Ford Mustangs land in Melbourne

A SMALL handful of 2016-model Ford Mustangs have made landfall in Melbourne this week and will be shipped out to dealers by the weekend.

The first batch of cars includes both V6 and V8 convertibles and coupes in a wide variety of colours, and all are currently awaiting customs clearance at Appleton Dock in Melbourne.

The first ship that docked this week is carrying 173 cars, which will be delivered to dealers in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide “within days,” according to Ford Australia.

“We are simply overwhelmed and humbled by the reception to Mustang thus far, which is probably our closest equivalent to the Beatles first trip to Australia,” said Ford Australia president and CEO Graeme Whickman.

Three more ships are expected to dock during December, with approximately 500 cars in total landing before the end of the month.

The Mustang will be sold locally with the choice of a 233kW 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder EcoBoost engine or a 306kW 5.0-litre V8.

The initial shipment comprises 80 per cent coupes with convertibles making up the balance, while V8-powered cars make up 80 per cent of the entire shipment, with the four-cylinder turbo-engined cars making up the balance.

Ford Australia says it is holding more than 4000 orders for the new-generation pony car with deliveries expected to commence in the next week.

“The forward orders make up our total allocation for next year,” said Ford Australia product communications manager Neil McDonald. “We’re working with North America to expedite those deliveries at the moment.” Mr McDonald said the company could not identify the customer who will receive the first car.

“We won’t really be able to tell,” said Mr McDonald. “We’ve had priority customers throughout the process who we’ve kept informed of the car’s progress, but they’ll come off the boat in random order.” He was unable to put a time frame around the next lot of deliveries after the December drop.

“We’ve had our challenges just fulfilling the orders, “ he said. “Getting the next batches through is the priority at the moment.”