Ford says Mustang safe

Ford Australia has defended its Mustang sports coupe in the face of crash testing authorities announcing a two-star safety rating.

In a joint announcement this evening (Jan 25), the European and Australasian New Car Assessment Programme [sic] (ANCAP) delivered the two star crash rating for the Mustang GT coupe.

The result is at best disappointing for the flagship performance vehicle. It is the first passenger car to achieve only two stars under the ANCAP scheme since the Chinese-built Chery J11 in 2011.

Mustang is also the first Ford North America ‘domestic’ product to be globalised. To the best of this writer’s knowledge all other ‘One Ford’ global products are essentially European designed vehicles. These include Mondeo/Fusion, Focus, Escape/Kuga and Fiesta.

motoring.com.au detailed ANCAP CEO James Goodwin’s comments regarding the result in a separate news story. It’s fair to say Goodwin was not complimentary re the Mustang’s performance.

In preparation of that story we posed Ford a number of questions. For the avoidance of doubt, we have published new Ford Australia Director of Communications, Martin Günsberg’s answers to those questions below.

motoring.com.au: How long has Ford been aware of these results?
Günsberg: ANCAP advised Ford Australia on January 12 of their intent to use the E-NCAP result.

motoring: Does Ford accept the validity of the test results?
Günsberg: We are disappointed by the Ford Mustang ANCAP rating. Mustang is a safe car meeting, or exceeding, all applicable safety standards globally. Mustang's safety credentials are further demonstrated by the five-star NHTSA NCAP rating awarded in the US as well as a 'good' IIHS rating. The overall Euro NCAP rating is based on four pillars, with a very strong focus on family car safety characteristics and specific safety assist features, which are usually not part of the standard equipment of cars in the Mustang category. Mustang delivered a four-star result for the front occupants and a five-star result for pedestrian safety.  However, the two-star result in the Active Safety Assist pillar determined the overall result of a two-star rating.

motoring: Can you do anything in the short term to upgrade the car?
Günsberg: Ford is committed to continued improvement in vehicle safety, and the 2018 Mustang in Australia will be equipped with driver assistance features such as AEB and Lane Keeping Aid.

motoring: Will Ford Australia fast track changes to improve the Mustang’s safety?
Günsberg: Ford is committed to continued improvement in vehicle safety, and the 2018 Mustang in Australia will be equipped with driver assistance features such as AEB and Lane Keeping Aid.

motoring: Do you expect the car to be retested with the 2018-model safety additions?… If so what rating do you expect to register?
Günsberg: We don’t have any information on this at this stage.

motoring: When will the 2018 Mustang and/or AEB and lane keeping technology be available in Australia?
Günsberg: AEB and Lane Keeping Aid will be standard on the freshened 2018 Mustang available in Australia from mid-2018.

motoring: What advice do you have for Mustang owners concerned with the safety of their car?
Günsberg: Mustang is a safe vehicle. Customers can continue to enjoy their Mustang knowing that it features advanced safety features and a structure designed to manage crash energy under a variety of crash modes. Mustang delivered a four-star result for front adult occupants and a five-star result for pedestrian safety. The Mustang features a suite of advanced safety features including an ‘active’ pop-up bonnet, as well as driver and front passenger airbags, front and passenger knee airbags. It also offers side airbags, side chest airbags and driver/passenger side impact airbags. A driver and front passenger seatbelt reminder system is standard.

motoring: Do you expect sales impact? If so why, if so why not?
Günsberg: The Mustang is a safe vehicle, equipped with advanced safety features and a structure designed to manage crash energy under a variety of crash modes. Mustang delivered a good four-star result for the front occupants, and a five-star result for pedestrian safety. We anticipate continued demand from Australian customers for this great vehicle.

motoring: What impact will this crash rating result have on negotiations with Australian police forces who have shown interest in Mustang?
Günsberg: We are not actively promoting Mustang as a police or fleet vehicle at this stage and we continue to focus on providing all allocated RHD capacity to private customers.