will ford and svt listen????

[ON D BIT]

generally the money spent on r and d and testing is figured into the final numbers per car that is based on projected yearly sales. this means the profit ford is counting on the gt500 already includes r and d and testing cost.

an example would be 100 million for research design and testing a car.

if they sold about 30k cars over that run the cost or rd and testing would be about 3k per car. i will also say that the gt500 was a fairly simple build for ford. they have the chasis. the motor is very close to the ford gt engine. add the new tranny clutch, add brakes tune the suspension and your done. not cheap but still fairly routine. the r and d for the brand new 05 mustang cost a lot more!

 

[DBK]

but they need to make more on a low production car to recoup the R&D costs, right? 10K shelbys vs. 100k taurus, i doubt that ford will make more off of the shelbys, unless im really missing something here.

Typically low volume cars make no money. The Ford GT barely made money. The Viper has lost money for 15 years. The R&D they spent on the GT500 was made up in profit almost immediately. Of course they make more on much higher volume cars, but not on a per vehicle basis. 10,000 GT500's makes drastically more money for the company than 10,000, uh, Taurii....

 

[Ry_Trapp0]

thats my point, ford needs to get the mainstream cars, crossovers, and SUVs back on track, and i dont think its too much to ask for some of us to wait a few years to get our 3500lb 400NA HP mustang so they can get them back on track. hell, the only reason ford made money the last quarter is because they unloaded aston martin.

 

[ON D BIT]

thats my point, ford needs to get the mainstream cars, crossovers, and SUVs back on track, and i dont think its too much to ask for some of us to wait a few years to get our 3500lb 400NA HP mustang so they can get them back on track. hell, the only reason ford made money the last quarter is because they unloaded aston martin.

and my point is that during r and d and production of the gt500 ford did not stop work on the edge, the new 250's, the new 09 150's then new ford flex, etc, etc.


just because they our working on a special interest car/truck does not mean they are abondoning every other car or future car on thier line!

 

[ON D BIT]

Typically low volume cars make no money. The Ford GT barely made money.

the ford gt would have made a bunch more money if they did not rush it to production? correct me if i am wrong

 

[mosconiac]

I'm interested to hear how the FGT was rushed into production. I hadn't heard of problems with it...outside of (I think) an a-arm problem very early on. Did I miss a rash of problems?

 

[Ry_Trapp0]

and my point is that during r and d and production of the gt500 ford did not stop work on the edge, the new 250's, the new 09 150's then new ford flex, etc, etc.


just because they our working on a special interest car/truck does not mean they are abondoning every other car or future car on thier line!

wow, that seems to work perfect! that must be why toyota is where they are at the momentoke:

 

[04mellowyellow]

Hear me out on this one. "We" say the world needs [fill in the blank here] and when they listen, we don't buy it. "We" dream a lot and think we can out arm-chair quarterback the Big Three. "We" can't understand why they don't listen to our whims.

Meanwhile, "We" are a few thousand people. A Global enterprise such as Ford must appeal to millions to make a $.

We should be thankful they listen at all and make such niche cars as the the '00R, '03/04 Cobra, the '07/08 GT500, the Ford GT and a handful of other low production cars.

"We" all wanted the 2-seater T-Bird to return. Ford built it in mass and it was a sales failure.

"We" all wanted the Holden to come to America. GM brought it in mass and it was a sales failure.

"We" all wanted an entry-level Shelby. Shelby put together the SGT using every part from the FRPP parts bin and sales are luke warm. There are some sitting on the lots.

I could go on, but we all remember the other niche cars that failed.

"We" should all be rejoicing that we can go down to our local dealer and purchase a supercharged, 5.4L (!) Mustang with 500hp, air conditioning, big brakes, 6-speed, solid axle,...,etc. Take a trip down memory lane (say 10-15 years ago) and remember how we said Ford doesn't listen and they would NEVER build a 500hp Mustang. It's here today. This IS the golden era...until Ford builds that 600hp Mustang.

you hlt the nail in the head :bash:

 

[ON D BIT]

wow, that seems to work perfect! that must be why toyota is where they are at the momentoke:

what in the world are you talking about? throughout this thread you say ford should worry about mass produced cars/trucks over and over and over. yet you have not shown one bit of evidence that ford has forgotten about, or stopped creating and engineering mass produced cars and trucks.

fact is they have not stopped building those high volume cars and trucks you constantly refer to. i also see more comercials on the edge and fusion and ford trucks than i see on the gt500. this means they are marketing thier mass produced cars way more than the mustang or gt500!:dw: no ford has not stopped building and designing thier bread and butter despite what you believe!

 

[ON D BIT]

I'm interested to hear how the FGT was rushed into production. I hadn't heard of problems with it...outside of (I think) an a-arm problem very early on. Did I miss a rash of problems?

i believe it was created in 18 months or about half the time it normally takes to completely engineer and design a brand new vehicle ground up.

 

[jimmy77]

Ford has kept up with their bread and butter vehicles. The problem is HONDA (CIVIC) and TOYOTA (COROLLA) and not long kia and huyundai....sell umpteen more compacts then Ford....and this segment is only gonna get bigger because of gas prices. I actually think Ford has a pretty solid lineup excpet for the Fusion/focus. Ford REALLY needs to dump some bucks into those segments or at least (as an above poster stated) bring over the euro stuff. I still want a "compact" mustang that gets good gas mileage with a 4 banger I can revv the crap out of....like I used to do to my 2.3 liter.

 

[93SVTCobra]

ford needs a lightweight high power all motor mustang! and they need it to be here before they lose their customer base to the camaro/challenger competitors. this means ford has 12 months or less before this market segment goes from nothing to a variety of choices!

WHAT WE WANT!!!!
400 horsepower naturally aspirated power plant
3400 pound mustang
svt brakes
svt tuned suspension
34k-37k price point


will ford capitalize on this market segment that currently offers not one car???????

Do you honestly expect the Camaro and Challenger to be lightweight?

I'm not disagreeing with missing this segment but to imply that the Camaro and Challenger are going to meet the above criteria isn't exactly realistic given the weights of the chassis they are built off......

 

[Streetpwr281]

Buy Ford stock today and watch Alan Mullaly and his management team bring all the compact cars/cuv's, mid-sized cars/cuv's, and more fuel efficient vehicles that are glaringly needed to the market by 2010. Completely redesigned F-150 for 2009 as well. At $8.87 a share its a bargain and I can see this rising to $15 - $20 a share by mid-2009.

Ford has done great with the GT-500 IMHO. 500hp, 6-spd, solid rear, big brakes, brought back Shelby heritage, and MSRP of $43k - $46k. The ADM fees give folks a sour taste but those will wain through the winter. At MSRP this car is a great buy for a true Ford performance enthusiast.

btw - The 08' Taurus/Sable is a better car than alot of the general public gives it credit for. Great crash test rating, 3.5L 263-hp engine, 6-spd automatic, and tons of passenger/storage space for a sedan. Read the professional reviews of the car and you'll see its a big improvement from the 500/Montego of 07'.

To the original question, I think Ford could offer a hopped up aluminum block 3 valve 5-liter variant of the current Mustang GT engine with larger front brakes and FRPP suspension for ~ $35k - $39k MSRP. Not sure it'll happen but I can see the demand for such. Easy enough to make your best deal on a stock Mustang GT and then have a reputable tuner/shop do it though. Then you can get exactly what you want specific to your needs.

At any rate, GO FORD!

 

[69cobrajet]

Do you honestly expect the Camaro and Challenger to be lightweight?

I'm not disagreeing with missing this segment but to imply that the Camaro and Challenger are going to meet the above criteria isn't exactly realistic given the weights of the chassis they are built off......

True,but the difference is those cars will not need a blower to make power.

 

[ON D BIT]

Do you honestly expect the Camaro and Challenger to be lightweight?

I'm not disagreeing with missing this segment but to imply that the Camaro and Challenger are going to meet the above criteria isn't exactly realistic given the weights of the chassis they are built off......

no actually! was not trying to refer that at all. when those new cars hit, i expect the n/a camaro to be terminator weight and the the blown camaro and challenger to be 3800+.

i do expect a stripper camaro to come out but that will be a while.

 

[93SVTCobra]

I'm confused then by your original request. Are you asking Ford to come out with a car that meets your original specs to compete against the Camaro and Challenger or just to give Ford some buzz when their vehicles are in their first year?

One thing that every forgets to mention is the last time that ford came out with a stripper Mustang (the GTS back in 95-98) they sold poorly because everyone wanted all the options. I hate to say this but even if there was a stripper ordered with a 400 hp N/A engine I think the market for it is pretty small. I don't disagree that there are people that will buy it and if you put a poll up here everyone will say they will but when the car comes out I'll bet the VAST majority of people won't put their money where their mouth is. You just have to look at the take rate of the Shaker 500 & 1000 audio systems to see that the majority of people don't give a damn about weight.

Once again I'll go on record as stating I'd LOVE to see a Mustang with the options you requested I just fail to see the relevance in releasing it before the Camaro and Challenger come to market......

 

[eci]

no comments????

the s197 mustang would be sweet with the same horsepower as the 03 svt mustang with 200lbs less weight! it would make a great track car!

Would it hit peak torque at 2000 RPMs like the 03? No. "same horsepower" means nothing. It's all about the torque curve.

 

[eci]

how many terminators were produced, not even 15K right

Over 18,000

 

[ON D BIT]

I'm confused then by your original request. Are you asking Ford to come out with a car that meets your original specs...

i am asking for a more powerful mustang gt. one that does not add wieght. but i just heard that the new 08 mustang gt weigh more than the 05 mustang gt. oh well! :shrug:

the reason i brought the camaro and challenger into the mix is that both will have a number of v8 engine options. the camaro will be the ls3 425hp and 550hp blown. the challenger i am assuming will come with the option for either the 425hp 6.1 or the 500hp 6.4 hemis.

now interms of marketing, you will not see power to weight ratio or torque listed. because of this fact most sales will be because of the hp, and indeed the mustang gt will lose badly. remember the new mustang with the boss engines will not arrive until the 2010 or 2011 model year! they will lose a ton of mustang gt sales if they dont up power today!


IMPORTANT
in summery. ford has the golden opportunity to be first to market with a high power low cost 09 mustang gt. if they do this they can effectively steal sales from this market segment because the mustang gt is the first on the lot. selling points: on the lots today, below msrp sale prices, 380+hp. with a 40hp a 5-10k price difference you can sway a lot of buyers towards the mustang. with 110hp difference people would be glad to pay the extra 5-10k difference in purchasing the challenger or camaro. ideally this mustang gt would be sweet if it has a better power to weight ratio than the ls3 camaro!

 

[Ry_Trapp0]

what in the world are you talking about? throughout this thread you say ford should worry about mass produced cars/trucks over and over and over. yet you have not shown one bit of evidence that ford has forgotten about, or stopped creating and engineering mass produced cars and trucks.

fact is they have not stopped building those high volume cars and trucks you constantly refer to. i also see more comercials on the edge and fusion and ford trucks than i see on the gt500. this means they are marketing thier mass produced cars way more than the mustang or gt500!:dw: no ford has not stopped building and designing thier bread and butter despite what you believe!

im sorry, but are you really that ignorant? do you take every single word at face value???

im pretty damn sure that its relatively obvious that im sayin FORD NEEDS TO BUILD BETTER CARS! i never said they need to produced more cars, hell, there are dozens of brand new "taurus"s sitting on lots around here! THEY NEED QUALITY VEHICLES, NOT YOUR DREAM CAR THAT ONLY CAR ENTHUSIASTS WOULD BUY! THE TAURUS SUCKS, THE FUSION IS BLAND, THE TAURUS X IS HORRIBLE, THE EDGE HAS GOTTEN SOME LACK-LUSTER REVIEWS, THE SUVs ARE BEING OUT PERFORMED IN PERFORMANCE AND SELLS BY THE COMPETITION, THE NEW DURAMAX AND CUMMINS OUT PERFORM THE NEW POWERSTROKE(read the head to head in road side pub), THE FOCUS IS 7 YEARS OLD AND WAY BEHIND THE COMPETITION, THE RANGER IS, WHAT, 15 YEARS OLD? AND HOW OLD IS THE PANTHER PLATFORM? ANCIENT!

yet you think this low production mustang should be priority. dude, get real. i cant believe that i actually have to spell out common sense to you! the only markets that ford still has the lead in is the truck market(although i wouldnt be surprised if they fell to GM and chysler in the 3/4-1 ton market) and musclecar(you know, since they are pretty much the only one in that one). say what you want, but ford does NOT need to produce anything like this right now. they need a revoloutionary car like the original taurus(not me saying that, its the media), they need a top dog SUV like when the explorer came out, they need a truck that can dominate the below-1/2 market, they need a compact that actually brings something new to the table, and they need a new damn rear wheel drive sedan! if you cant see that then your blind.