Ford recently unveiled the sixth generation Mustang and priced it at a base price of $24,425 in the US. The American automaker has also opened up a new facility at Denzil Kobbekaduwa Mawatha, Battaramulla in Sri Lanka. This facility comprises of sales and service departments both under a s single roof. While the showroom has a capacity to display 12 cars, the service area can handle up to 14 cars at a time. Since Ford is witnessing a growth in its customer base in Sri Lanka, the manufacturer is planning to expand its service network to other parts of Sri Lanka outside Colombo. The company has also made it clear that it will be launching the 2015 Mustang in Sri Lanka.
The 2015 Ford Mustang is available with three engine options – 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine producing more than 305 HP of power and 406 Nm of torque, 5.0-litre V8 unit churning out more than 420 HP of power and 528 Nm of torque and a 3.7-litre V6 engine producing more than 300 HP of power and 366 Nm of torque. These engines are mated to either a 6-speed MT or a 6-speed AT with paddle shifters. The base variant of the 2015 Mustang comes with a 3.7-litre V6 powerplant. The new Mustang also comes loaded with eight airbags, independent front and rear suspension, rear camera and a host of other goodies.
The move to launch the Mustang in Sri Lanka is a part of Ford’s celebrations for the iconic muscle car completing 50 years of production. The Mustang will be imported to Sri Lanka via the CBU route and it is likely that India will also witness the official entry of the Mustang in 2015. The Mustang will be priced at approximately Rs. 40 lakhs (ex-showroom) after adding up all of the duties and taxes which amount to 170% of the value of the car. The on-road price for the base V6 variant will be in the range of Rs. 50 lakhs.
The Mustang should see decent number of sales in India, taking into consideration that it has no real competition. At Rs. 50 lakhs, you get base variants of luxury sedans like the Mercedes E-Class, BMW 5-Series and Audi A6 while the Mustang is in a completely different league. The Ford Mustang will indirectly compete with the Audi S4 since the S4 offers a blend of performance and luxury. The Indian market will also see some other performance oriented vehicles getting launched in the near future.
