Ford Freaking Out About the EcoBoost
Ford hasn’t even begun selling the new Mustang and they think they already have a problem with it. No, it’s not a recall or anything actually wrong with the car, but Ford believes that dealers are going to have a real problem selling the four-cylinder turbo EcoBoost Mustang; so much so that they have begun to send out trainers to show the salespeople how to sell this car.
According to the Mustang marketing manager who spoke with Carscoops, “The EcoBoost engine is a whole new proposition that we don’t have today and people aren’t accustomed to it.” But really, it’s not. Some of the buyers are going to be from the ST crowd who’ve had this mill in their cars for the last few years, and some of the tuners I know are going to love it when they get their hands on it, too. To the hardcore Mustang enthusiast, nothing else will satisfy them except the V8, but that’s a small crowd and this car is definitely aimed at a completely separate demographic more in-tune with ST products.
Here’s the thing: I drove the EcoBoost on a track, and I’ll be the first one to tell you they don’t need help selling it. It will sell itself. The car is light and tossable. It’s got gobs of torque, and even though the noise is fake, it sounds pretty good. My only suggestion would be for Ford to somehow make the exhausts louder; maybe have a dump switch that bypasses the mufflers for when you want to have some fun.
Ford won’t have a problem selling this car — they are just stuck in the 1960s. They just need to calm down and see how it goes before going off the rails.