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Roughly a decade ago, Ford made a massive decision that is still rippling its way through the auto market today. The automaker, one of America’s “Big Three” carmakers, decided it had had enough of cars.
Apparently, some key company employees looked over Ford's auto offerings and decided that Ford would concentrate on trucks and SUVs. With the exception of the Ford Mustang, the automaker pulled itself out of much of the auto business so it could concentrate on trucks.
Experts Wondered Why Ford Changed Direction
Experts looked at this move, and while a few did scratch their heads over the issue, they agreed that Ford was making an intelligent move as trucks and SUVs were where the money was. Dealers liked the move as it guaranteed them lots of profit.
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Notice, though, that the automaker did maintain one car in its lineup: the Mustang, which is now entering its seventh decade as the leading sports car in the country. This position was confirmed by 2023 U.S. registrations. The Mustang was also the best-selling sports car globally for more than a decade.
According to Ford, more than 59,000 customers took delivery of their Mustangs in 2023. These customers contributed to the nearly 1 million pony cars that Ford has delivered in the last decade. In 2023, the automaker’s success was driven by the rollout of the all-new seventh-generation Mustang in North America.
“We’ve sold more Mustangs in our history than the population of major cities like Chicago, London, or Seoul,” said Jeff Marentic, general manager of North America/Global Truck, Family, and Enthusiast Vehicles. “As we get set to celebrate Mustang’s 60th anniversary, that same passion and excitement continues with our seventh-generation Mustang, now headed to customers in 85 markets worldwide.” You can bet that customers outside the U.S. market are waiting for their turn to purchase the seventh-generation Mustang.
The 60th anniversary of the Mustang
One thing to note is that this is the 60th anniversary of the Mustang. This week, the automaker will debut a memorable Vermillion Red and Ebony logo for the anniversary model. It was inspired by the badging and wheel center caps on the Mustang that debuted at the 1964 World’s Fair at the New York Auto Show. (The Mustang debuted at that World’s Fair, which your author attended as a young man. The key to the original Mustang was its start-off simplicity. There were only a couple of models available then.
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(There was a hardtop model, a convertible, and that was it. It was rear-wheel-drive only. The original powerplant was a straight six that turned out to be about 200 horsepower. No one who looked at the Mustang in 1965 knew how the model would change the automotive world forever.)
(One thing you might have noticed after the debut of the first-generation Mustang is that it was already featured on a television show starring Ephram Zimbalist.
(It was the FBI series of that era. If you had also listened carefully to the spiels about the new Mustang, you would have heard it was called a “secretary’s car,” as it didn’t have any V-8 power at first, and while it may seem sexist, the idea of a car dedicated to women made sense (at that time). The straight six was a competent powerplant. It was used in other Ford products like the Mercury Comet. It started immediately and handled anything that nature could throw at it. (If you looked closely at the Comet/Mustang, you might have noticed that it fit in the same general space as another sporty model, the Maverick (which at the time was a car), not a major compact truck as it is today).
(This is because though Ford had a different team selling the Mercury Comet, the automaker still wanted to maximize its investment and so the Comet appeared. Later on it was used in a sporty rendition of the Maverick – not the pickup that keeps winning awards with good reason.
Automaker Gives Edition Its Own Colors
As part of Mustang’s 60th anniversary, Ford this week debuts a special Vermillion Red and Ebony Black logo, inspired by the badging and wheel center caps on the Mustang that debuted at the 1964 World’s Fair at the New York Auto Show. Seventh-generation Mustang owners can celebrate the 60th anniversary with an exclusive new feature coming to their cars around April 17. Owners must turn on ‘Automatic Software Updates’ in the ‘Settings’ menu through their vehicle’s SYNC 4 touchscreen to receive this special feature.
The all-new, seventh-generation Mustang is the latest chapter for the icon, delivering the looks, sound and appeal. Whether convertible or coupe, V8 or turbocharged 4-cylinder, manual or automatic, Mustang has options at multiple price points and performance levels. The new Mustang can also be seen racing circuits and series all over the world with Dark Horse R, Mustang GT3 and Mustang GT4.
Ford Motor Photo
Marc Stern has been an automotive writer since 1971. His automotive articles have appeared in venues including Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, Special Interest Autos, and others. You can follow Marc on Twitter or Facebook.
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