Currently reading: Ford Mustang demand leads to six-month delivery wait
Surge in popularity of Mustang, Focus RS and Fiesta ST200 models has boosted sales, but some customers are reporting lengthy delivery times

Ford has said that surging UK demand for the new Mustang is extending customer delivery waiting times to as much as six months, and some buyers say they've been waiting even longer.

Speaking to Autocar, Mustang buyer Dave Solomon said he put his deposit down in January 2015, and expected to recieve his car before the end of last year. "It's now been 14 months and I'm still waiting," he said. "I don't expect to recieve it until the end of April. I'm not the only one who expects to have to wait 15 months, either."

Solomon's remarks are supported by comments from Ford Edgware, which said that the waiting list for factory orders is currently between nine and 12 months.

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However, it appears that some customers have recieved their Mustangs far more quickly. "Some people have received their cars within the promised six-month wait time, but there's no real explanation as to why mine's been delayed," said Solomon. "It's not a special model, just a regular convertible with the 5.0-litre V8."

Solomon has so far not been offered any compensation for the delay.

So far, 1000 Mustangs have been delivered to customers in the UK, with the total number of orders now surpassing the 3500 mark.

This demand is echoed across all of Ford's new performance products. The new Focus RS, for example, recorded 1500 orders in its first month, making it one of Britain's best-selling cars in those four weeks. 

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At the launch of the new, limited-edition Fiesta ST200, product development boss Raj Nair revealed that Ford's sales of performance cars rose by 62% to 180,000 units globally in 2015 and the company currently still held 13,000 unfulfilled orders for the Mustang, which has been a smash hit.

Dealers also have another 5000 orders for the Focus RS, another big success, he added.

“Of course, it's all great news," Ford president Jim Farley told Autocar exclusively, "but it also holds its own problems. Many of the performance parts come from small companies who can't just scale up their production overnight.”

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Farley said it would "take time" for the company to get on top of Mustang demand. "The car has been enormously well received right across the world, including in big markets like China and the US, so it will be quite a while before we can get on top of the backlog we have here [in Europe].

“It's a better situation than having a bunch of slow-selling products, but it definitely has frustrations.

"The last thing you want is your best customers having to wait long periods to get delivery of your most emotional products. So, of course, we're doing everything we can think of to improve things.”

UK sales director Kevin Griffin clarified the waiting times issue, saying: "A Mustang bought today would be built in September and delivered by a dealer a couple of months later. The cars are built in batches, for homologation reasons."

"We expect to make around 4000-5000 per year, although we believe there may be an enthusiast rush before orders settle down. We're bringing it over now because the independent rear end and improved interior make it more suitable for Europe than previous Mustangs." 

Steve Cropley and Sam Sheehan

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Steamhammer 18 April 2016

Long wait

I ordered mine on 5th Feb 2015 paid full cash deposit. Was told last week it might be delivered by the end of June but they cant make any promises. 16 month wait time, ridiculous!
Goatburger 30 March 2016

Boy you brits are in for some fun.

Muscle cars are designed to be further enhanced by the owners, thats the fun part. Pulling up to someone who thinks their uber dollar exotic will crush you by default only to be stunned when the tables are turned. Consider this with both the new mustang and camaro... with a mere supercharger and ecu tune, you can ramp HP up from stock 400+ to over 600hp, with simple bolt on exhaust and ecu tune 700+. and yes you can upgrade suspension etc etc. And if your cup of tea isnt that you can purchase a Shelby GT350, A Saleen or Roush. but dont underestimate this new generation of American muscle. We heard all the rants, some of which was definitely true. Thankfully the factories have heard as well. and hears the response, oh yeah, and you can afford to buy it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0M9Izbc5BY
Goatburger 30 March 2016

Boy you brits are in for some fun.

Muscle cars are designed to be further enhanced by the owners, thats the fun part. Pulling up to someone who thinks their uber dollar exotic will crush you by default only to be stunned when the tables are turned. Consider this with both the new mustang and camaro... with a mere supercharger and ecu tune, you can ramp HP up from stock 400+ to over 600hp, with simple bolt on exhaust and ecu tune 700+. and yes you can upgrade suspension etc etc. And if your cup of tea isnt that you can purchase a Shelby GT350, A Saleen or Roush. but dont underestimate this new generation of American muscle. We heard all the rants, some of which was definitely true. Thankfully the factories have heard as well. and hears the response, oh yeah, and you can afford to buy it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0M9Izbc5BY