Ford Mustang sold out, possibly until new generation

Australia’s favourite sports car, the Ford Mustang, may have become a victim of its own success, with high demand and production constraints leading to long waits for patient customers and Ford dealers unable to provide delivery times for new orders.

In fact, while Ford Australia won’t comment on future products, some dealers have told carsales that no unsold Mustangs are due to arrive Down Under until the seventh-generation model is launched locally.

Given the all-new Ford Mustang, codenamed S650, is widely expected to be released in the US next year, that may not be until 2023.

Last month Ford Australia told carsales its Mustang waiting list was currently stretching well into next year.

“Demand for our segment-leading Mustang continues to be strong,” it said in a statement on October 12. “We have limited stock of Mustangs, with waiting periods on most variants into Q1 2022.”

However, last week Ford indicated that has now slipped closer to mid-2022, given continued strong demand and production impacts from the global computer chip shortage.

“Supply of Mustang is limited due to ongoing production constraints caused by COVID-19 and the global semi-conductor shortage,” said Ford Australia product communications manager Ben Nightingale.

“Demand remains high and we look forward to welcoming MY22 Mustang in Q2 next year. We have no news regarding next-generation Mustang at this time.”

Ford Mustang sales are up 4.4 per cent to October this year in Australia, with almost 2500 sales equating to a huge 55 per cent share of the sub-$80,000 sports car segment.

But local Mustang registrations plunged from a high of 437 in June to 142 in July and just 45 in August, before rebounding to 215 in September and 269 in October.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, several Ford dealers told carsales that stock of the fabled muscle car was drying up with just 272 examples set to be produced for our market in November and none in December or January.

They said February should see a much-needed injection of 400 units – presumably all MY22 models – roll off the production line.

However, all of these vehicles – as well as the Mustangs already on their way here – have been spoken for.

The general consensus among the dealers we spoke with was that customers would face a six- to eight-month wait if they ordered a new Mustang in January (2022).

But many Ford dealers said they have stopped advising potential Mustang customers of waiting times for new orders amid the still-worsening global semi-conductor crisis and subsequent supply shortage.

We managed to track down one particular Mustang GT buyer who placed their order back in May when they were told the car would arrive by Christmas, but is yet to be given a production allocation.

And multiple Ford dealers across Australia indicated there will be no more unallocated Mustangs headed to Australia until the new-generation S650 version arrives either late in 2022 or early 2023.

Following the axing of all mainstream Focus variants, that could see Ford lose its most popular passenger model – and leave the upcoming MY22 Focus ST hot hatch range as the only actual car in Blue Oval showrooms – until the new Mustang arrives.

Of course, Ford is about to reveal an all-new replacement for its top-selling model, the Ranger ute, but first local deliveries won’t take place until well into 2022 and supplies of the current model have also slowed from Thailand.

For now, Ford is keeping quiet about its seventh-generation pony car, but the redesigned MY23 Mustang will ride on a new rear-drive platform that’s expected to also offer all-wheel drive for the first time, as well as electrified hybrid versions of its existing 2.3-litre turbo four-cylinder and 5.0-litre naturally-aspirated V8 powertrains.

Rumours both here and in the US point to a mid-2022 global reveal in the US, which was seemingly confirmed by global Ford management in February last year via an online job posting for a ‘Wind/Road Noise and Air Leakage Plant Vehicle Team (PVT) Engineer’.

Whenever the new Mustang emerges, it’s expected to again be produced in both left- and right-hook configurations at Ford’s existing Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan – just like the outgoing S550 model launched as the first global Mustang in 2015.

Stay tuned.