The launch of the new Ford Mustang in South Africa has been pushed back to the 2nd half of 2024. Delay aside, at least we’re getting the mighty Dark Horse…
Waiting for the new Ford Mustang? Well, prepare to practice a little more patience because the Blue Oval brand has confirmed to Cars.co.za that its 7th-generation pony car will now launch locally only at some point in the 2nd half of 2024.
In November 2023, Ford South Africa said the S650-generation Mustang – which was revealed back in September 2022 – was scheduled to make landfall in “early 2024”. Since we’re fast heading towards the end of the 1st quarter, we asked the Dearborn-based firm’s local division for an update on launch timing for this model.
“The next-generation Mustang is set to launch locally during the 2nd half of 2024,” Ford SA told us, without providing a reason for the postponement. That said, recent rumours out of Australia (including a report from Drive ) suggest the start of right-hand-drive production at Ford’s Flat Rock assembly plant in Michigan has been delayed.
Indeed, launches of the new Mustang in fellow right-hand-drive export markets such as Australia and the United Kingdom have likewise been rescheduled for the 2nd half of the year. This comes after a handful of pauses early in the 7th-gen Mustang’s production cycle saw initial left-hand-drive deliveries in North America held up.
So, what can we expect from the Mustang when it does arrive in South Africa (presumably in both fastback coupé and convertible form)? Well, though the engine line-up for SA has technically not yet been confirmed, we strongly suspect our market will receive only the 5.0-litre V8 “Coyote” engine and again do without the updated turbocharged 2.3-litre, 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine (a powerplant that was dropped in SA in 2019 after it didn’t prove popular with local buyers).
In SA-spec form, the updated naturally aspirated 8-cylinder unit is expected to offer peak outputs of 362 kW and 567 Nm (up from the outgoing S550-gen model’s 330 kW and 529 Nm), likely in conjunction with Ford’s 10-speed automatic transmission. But Mzansi is also in line to receive the new Mustang Dark Horse, which the company promises will deliver “the highest level of performance in the all-new Mustang family”.
The Mustang Dark Horse is powered by a “specially modified” version of the free-breathing 5.0-litre V8, here producing 372 kW (and an unchanged 567 Nm). The automaker furthermore claims to have improved the aerodynamics, tyres, steering and cockpit to create what it calls a model “beyond any 5.0-litre Mustang before it”. Whether or not SA will receive the option of the Tremec-sourced 6-speed manual transmission (in addition to the 10-speed auto) remains to be seen, but enthusiasts will remain hopeful.
As a reminder, almost a decade ago (in August 2014), Ford announced that its engineers had finished construction of the very first right-hand-drive 6th-generation Mustang, confirming the production version would be exported to more than 25 right-hand-drive markets, including South Africa. This marked the first time right-hooker Mustangs were available directly from the factory.
In December of the following year, the Mustang officially launched locally, with the range comprising 6 derivatives. There were fastback and convertible body styles, manual and automatic transmissions, and 4-cylinder and V8 engines. In July 2019, the refreshed Mustang arrived, with the line-up also gaining the Bullitt special edition at that point. The Mach 1 followed in 2021, before the California Special touched down in 2022. Production of the S550-gen model ended in April 2023.
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