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The Ford Ranger Raptor has leapt onto the scene – literally and figuratively – to help secure the future of Ford Performance – at least in the short-term.
That’s because it has been a rough few years for fans of fast Fords. First the locally made V8 and turbocharged six-cylinder Falcons left, and only recently the Focus and Fiesta ST hot hatch duo were axed from the line-up.
That leaves only the new Ranger Raptor and the soon-to-be-replaced Mustang under the ‘performance’ banner on the company’s website.
The catch for Ford Australia is there’s not yet a clear timeframe on when the seventh-generation Mustang will arrive Down Under. The brand has had to close the order books for the current generation ‘Stang because it cannot guarantee supply to meet the demand, given the new model is coming soon.
The new Mustang will likely go on sale in the USA by the end of 2022 or, more likely, early in 2023, but Australians won’t get them until late next year, if everything with the parts supply issue goes to plan. For reference, the previous generation was first unveiled in December 2013 and didn’t hit Australia until 2016.
A Ford Australia spokesperson told CarsGuide that the company may reopen the order books for the current Mustang, but said it was dependent on securing enough cars to meet any demand.
The good news is, as long as Ford can keep building the current model there appears to be enough demand. According to the latest new car sales figures released covering data up to August, the Mustang is still the best-selling sports car in Australia. It may not be taking new orders, but Ford has delivered 1220 new Mustangs in the first eight months of the year, comfortably ahead of the second best-seller, the new Subaru BRZ which has 730 sales.
The challenge for Ford will be to keep customers happy in the face of the continued popularity, not only of the Mustang but also the new Ranger Raptor.
The new petrol-powered super ute enjoys a wait list that stretches nine months, which may turn some buyers away, but does underline its unique appeal.
As long as the company can keep supply of both the Mustang and Ranger Raptor steady, Ford Performance should remain in good health, but there are still some questions about its long-term future the brand needs to answer.
The decision to cut both the Focus and Fiesta hot hatches effectively halves the company’s performance car line-up and there are no immediate plans for replacement – but there is an obvious candidate.
While Ford continues to not commit publicly, behind-the-scenes it’s understood there are advanced plans for the Mustang Mach-E to be added to the local range by 2025. The all-electric SUV with the brand’s most famous nameplate would make an ideal candidate to sit alongside the Ranger Raptor and Mustang coupe and convertible in a three-pronged Ford Performance line-up.
The range-topping Mustang Mach-E GT model makes 358kW and 813Nm, allowing it to run 0-60mph (96km/h) in just 3.5 seconds. Even the non-GT models make 258kW/582Nm, which is enough to make it suitably quick to be part of the Ford Performance line-up.
However, the reason for Ford Australia’s hesitation may once again be the challenge of supply. At the time of writing Ford USA had up to a five month wait time for new deliveries as the Mach-E popularity grows amid the on-going supply chain crisis.
That may mean Australian customers will need to wait longer for the Mach-E to make it down under, but when it does it will represent a much-needed expansion of the Ford Performance range.
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