Goodbye FPV, Hello Mustang

Preparations have begun at John Andrew Ford for the arrival of the new Mustang, with the dealership replacing its FPV sign with a new one featuring the Mustang logo. FPV got axed late last year the marque prepares to close its Australian car-building facilities in 2016, so now the American-built Mustang is taking centre stage at the central-Auckland dealership. Tom Clancy, the communications manager at Ford New Zealand, says the Mustang brand has a life of its own. "It has the largest vehicle Facebook page for a car with 5.5 million likes, and it has its own star on the Hollywood Boulevard, plus a massive amount of enthusiasts." Dealers across the country have already seen high sales of the Mustang ahead of the vehicle's launch in November - with the first shipment already sold out. Neil Macfarquhar, managing director of Hoffman Ford, says: "Mustang arriving at the end of this year is a great shot in the arm for anyone who has blue blood running through their veins. "We are more than happy with the number of deposit paid orders received. It's a very smart move on Ford Motor Company's part to bring this iconic car in RHD to New Zealand. The new Mustang has a recommended retail price starting from $56,990 for the six-speed automatic transmission fastback, which features a high-performance 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine. The range-topper is the six-speed automatic GT five-litre V8 convertible at $76,990. The arrival of the Mustang rounds out a big year for Ford NZ, which is introducing a record number of new vehicles – the largest line-up refresh in its history. Extending the success of the Ranger across the entirety of its line-up, the company has already introduced the new Falcon XR8 and XR6, new Territory, all-new Mondeo, the refreshed Kuga, and the new Focus ST and Focus Wagon. These will soon be followed by the rest of the Focus range, the all-new Everest – a seven-seat 4WD SUV – and the new Ranger.