New Mustang: A week to go

Ford’s first global Mustang will make its world debut precisely a week from now, but be prepared for a late night next Thursday.

As we’ve reported, Sydney and five other cities – New York, Dearborn, Los Angeles, Barcelona and Shanghai – will play host to a simultaneous international premiere of the sixth-generation Mustang on December 5.

Motoring.com.au understands the all-new pony car will be revealed, at least partially, in the first three official images at 4:00pm next Thursday, before the full formal reveal takes place later that night.

Much later, it seems, because the official unveiling, supported by a live YouTube stream, will not occur until 11:30pm Sydney time in order for it to co-incide with the main reveal in New York at 7:30am local time (16 hours behind AEST).

The ABC’s morning talk show, Good Morning America, has announced it will host the live reveal of the Mustang from NYC’s Times Square TV show at the same time it appears in Australia, China and Spain.

For the Sydney event, Ford Australia has air-freighted an example of the first Mustang to be produced in right-hand drive form ex-factory, although the vehicle in question will be left-hand drive since no RHD versions have yet been built.

Apart from revealing the car, Ford will reveal key powertrain details and its Australian rollout plans for the new Mustang, which is expected on sale here in 2015.

In attendance for the invite-only unveiling at Sydney’s Australian Technology Park will be Ford’s Global Powertrain Chief, Bob Fascetti, and its Asia Pacific Product Development Vice-President, former Ford Australia product chief Trevor Worthington.

Key Ford Motor Company executives including president and CEO Alan Mulally and chief operating officer Mark Fields, both of who were in Australia for a ‘Go Further’ future product preview in August, are expected to host the US-based Mustang reveals.

However, global marketing boss Jim Farley, said at last week’s Los Angeles motor show that he’ll be outside the US for the Mustang reveal.

“Mustang has come to be much more than just a car for its legions of fans spanning the globe,” he said.

“When I talk to my grandsons, I want to tell them I was outside the US when we launched the first global Mustang.”

Ford announced in August that the Mk6 Mustang will be officially sold in Australia, making it the first Mustang available here since 2003, when Ford’s local performance partner Tickford converted the last of a limited number to RHD.

The original Mustang, which emerged in April 1964 based on the North American Falcon launched in 1960, was also converted in Australia for local consumption.

The Mustang celebrates its 50th anniversary year in 2014 and has found more than 8.5 million homes since then.

The Mk6 model, the first to be sold in Europe, will ride on an all-new platform and wear dramatic new sheetmetal inspired by the 2011 EVOS concept.

Ford’s first completely overhauled pony car since 2005 will initially be available only in 2+2 coupe form, but will again be joined by a convertible.

The new ‘Stang is expected to be priced from as low as $45,000 in 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol form.

A circa-320kW V8-powered Mustang is also certain to be sold here, although it’s unclear if the mid-range 230kW 3.7-litre V6 version – or the rumoured 500kW supercharged 5.8-litre Shelby GT500 -- will make it Down Under.

The Mustang will become Ford Australia’s performance flagship following the axing of the Broadmeadows-built Falcon – and XR6 and XR8 variants thereof – by 2016.

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