The Evolution of the Ford Mustang
Today, it is one of the most iconic American cars. With each new model that has been released, there has been an increase in sales. According to USA Today, with the release of the 2015 model, there was a 36.1% increase in sales between March 2014 and March 2015. Autodata Group reported that of the 36.1% increase in sales, 52.1% of that came within the first three months of 2015. In its 6th generation, the Mustang still continues to be successful due to changes and improvements in its design and functionality throughout the generations.
In the early 1960s, inspired by the vision for a car that would be enjoyable to drive, Lee Iacocca, General Manager of Ford Motor Company, pitched his idea for…show more content… Three V8s sold for every V6 that sold. It had become the overwhelmingly popular choice at the time. More horsepower options had also been added. The quantity of Mustangs sold had absolutely skyrocketed. In the 2nd half of the first year, 126,538 cars sold, while in 1965, a whopping 559,451 were sold. Within roughly a year and a half, Ford had sold nearly 750,000 cars.
Throughout the remainder of the 1960s, Mustang continued to make changes to the features of the car. These include changes to the grille and wheel covers, new paints and interior options, the addition of an automatic transmission and instrumental cluster, also referred to as a digital speedometer. The grille was made bigger in order to give it a more aggressive appearance. Triple tail lamps were also added along with a wider chassis. In 1969, the style of the body of the Mustang changed. Ford made the Mustang with a longer body with distinct muscle…show more content… The model is 1.5 inches wider and 1.4 inches lower, with a shark-nosed grille, fastback roof and an increased passenger volume. Three engine options are available with new customized independent rear suspension systems. The weight of the car has also reduced by 200 pounds due to the use of aluminum. As with their first concept in 1964, they took inspiration from the cockpits of fighter planes and wanted to employ an even balance between the amount of analog and digital that was on the dashboard. So, they made a dual-cowl dashboard which incorporated both with aluminum trim panels, round gauges and a thick, 3-spoke, tilt-and-telescoping steering