Ford Mustang position still secure despite SUV boom

The Ford Mustang‘s position in this era of SUV craze is as solid as ever, said Mustang marketing head Jim Owens. He told Ford Authority that the sports car segment only commands about 1.2% of the entire industry, but the Blue Oval continues to hold the lion’s share with the Mustang.

While things continue to play in favour for the Mustang, the same can’t be said for the Chevrolet Camaro. The Drive previously reported that sales of the Camaro are “utterly collapsing.” As of July 2020, Camaro sales in the US and Canada have dropped nearly 50% from the previous year, and it gets worse in smaller markets like South Korea, Argentina and Russia.

So clearly, Ford is doing right by the iconic Mustang moniker. In fact, the Detroit automaker is banking on the Mustang name, going as far as to slap it on the new Mach-E electric crossover. The move was considered to be successful, but even Ford recognises that the Mustang moniker can’t work with every car.

Ford’s global brand director for electric vehicles, Jason Castriota recently told Road & Track: “I don’t think the Mustang name can be applied to any form. I certainly wouldn’t envision a Mustang pick-up, for instance. We feel that it’s definitely worth exploring the other potentials for our great brands.”

Despite sports cars commanding just 1.2% of the entire industry, the niche segment is far from obsolete. If anything, it’s here to stay. Just look towards the Toyota Supra, Nissan’s upcoming Z car, the Porsche sports car range, plus the dozens of private luxury automakers that create bespoke marvels like the GMA T.50, Elation Freedom, and Naran Automotive.

So, even though the next-generation Mustang is tipped to share the same platform as the Explorer SUV, rest assured, the legendary pony car will go on living.

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