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iTrader: (3)

With the many headlines of shrinking sales figures at Ford in the last year, one of the cars in their lineup that has been performing well on the showrooms is Mustang. In 2006, 166,530 Mustangs were sold which was an increase from 2005 by about 5,500 cars. This might seem good on the surface but much of that increase can be attributed to the 2007 Shelby GT-500 models. Overall, Mustang is doing far better than models like the Five Hundred which has seen a 50% drop in sales in January.

In January there was a shift which showed that Mustang was moving out a little bit slower than Ford would like however. Sales for January were off some 10% over last year at this time. While one month is not enough to spell a trend, Ford isn’t taking any chances.


The 2007 Mustang is largely unchanged since the 2005 launch and while it is a beautiful car, the design is starting to become commonplace. Ford has been doing all the right things, adding new colors, option packages, and special editions. But when push comes to shove, a little financial enticement never hurts to get people motivated to come down, test drive, and buy.


In the short term Ford has announced new incentives and special financing programs on Mustang that should make getting into a new 2007 model a little easier. On 2007 Mustang V6 models there is a $1000 cash back incentive. For GT Models, you can get $1000 back on 5-speed cars and $645 on GT’s equipped with an automatic. Not bad.


If the cash offers aren’t your bag, you can opt for special financing options which range from 2.9 to 6.9% APR depending on the model and term length. While these programs are not as exciting as the 0% for 72 months that was offered last summer, they are still far and away better than bank rate financing. At current the special incentives and APR offers are good through April 2nd, 2007.


The good news is that selection of Mustang V6 and GT models has never been better. A quick look at our local dealer lots shows a huge inventory of well optioned Mustangs equipped with all the desired options, all the popular colors, and of course with many of the various packages that Mustang enthusiasts are after. These include the GT/CS, GT Appearance Group and Pony packages that step up the visuals.


In the long term, we expect that Ford will be offering a couple more tape stripe and appearance option packages on the current Mustang until the new model arrives for the 2010 model year. The 2008 Bullitt Mustang was announced last fall and should be making its debut any time soon. A more powerful engine and more aggressive suspension are said to be a part of that. There have been rumors of a Boss Mustang edition to come as well, but nothing official. For 2008 we are also on the lookout for a couple of new colors.
On the higher end, Shelby and Ford are said to be cooking up a convertible version of the Shelby GT-H and likely the Shelby GT. These models will be limited in production and availability will really serve in the big picture to drive showroom traffic more than actual sales. The Shelby GT-500 is planned for production through 2009 largely unchanged with exception of a few updates.


Back to the present, right now could very well be the best time this year to be looking for a new 2007 Mustang. With the financial incentives and the massive selection out there right now they are ripe for the picking. There is no reason you would have to settle for a color or option package you don’t want and dealers are willing to negotiate like nobody’s business. Granted, late summer will likely see even bigger discounts and incentives but you will be scrambling for colors and options that everyone else has passed over.
You can get full details on the FordVehicles.com website for incentives and APR programs in your region. Of course, the Shelby GT-500 and Shelby GT models are not eligible for incentives, let alone any discounts.