Mustang sales have dropped significantly since the Great Recession of 08, so understandably, Ford needed to do something significant to try to bring the sales back. If Ford continued to focus its marketing efforts to the U.S., the considerable cost to bring a new version that Americans would like (and not run from) may simply have resulted in minimal sales gains that would no where near be worth it. As tough as it might be to accept, I'd say going for the world market was the right call. The Mustang image is known around the world; it's just been a vehicle that you couldn't really sell around the world given fuel costs, etc. Hard to say if the S550 will be the world car that Ford wants. Of course, I really want to see the Mustang survive and thrive.


Having said all that - I still prefer the looks of the S197 and the price was right!