Mustangs................

[bradRS]

Interesting...so when are the new engines going to start being available?
I figure sooner than later now that Mustang sales are suffering due to "old" engines.
Do I hear a 2010.5 model Mustang coming?

[Andro]

It will sure be a contender with the V6 Camaro

[Axe]

Wow.....while not a fan of the back end, I would take it over a Corsica, Beretta, Lumina, or all those other visually unappealing, butt ugly-forgettable cars GM clogged the dealerships with in years past.

[linkwpc]

I want to put that V6 into my 2000 V6 mustang. That would be very fast!

[CynAgain]

From the Detroit Free Press:

November 30, 2009


Reloaded 2011 Mustang to take on Camaro

Ford pumps up iconic muscle car


BY BRENT SNAVELY
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

The 2011 Ford Mustang to be unveiled at this week's Los Angeles auto show will offer a more powerful engine and improved fuel efficiency so the iconic muscle car might remain America's favorite.

The base model 2010 Mustang has a 210-horsepower V6 engine. That's a lot less than the 304 horses available in General Motors' base model Chevrolet Camaro.

The Camaro has been gaining in popularity since it went back on sale in March after a nearly 7-year hiatus.

Through October, General Motors Co. sold 47,233 Camaros -- 9,236 shy of Mustang. Given its strong performance, Camaro might even outsell Mustang this year.

But Ford Motor Co. said its new 3.7-liter aluminum V6 engine, mated to a new 6-speed automatic transmission for the 2011 Mustang, will deliver 305 horsepower and offer a 25% improvement in fuel efficiency.

So if Mustang loses its No. 1 spot this year, Ford might reclaim the crown with its 2011 model, which is to go on sale in the spring.

Reloaded Mustang to take on Camaro

With the 2011 Ford Mustang, Ford Motor Co. is gunning for its archrival, General Motors Co.'s Chevrolet Camaro.


Ford said it believes the new Mustang, which is to be unveiled at this week's Los Angeles auto show and go on sale this spring, will retake the leading monthly sales position from Camaro because it has reloaded the iconic muscle car with a new engine and transmission that adds 90 horsepower and a 25% improvement in fuel efficiency.


The Dearborn automaker also said it thinks it can market the Mustang to customers younger than those who traditionally buy the car.


To appeal to younger customers, Ford plans to market its technology, such as a message center in the instrument cluster and blind-spot mirrors, as well as the Mustang's power and improved fuel efficiency.


"We're addressing the new customer, the younger customer, and we're also going to go after Camaro," Dave Pericak, chief nameplate engineer for the Mustang, told journalists last month.


The battle between the two cars dates back to 1966, when the original Camaro went on sale -- two years after the first Mustang -- but temporarily was put on hold when GM ended production of the Camaro in 2002.


GM brought the Camaro back this spring, and the battle has resumed, with the Camaro outselling the Mustang for the last five months.


GM said the Camaro is on pace to outsell the Mustang this year for the first time since 1985. Through October, GM had sold 47,233 Camaros -- 9,236 shy of the Mustang, according to Autodata Corp. The Camaro went on sale in March.


Jim Hall, managing director of 2953 Analytics in Birmingham, said Ford's Mustang was doing fine until its lackluster base-model engine was exposed by the new Camaro.


The base model 2010 Mustang -- built at Ford's assembly plant in Flat Rock -- has a 210-horsepower V6 engine, versus 304 horsepower for the base model V6 in the Camaro.


Ford said its new 3.7-liter, aluminum V6 engine and a new 6-speed automatic transmission for the 2011 Mustang will deliver 305 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. Ford will build the engine at its recently retooled Cleveland Engine Plant.


"The base Mustang V6 was a very unfortunate engine," Hall said. "Now they have an engine ... that is worthy."


In addition to power, Ford said fuel efficiency will be a big selling point for the 2011 Mustang.


With the help of a new automatic transmission, Ford said it expects the Mustang to be rated at 30 miles per gallon on the highway and 19 in the city. That beats the comparable 2009 automatic Camaro, which gets 29 m.p.g. on the highway and 18 in the city.


"We are the only ones that can provide 30 miles per gallon and 300 horsepower," said Barb Samardzich, Ford's vice president of global powertrain engineering.


Samardzich said she expects that Ford and other manufacturers will continue to find ways to improve vehicle fuel economy without sacrificing power.


"This is just the start," she said.



Contact BRENT SNAVELY: 313-222-6512 or bsnavely@freepress.com

[calflan]

Good news. Every time one of the big 3 makes a move, the other two compete, which means Camaro will get a few nice changes likley in 2012 I'll bet.

The Camaro DEFINITELY gets credit for making Ford make the Mustang better - better mpg and power. What incentive without the Camaro competition ?

As for the trunk, WISH the Camaro had that drop lip in front like the Mustang, but don't care for the rear of the Mustang at all. They had a good thing and have started to screw with what works.

Let's not forget, had it not been for Ford bringing the Mustang back, would the Camaro be here ????... or the Challenger ???

I can't see the Mustang V6 competitor for the Camaro LT handling anything like the Camaro. The high end Mustangs supposedly handle real nice, but at a compettive price vs. the LT, I'll bet the Mustang handling AND BRAKING will not compete.

[alfie43]

From this morning's Detroit Free Press:

http://www.freep.com/article/2009113...take-on-Camaro

A weak article for a Detroit newspaper. No mention of the new 400 hp "Coyote" engine that they hope will challenge Chevy's SS models.
Alfie

[Mr_Draco]

Originally Posted by syr74

Curb weight is only listed as 'below 3500lb' in Performance Package trim and '300lb less than a comparable V6 Camaro'.

But the mustang is still missing the 2012 safety regulations that the Camaro already has. The necessary addons needed to meet this regulation weigh 300-400 lbs.

[gtbaldini]

Competition brings out the best of automakers.

[lil_chef]

yeah i think a $1000 ish increase accross the board will be coming.

[1bad65]

Originally Posted by a_Username

Given the numbers and the lowered curb weight to 3500 lbs, I expect this 2011 V6 to be able to keep up with a current GT.

No way. It still won't have enough torque.

[2010SLVRBULIT]

And at what cost, $30K? no thanks..
besides, that rear end still looks like crap

[AZCamaroFan]

Originally Posted by Black5thgen

Of what, other than a list of cars I would never buy?

Good one!

[1bad65]

Originally Posted by 2010SLVRBULIT

And at what cost, $30K? no thanks..
besides, that rear end still looks like crap

I doubt it. It appears Ford made this V6 Mustang to compete with a V6 Camaro. So I doubt they will price it alot higher than one.

I still don't like the rear ends on the 2010s+, but that interior is nice. You gotta admit that.