Ford forgets it dominates a shrinking segment, fights the wrong opponents
If Ford will cease to make cars in the USA, at least it would continue to make the Mustang. But only if you buy it, right?
Ford decided to kill its cars in the United States, stating that's there's no more interest in them to justify the effort. So, except the Mustang and the Ford Focus Active, you'll have to settle for pick-up trucks, crossovers or SUVs. While the new Focus Active is a wonderful car, the only model that somehow deserves to stay among Ford's best cars is the current Mustang. But don't think that the Mustang is a given!
Its sales dropped by a whopping 23% in 2017 when compared with 2016 in a segment that saw the Camaro lose 7% and the Challenger achieve flat sales. And things will continue in 2018 as well. So, why is Ford comparing its (excellent) Mustang with its direct competitors, when neither of them can compete in sales? The Mustang sold 13,860 more units than the Camaro and 17,329 units more than the Challenger, so there's no chance the Mustang would lose its first place anytime soon. What's more, a Camaro or Challenger buyer would seldom cross the border towards a Mustang, and they know it.
We'd like to see Ford help its customers understand instead that a Mustang is still practical to use as an everyday car and that they need a little bit of fun in their dreary lives, something the Edge or Kuga cannot bring them. We'd also like to see Ford stop promoting fugly crossovers instead of more aerodynamic and much more practical wagons or sedans, but hey, "that's what the market wants", isn't it?
Definitely, go and buy that Mustang today. Who knows, perhaps Ford will kill it too in the next couple of years if sales slumps continue. It's probably the chance of a lifetime.
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