Almost every major automaker showed off some new technology at the recent 2014 International CES in Las Vegas. Ford (F 1.58%) made several announcements, and also unveiled the new Mustang to the public for the first time. This 50th-anniversary edition is the first truly global Mustang, complete with right-hand drive for those left-lane countries who need it.
In this video, Ford's Jim Farley -- executive vice president of global marketing, sales and service – talks about the reaction the iconic new Mustang is getting from the international community, as well as its U.S. base.
A full transcript follows the video.
James Farley: We've got an amazing connection with the enthusiast crowd around the world. A lot of sports cars don't get connected to the brand; they kind of live on their own. But whether it's the 911 or the Mustang, both those products are really connected to the core brand, which is unusual for a sports car.
Mustang's dream is really not about doing burn-outs. It's really more a democratic idea of a convertible down, driving through the Western U.S. and taking a road trip.
We have decided to go global and launch a right-hand drive Mustang. It's a big decision by the company, and the reaction was amazing. I happened to be in Europe, in Spain. We launched the car also in China, and the reaction was amazing.
Mustang is one of those iconic vehicles. We have 600 owner's clubs; we have an owner's club in Finland and Greenland. Those customers have been waiting a long time to be able to buy a Mustang in Brazil or China, or in Germany, and that reality is coming now.
But more importantly, we had to really change the car. Not its character -- it's always going to be a Mustang -- but the technology in the car, and the power trains. That really changed the scope of the project. We now have a 2.3 liter twin turbo; that will be very popular around the world. We upgraded the rear suspension to independent rear suspension, a really dramatic change in the ride comfort.
Because of the price of the vehicle around the world -- this is a very expensive car -- we really needed to have the vehicle perform at a different level, which we now can.
