Mustang Buyers Heating Up Ford Showrooms; Sales Up 30%

31 March 1998
Mustang Buyers Heating Up Ford Showrooms; Sales Up 30%

    DETROIT, March 30 -- Spring weather and graduations have
equaled higher Ford Mustang sales since the original pony car was introduced
in the spring of 1964.  This model year, even as fall and winter thermometers
dropped, Mustang buyers were heating up Ford showrooms.
    Mustang sales have increased 30 percent since the beginning of the 1998
model year in October.  With that kind of sales performance, Ford dealers have
flooded the Dearborn Assembly Plant with orders, anticipating that the arrival
of "convertible weather" and graduation celebrations will bring even more
Mustang sales.  Employees at Ford's Dearborn Assembly Plant have been working
maximum weekday overtime since the first week of March.

    Why are Mustang sales so hot?
    "It's a simple formula," said Ross Roberts, Ford Motor Company
vice president and general manager, Ford Division.  "For 1998, we offered the
customer more Mustang for the money.  The customer response was almost
immediate, but the magnitude of the response was greater than we expected."

    Mustang's value has been enhanced for 1998 with several popular items
added as standard equipment, including:

    -- Air conditioning
    -- Premium AM/FM Stereo with cassette and compact disc player
    -- Power windows and door locks
    -- Remote Keyless Entry System
    -- Polished aluminum 15-inch wheels

    In addition, Mustang GT models include:
    -- Power driver's seat
    -- Fog lamps
    -- Rear spoiler
    -- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
    -- Cast aluminum 16-inch wheels

    As a result, the price of a comparably equipped V-6 Mustang coupe is
$1,345 lower than a 1997 model and the V-6 convertible is $1,680 lower.
Special discounts also are available for recent college graduates.
    "A lot of people are graduating to a Mustang," Roberts said.  "Since its
introduction in 1964, Mustang has appealed to a variety of people.  Coupe or
convertible, V-6 or V-8, there's a Mustang for almost every budget.  But they
all have one thing in common:  Mustang buyers like to have fun and their car
is perfectly suited to their lifestyle."

    Mustang has been the best-selling car in its class for 12 consecutive
years.  Nearly 7.5 million Mustangs have been sold in the 34 years since its
introduction.  Mustang debuted April 17, 1964 at the New York World's Fair.
    Information about America's favorite pony car can be accessed at Ford's
web site:  http://www.ford.com.
SOURCE  Ford Motor Company