Monthly sales fell to three digits. Why can’t the purebred Ford Mustang run anymore in the Chinese market?

In recent years, Chinese people have become more rational in their attitude towards cars, and are surprisingly calm even when facing imported brands. If you don't believe it, just look at the Ford Mustang.

In April this year, Ford launched the Ford Mustang, and the official said that the number of orders exceeded 10,000. However, since May, sales have been declining, and in October there were only 881 units, falling directly to three digits. If compared with domestic hard-core off-road models such as the Leopard 5 and Tank 400 in the same pie chart, the Ford Mustang may not even be counted as a line .

As a hardcore off-road vehicle, the Ford brand should have more advantages than the Leopard 5, Tank 400 and other models. However, its sales volume has not increased but decreased after the new car was launched for a few months, which really puzzled many people.

How did this situation come about?

As a global model in the mid-size SUV market, Ford Mustang has never lacked attention. Long before the term SUV officially appeared, the first generation of Mustang was the first to propose the concept of Sport Utility, and has always enjoyed a good market and reputation abroad.

The Lima launched in China is the latest sixth-generation model. As the first major product of Jiangling and Ford's transformation of the domestic passenger car business, it takes into account the needs of Chinese market users to a certain extent. Marc Lapine, vice president of Jiangling Ford, said, "We have noticed the unique needs of Chinese consumers. They are much more receptive to new technologies than American users and value the sophistication and technological sense of products."

Ma Leping said that although the Lima has undergone a lot of upgrades to suit the preferences of Chinese users after being localized, including adding soft coverings to the interior, 8155 chips and dual 12-inch screens as standard for the entire series, and Baidu maps and L2 driving assistance systems, it is still a true-to-itself, authentic American pure-blooded off-road vehicle.

From the product perspective, the Ford Mustang does have both the attributes of catering to customers and being self-centered.

On the one hand, Ford Mustang caters to the Chinese users' expectations for "individuality". It adopts a modular body design, the roof and frameless doors can be disassembled by yourself, and it provides multiple reserved holes for modification, which fully releases the potential for modification and personalization.

On the other hand, Ford Mustang is also sticking to itself. 2.3L EcoBoost turbocharged engine, engine rated power 202kW, maximum torque 429N·m, with 10AT gearbox;

The approach angle is 45°, the departure angle is 37°, the breakover angle is 26°, and the ground clearance is 273mm. It comes standard with Goodyear 35-inch outer diameter mud tires, a 4.7 rear axle speed ratio, Dana front/rear electronically controlled mechanical differential locks, EMOD intelligent full-time four-wheel drive system, and Bilstein three-stage nitrogen reduction. In addition, it is also equipped with a smarter anti-roll bar disconnect function, which increases the free travel of the single-sided suspension to allow the wheels to maintain maximum contact with the ground, thereby improving the vehicle's passability.

We can intuitively feel that the product strength of this car is actually quite good. If it were put in the era of fuel, it might attract the attention of many players.

Unfortunately, now is the era of new energy, and everyone needs to find a balance between performance, cost, off-road and family use. Such a balance is very embarrassing for the Ford Mustang.

Because, while Ford Mustang can bring good off-road performance, it also needs to invest more in fuel consumption and other aspects. But so far, it only has fuel as a power option, which is difficult to meet the "balance" that Chinese users want.

On the other hand, some of the domestically produced hard-core SUVs that are selling well now are either developing extended-range and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), or playing with pure electric vehicles. In any case, they have basically started to "get electrified".

Ford has sensed this, but is still hesitant. Ma Leping once expressed his concerns about electric off-road vehicles. The thing that he is most unwilling to compromise on is off-road capability, which is the core concept of Liema.

It is undeniable that the problem that Ma Leping is worried about does exist, but as the times change , will Ford's so-called persistence make it become increasingly niche in the market and further away from Chinese users? These are all issues that need to be deeply considered.

Of course, the poor sales of Ford Mustang are not only due to the problem of product compatibility with users. Another factor worth paying attention to is its pricing.

Perhaps it wanted to establish the brand tone at the beginning and be on par with the Jeep Wrangler. When it was first launched, Ford offered a price that exceeded the psychological expectations of many consumers. At that time, this medium-sized hard-core off-road vehicle launched a total of 7 new models, with a price range of 299,800-438,800 yuan.

Ford Motor is unwilling to compete with rivals in the 200,000 yuan red ocean market and compete with Chinese consumers on price. The idea of ​​Ford Mustang is good, but the result is not good. After all, there are many hard-core SUV options in the Chinese market, and for many people, it does not have many unique advantages.

The experience that Ford Mustang can provide can also be provided by many models with higher cost performance. For example, in terms of power performance, Ford Mustang is not stronger than the plug-in hybrid Tank 400 (maximum system power 300kW) and Leopard 5 (comprehensive system power 505kW) in the same class.

In this case, consumers do not need to pay for a logo or a certain brand. After all, with the same budget, you can choose from models such as Tank 300, Tank 400, Tank 500, etc. If you are prepared to spend more than 400,000, you can even try Tank 700.

No matter when, price has a great impact on purchasing decisions. Some time ago, a list of "New Energy Hard-core SUV Sales from January 1 to November 24, 2024" was circulated online. The first place was the Formula Baobao 5, which sold 38,675 units. And this sales volume only began to "soar" after the Formula Baobao 5 adjusted its price.

This shows that, as long as there is nothing wrong with the product's strength, a price that satisfies car consumers can help a car get good sales.

In addition, Ford also has some problems in sales strategy and service. Some consumers reported that some stores are more inclined to recommend long-term loans rather than full payment during the sales process, and the loans are usually not interest-free.

Some people also believe that Ford Mustang has few repair stations, spare parts are not supplied in a timely manner, and the attitude of some dealers is not so satisfactory, so there is no need to spend hundreds of thousands to buy "trouble".

Even though people are somewhat tolerant of car brands, they are not completely irrational when it comes to car purchases. Compared with many emerging off-road SUVs, the Ford Mustang is a bit "old-fashioned" and also has "shortcomings" in sales strategy, pricing strategy, after-sales performance and other aspects. Under such circumstances, it is unlikely to "run" in China, the world's largest auto market. After all, today's Chinese auto consumers are much more knowledgeable than automakers imagine.

Those wild horses who thought they could roam the nine provinces relying on their so-called "pure blood" were mistaken and had made a wrong calculation. Their era was truly over.