Posted by Article

Planning documents reveal Ford moving the next Mustang to a new platform that's not been confirmed for right-hand-drive

> Ford Mustang could be on borrowed time
> Next-gen right-hand-drive not yet confirmed
> Current Mustang here til 2022

The Ford Mustang’s future in Australia is in doubt, with the popular sports coupe potentially missing out on factory right-hand-drive production.

This would be sacrilege, surely!?

[kypez]

Originally Posted by Poetic Justice

https://www.whichcar.com.au/car-news...20least%202030.











This would be sacrilege, surely!?

Surely an article to boost local sales...

[Bossxr8]

Adding 2 + 2 and getting 10756.

Why do they think RHD production relies solely on australian sales, when it has been a strong seller in many RHD countries?

Sales passed their original projections for RHD sales long ago. If anything you would think it's popularity in RHD would assure there would be a next gen RHD.

Article is nothing but assumptions based on nothing.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Why do they think RHD production relies solely on australian sales, when it has been a strong seller in many RHD countries?

As it says, the future depends on the new platform being designed for RHD.
I gather the assumption is that a platform used for the Explorer (which sells only in NA) won't be RHD.

However, the CD6 is supposedly very adaptable, and it would need to be to serve both Mustang and Explorer. In which case surely the same platform would be used for their smaller SUVs and Crossovers, which they also sell into RHD markets.

[MITCHAY]

That would be a shame if that happens given you see Mustangs everywhere now.

How much more expensive is it to design a platform to cater for both RHD and LHD generally speaking?

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by MITCHAY

That would be a shame if that happens given you see Mustangs everywhere now.

How much more expensive is it to design a platform to cater for both RHD and LHD generally speaking?

In the grand scheme of things probably not a hell of a lot. If Holden found it affordable to do both with Commodore, then it shows it isn't a huge cost even at moderate volumes.

5-10% of a whole programs cost? You just need to have the projected sales numbers to be able to cover that extra cost.

[pauljh74]

Ford went to the effort of making Mustang a global car. It was a successful move and they'd be foolish to abandon this path for the next generation Mustang.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by pauljh74

Ford went to the effort of making Mustang a global car. It was a successful move and they'd be foolish to abandon this path for the next generation Mustang.

It would certainly be an odd choice if they abandoned it, considering the success it has had selling globally in left and right hd.

If anything the extra sales of export Mustangs has probably gone a long way to ensuring the Mustangs survival. Just look at the Camaro, it has been killed off before, and it's looking like it might be under the gun again, going by some reports saying GM will once again kill it off. It has even been outsold by the Challenger, so it isn't doesn't very well at all.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by MITCHAY

How much more expensive is it to design a platform to cater for both RHD and LHD generally speaking?

Actually I suspect the cost to produce a RHD model would be much greater now.
You'd need different lights, different DSC, different computer, and I'd imagine it has to crash-tested again in RHD configuration.
Plus everything seems that much more difficult for American companies, because they won't take a **** without consulting focus groups and taking their Lawyers along.

Also, whist there are significant RHD markets throughout the world, Including Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, India, and Anglophone Africa. It is significant that GM decided to simply abandon RHD. Perhaps the Catalyst was their decision to sell Opel (and therefore Vauxhall).

[ivorya]

This taken from here 'https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/report-next-gen-s650-mustang-will-have-full-8-year-life-cycle.146471/'

This gels with information from a Ford employee on Blue Oval Forums who states S650 will use the current platform, but use elements of CD6. He even said it will be called D5 (so, D2C + CD6 = D5) and I've not seen that referenced anywhere else. This is the same employee who stated he'd seen the sketch of S650 (it will still have the S650 program name, but the platform will be called D5) and stated the roofline will drop an inch. Those are two very specific statements from someone who has previously posted good solid info on Blue Oval Forums.

[MITCHAY]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

In the grand scheme of things probably not a hell of a lot. If Holden found it affordable to do both with Commodore, then it shows it isn't a huge cost even at moderate volumes.

5-10% of a whole programs cost? You just need to have the projected sales numbers to be able to cover that extra cost.

That's what I thought, it couldn't be that huge. You only have to recoup the costs on the first and maybe second gen vehicles.

It beggars belief that Holden could design and build a platform which delivered multiple variants with potential for more (including a SUV) but GM said **** it to a market that includes India.

The only issue was always volume and trying to get them on side constantly with what Holden wanted to do.

Which to be fair it was amazing Holden didn't get the punt when Pontiac did back in the GFC. By all accounts they wanted Holden gone then too.

The problem has always been their cars are rebadged crap rather than that RHD isn't worth it IMO.

Ford still are in the RHD market.

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by Poetic Justice

https://www.whichcar.com.au/car-news...20least%202030.





This would be sacrilege, surely!?

I say BS and Click Bait 👎

[Adamz Ghia]

I doubt it, but Ford being Ford it wouldn’t surprise me.

[CyberWasp]

When

[jpd80]

The Scuttlebutt is that all CD6 car projects were canned by Fields early in the program,
Mustang was then scaled back from full CD6 to evolved S550 that uses CD6 engineering
modules that improve the design and aligns parts supply with newer vehicles.

It is definitely getting a new tophat on improved evolved underpinnings.
Those people assuming it's a cut down Explorer are just talking sh**,
it's a Ford heritage vehicle that Bill Ford insists will stay.

[Dr Smith]

Keep building Mustang in RHD and selling in RHD markets vs the extra cost required to match that same market exposure to the general population especially non-car enthusiasts. Hence tying the Mustang name to an EV...instant recognition, iconic image and if the product is good, sales success.

Maybe Ford US' biggest issue is that their N/A based engineers are not as efficient with the budget dollars as Australian based engineers...years and years of trying to always convince Ford HQ each time a local program had to be approved has honed their $/skills.
Imagine what Ford Australia could develop with an F-150 R&D budget for the whole world?.

[lra]

I know that Ford fans will disagree with me, but GM is way ahead of Ford .......... in retreating to America and LHD only markets.
Give Ford another year or two, and Aussies will be just as crapped off with Ford as they are with GM and Holden. Ford .... just another 4 letter word by 2022.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Dr Smith

Keep building Mustang in RHD and selling in RHD markets vs the extra cost required to match that same market exposure to the general population especially non-car enthusiasts. Hence tying the Mustang name to an EV...instant recognition, iconic image and if the product is good, sales success.

Maybe Ford US' biggest issue is that their N/A based engineers are not as efficient with the budget dollars as Australian based engineers...years and years of trying to always convince Ford HQ each time a local program had to be approved has honed their $/skills.
Imagine what Ford Australia could develop with an F-150 R&D budget for the whole world?.

Could save the company a few hundred million if they let us do it. Even the cheap aussie dollar assures that. Let alone the efficiencies of a smaller, more multi skilled operation. The recent shift of some powertrain work back to the us proved that already. They saw the workload and wondered how the hell we did it with so few people. But then you consider (as an example), they have one bloke for autos, one for manuals, one for transfer case, one for diff, one for tailshaft etc. Our guys do the whole lot, while they seem to specialise on one part.

Will never happen though. Their pride would never allow an american icon to be done elsewhere. Although some bronco was done here, you will never ever hear that mentioned by any of them. Everything i’ve seen so far about bronco does not mention australia once. Only australian journos have mentioned it.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Could save the company a few hundred million if they let us do it. Even the cheap aussie dollar assures that. Let alone the efficiencies of a smaller, more multi skilled operation. The recent shift of some powertrain work back to the us proved that already. They saw the workload and wondered how the hell we did it with so few people. But then you consider (as an example), they have one bloke for autos, one for manuals, one for transfer case, one for diff, one for tailshaft etc. Our guys do the whole lot, while they seem to specialise on one part.

Except that the ONLY reason Mustang survives is because of the internal political clout of it's developers. And then its a catch-22, because the influence wielded is directly related to the size of their budget and staff.

[Crazy Dazz]

I just hope that whatever they do, they make the new Mustang actually LOOK like a Mustang, and not like a 2-door Mondeo

[Vekgib]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

I just hope that whatever they do, they make the new Mustang actually LOOK like a Mustang, and not like a 2-door Mondeo

This.
So much this.
The perfect summation of the current Mustang.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

Except that the ONLY reason Mustang survives is because of the internal political clout of it's developers. And then its a catch-22, because the influence wielded is directly related to the size of their budget and staff.

Mustang is a vehicle that Bill Ford takes personal interest with, it's a Ford iconic vehicle
and it's that official status that means it stays, just like Lincoln (Edsel Ford's company).

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Could save the company a few hundred million if they let us do it. Even the cheap aussie dollar assures that. Let alone the efficiencies of a smaller, more multi skilled operation. The recent shift of some powertrain work back to the us proved that already. They saw the workload and wondered how the hell we did it with so few people. But then you consider (as an example), they have one bloke for autos, one for manuals, one for transfer case, one for diff, one for tailshaft etc. Our guys do the whole lot, while they seem to specialise on one part.

Will never happen though. Their pride would never allow an american icon to be done elsewhere. Although some bronco was done here, you will never ever hear that mentioned by any of them. Everything i’ve seen so far about bronco does not mention australia once. Only australian journos have mentioned it.

The issue with American based engineering is that the number of old timers has dwindled,
so many are now just short term hires jumping from job to job, so how on earth can they
have anything more than a basic understanding of the projects, there's no continuity to
build up knowledge and experience, that's why so many rookie mistakes with RHD.
Maybe as a compromise embed a few Aussie /UK engineers for RHD model development.

[Nu66et]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

I just hope that whatever they do, they make the new Mustang actually LOOK like a Mustang, and not like a 2-door Mondeo

Mustang looks fine as it is IMO. Only Porsche and Jeep can pull off the retro look to eternity.

[Fordman1]

Originally Posted by lra

I know that Ford fans will disagree with me, but GM is way ahead of Ford .......... in retreating to America and LHD only markets.
Give Ford another year or two, and Aussies will be just as crapped off with Ford as they are with GM and Holden. Ford .... just another 4 letter word by 2022.

Troll 👎

[jpd80]

Hmm, let's see,

2020: New Escape and Puma
2021 New Ranger
2022: New Everest
2023: New Mustang and possibly Mustang Mach E by then.

That's not a company withdrawing from a market....

[lra]

Originally Posted by Fordman1

Troll 👎

Hah ! Ya reckon, eh ? Fine by me. Your opinion won’t change my life.

This forum is full of comments about how Ford is reducing Australian choices, asking prices that are seen as ‘overpriced’ for what is offered, closing factories, and developing vehicles that won’t be sold in RHD.
Keep abreast of what is happening in the motoring world, you could be surprised and disappointed. But, if my comments are not welcome by adhering to the Ford line, then so be it.

[Nikked]

With the current mustang already RHD, there is less expenditure needed for the replacement model.

[deesun]

As GM pulled out of RHD markets you would think that would give Ford a boost in sales in those markets.

[GTLEGEND]

Originally Posted by lra

I know that Ford fans will disagree with me, but GM is way ahead of Ford .......... in retreating to America and LHD only markets.
Give Ford another year or two, and Aussies will be just as crapped off with Ford as they are with GM and Holden. Ford .... just another 4 letter word by 2022.

I don't think Ford Australia are going anywhere in a hurry, they have invested another $500 million dollars this year alone, example of one below!

http://mhdsupplychain.com.au/2020/07...-in-melbourne/

https://premium.goauto.com.au/ford-e...ian-footprint/