More views on why the Mustang is losing the sales race...
With all the news of the Ford Mustang talking a growing permanent spot of second place in the Muscle Car wars, a lot of mainstream publications are bagging on the Stang. There is no question that the Ford Pony=92s clock is being cleaned by the Camaro, and being strongly nipped at by the Challenger that was once a laughing stock in the marketplace.
Many ask the question. Why?
Well obviously the Camaro has gravity behind it for a lot of reasons but not because it=92s the better car. Image wise, it=92s newer and doesn=92t have near as much recent baggage in the public arena. Most of our readers are aware of the all new powertrains in 2011, and the all new interior Mustang got in 2010 which really raised the bar. But many people not reading car magazines or internet publications still think of the Mustang as that old rental car with a noisy V6, lame looking posture and a cheap plastic interior.
Add the fact that the Camaro is getting so much TV and movie time lately with Hawaii 5.0 and Transformers you got the whole secondary influence thing going with car buyers. Spouses and kids alike are chiming in at the dinner table about how cool the Camaro is they saw on the big screen. Chevrolet is of course cashing in on this with the
2012 Transformer=92s edition and commercials to go along with it.Which reminds me=85=85when is the last time you saw a Mustang commercial on TV? When is the last time you saw a current Mustang placed in a movie or television show? Ford actually had the Mustang 5.0 placed in the pilot episode of Hawaii 5.0. But for some reason GM played the better hand with the TV studios, because the show is wall-to-wall Chevrolets now. Someone at Ford didn=92t get the deal done.
But really, let=92s look at the car itself. We are Mustang faithful here but it=92s time to be honest. Yes the platform is getting long in tooth, but the Mustang is every bit competitive to the Camaro in virtually every statistical measure. Most magazines that have compared the two grade the Mustang higher all around for better feel, handling, comfort and value. But the Camaro still sells almost twice as much.
One thing Ford could do is spark it up a little. Yeah we got the BOSS
302 that a handful of old rich guys can afford to squirrel away in a nitrogen filled balloon and covet until 2035, but where is the mainstream excitement for the masses? Why all the boring colors? Where is a good plain yellow instead of that weird goldish tri-coat mess? Why not Competition Orange for everyone?Instead, whenever Ford bangs the drum about some new colors, it=92s a slight variation of some existing dark red, blue, or silver that already exists. Have you seen the all new Lava Red for 2012? It=92s the kind of mud soup that belongs on a Buick. Wake up Dearborn, this isn=92t some Camry that has to appeal to the Consumer Reports crowd!
Lastly, the Mustang has just gotten too damn expensive. Yeah everything has gone up. But in all the great work Ford has done to improve every aspect of the Mustang in the past decade they are pushing it close into BMW territory when you get a GT and a nice load of options. Where is a true base model? You would think in these times Ford would have thought to offer a model below the current =93base=94 than its current loaded up starting point. People have clamored for an LX or GTS equivalent, but nothing to answer that market has come along since the mid 1990=92s.
And while a Mustang V6 can be optioned to sticker well over $30,000 Ford insists on continuing to style it like the lesser breed. It has a more demure if not lame look that screams to the world, =93I didn=92t buy the V8=94. You can buy a V6 Camaro that looks exactly like a V8 SS, wheels, body and all without the embarrassment in the bull ring. Even the new Hyundai Genesis Coupe in base 4-cylinder trim is every bit as mean and cool looing as the V6. In fact, you can=92t hardly tell them apart visually.
While Ford is busy looking a couple years to the future for Mustang=92s replacement in 2014-2015, it would benefit them to at least look toward the current Mustang and offer up some simple affordable excitement, some special editions, and a few simple bright colors instead of $1500 rebates. Spend some marketing money and get one placed in a movie or TV show. And puuuh-leez,=85. do not put MyFord Touch in the Mustang.
Patrick