Pretty flattering numbers for Team Mustang.

---From BON---

It was exactly four years ago this month that I wrote an article for
BlueOvalNews titled "Mustang Remains Best Selling Coupe," where I
illustrated that after nearly 40 years on the market, Ford's Mustang
typically leads the sales chart among coupes. Now, with an all-new
design, Mustang appears to be on track to continue pacing the coupe
segment.

Media reporting, unimaginative at best, seems to be overlooking
Mustang's resurgent popularity. It seems to be more fashionable to tout
the Japanese companies gains, but Mustang is at the least, equally as
strong this year. Consider the month of April, when Mustang had a 25.9
percent sales gain, equal to Toyota's gain. Even more noteworthy is the
yearly comparison where Mustang has gained 19.2 percent in contrast to
Toyota's 13.6 percent gain.

Media coverage is just as wretchedly fixated on clamoring over the
success of the Chrysler 300, especially crediting the car with the
lions-share of DaimlerChrysler's 5.4 percent, four-month sales gain.
What they fail to mention is that in the four-month comparison between
this year and last, is that this year, the 300 has had four full months
of sales, while last year, it had just entered the market in March.
Therefore, the 300's 35,000-unit gain over last year does
unquestionably add to DC's bottom line sales tally.

Contrasting the Chrysler 300, Mustang had a full 12 months of sales
last year, so achieving a comparable sale gain would be phenomenal.
However, to Mustang's credit, it does have a 10,000-unit gain over last
year.

Regardless, my point is more clearly illustrated by presenting raw
sales data. The Chrysler 300 has four-month sales this year of 49,089;
the Mustang stands at a greater, 61,820. April sales were 12,837 for
the 300, while Mustang had sales of 19,559 in April. Based upon all the
hoopla surrounding the 300's success, I had been under the impression
that it was the market's only triumphant sales story. But if the 300 is
defined as a success, then the Mustang must be a grand slam home run.

At this point it may be worth considering how Mustang fits within the
context of total U.S. car sales. If the newly redesigned Mustang is a
success as I've implied, then it should be illustratable not only in
unit sales, but it should also have achieved a larger percentage of
overall market sales. Since the new model was only on the market for a
couple of months at the end of 2004, any measurement of success will
only be notable in 2005 sales data.

It is clearly revealed in the table below that the all-new Mustang is
enjoying phenomenal success in the marketplace this year. Mustang has
achieved 2.4% of the U.S. car market in the first four months of 2005,
far better than any of the previous 15 years, as is confirmed in the
following tabulation.

While the Chrysler 300 may be the media darling when it comes to sales
reporting, Mustang madness continues to roar through the streets of
America.
---

Patrick
'93 Cobra