Modular production process aids RHD business case for next-gen Mustang Shelby GT350 and GT500
The chances of the fire-breathing next-generation 2023 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 and GT500 coming to Australia are growing.
The low-volume Ford Performance models have been denied to Australia because the business case for right-hand drive has not added up.
But now a senior Ford global executive says improved modular production processes for the upcoming S650 Mustang generation have boosted their Aussies prospects.
“Everything is possible with Mustang, for sure,” Ali Jammoul, Ford’s global vehicle director for vehicle programs, Icons and Ford Performance, told carsales.
“The trick is how can you do it in a very economical way.”
The more mainstream versions of the current S550 Ford Mustang coupe and convertible have been on sale in Australia since 2015.
The S650 Mustang will launch in the US in 2023 and hi-po Ford Performance versions will inevitably follow.
The S650 is a styling and technical evolution of the current car. It is expected to add all-wheel drive alongside rear-wheel drive and a hybrid drivetrain by mid-decade.
Jammoul, speaking to carsales during a visit to Australia to review the new 2022 Ford Ranger Raptor ahead of its Australian launch this July and US launch in mid-2023, explained production advances baked into S650 would make the conversion from left- to right-hand drive easier and cheaper.
Within Ford, Jammoul is in charge of the fate of Mustang (apart from electric Ford Mustang Mach-E crossover) and other ‘icons’ such as Bronco.
His Mustang responsibility applies doubly because the entire sports car range – from the entry-level four-cylinder to the GT500 flagship – falls under the banner of Ford Performance.
“We know how to do [Mustang] architecture that is very modular now and can flip a left-hand drive to a right-hand drive,” said Jammoul.
“Of course, it’s going to cost money but because of the modularity we have learned, it’s not going to be unaffordable.
“If you build it [Mustang] in a modular way initially … you can flip to right-hand drive, whether it’s electrical harnesses or the steering column, or the dash panel, or the instrument panel.”
Jammoul’s comments suggest right-hand drive Shelby models could either manufactured in the US or converted at a new facility in Melbourne which will start converting Ford F-150 models to right-hand drive in 2023.
There are three S550-based Ford Performance Mustang models that have been rolled out since 2015 in the US:
- The GT350, which is powered by the 5.2-litre flat-plane-crank ‘Voodoo’ naturally-aspirated V8 engine making 392kW. It is a track-focused car with a six-speed manual transmission and Tremec six-speed automatic.
- The GT350 R – an even more track-focused hard-core version of the GT350. While engine outputs don’t change, it added Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, Australian-developed Carbon Revolution carbon-fibre wheels and more aero and downforce. Production of both 350 models ended in late 2020.
- The GT500, which runs a 566kW supercharged cross-plane-crank ‘Predator’ 5.2-litre V8 engine mated to a Tremec seven-speed dual-clutch auto and also has the option of Carbon Revolution exposed carbon-fibre wheels.
“Mustang is one of the most global vehicles we have after T6 [Ranger]. We are very aware of the need to continue to serve all these markets,” said Jammoul.
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Keyword: Hot Ford Mustang Shelby GTs warming for Australia