While the Ford Mustang is definitely a mainstay of American roads, it should come as no surprise that there are fans of the muscle car all around the globe. V8 loving Australia can’t get enough of the Coyote 5.0L V8, with a specially tuned version of it defining an entire racing class down under. Europeans also love it, even if sometimes it’s a bit big for their roads. Even Asia, especially Japan and China, has a love affair with the car with a stallion as its badge that is not from Italy.
However, one of the biggest importers of “foreign” muscle cars are our friends across the pond in the United Kingdom. Up until 2018, there were a lot of cars going both ways across the Atlantic. They shipped us the excellent Focus ST, Focus RS, and Fiesta ST models and related models, the Transit utility van, and contributed their expertise in turbocharging to give the Mustang base spec its powerful 2.3L inline four. In exchange, they received the Mustang, the Ranger and Maverick trucks, and the Ford GT of both generations.
Why The UK Is Ford’s Biggest Export Market
If you remove Canada from the equation, the UK is the next biggest importer of Ford cars and trucks after China. In simple facts, there are 7 production facilities across the UK that build UK and European specific models, and over 550 registered, franchised Ford dealerships. Even after the UK left the EU, most European models are still built in and shipped from the UK, and before 2018, half of those were simple rebadges of American cars.
When someone in the UK is shopping for a vehicle, they are way more spoiled for choice than we in North America are, by a ratio approaching 3:1. Yet, despite this, Ford is one of the most popular companies to buy from, as much as over here, they are affordable, well built, and have surprisingly good handling and ride characteristics.
In fact, the Fiesta was reintroduced to the American market after almost a decade and a half because of the UK, as it was the most-sold small car over there for many years on the trot. When Ford UK started to make the Sport Technology (ST) models, of course they also started to appear on the US market, and were extremely popular for their price to performance ratio.
When SVT became Ford Performance, that’s also when muscle cars started to head over the Atlantic. While there had been grey market imports of Mustangs before, it was the sixth generation S550 Mustang that was officially exported to the UK, being one of the first muscle cars offered over there with right hand drive. It sold decently well over the generation, with about 6,000 units making it over.
The S650 Mustang Trims Available In The UK
The first big thing about the S650 Mustang on British roads is that only the 5.0L Coyote V8 engine will make the trip over the Atlantic. The inline four turbo, despite being developed mostly in the UK, will not make its presence known. In this sense, it is positioning the Mustang as a bit more of a sports car to give a load of power affordably, keeping in line with how Ford cars are seen over there.
In terms of trims, only the GT and Dark Horse are currently available, in both manual and automatic trims. The GT manual has an MSRP, or as known over there as OTRP (On The Road Price) of £55,725, while the Dark Horse manual comes in at £67,995. Both prices are about the equivalent of $20,000 USD above American MSRP, however the prices do include the VAT needed to import the car, as well as a small premium for it being a fairly exclusive car.
The engine is also slightly limited due to emissions regulations, so the GT produces 440 HP and 398 lbs-ft of torque. This loses the car about 40 HP compared to the American version of the GT Fastback, but will still leave multiple contemporaries in the dust. At that same price point, you will find things such as an Audi A6 Avant, Volvo XC40, multiple Mercedes C-class coupes and sedans, and a few premium hot hatches like the VW Golf R.
It isn’t until you get to £70,000 and above do you really get into the serious sports cars that can keep up with the Mustang such as an Audi S3 or a Porsche 718 Cayman. So, despite it being a hell of a lot of money for the average UK resident, it’s still affordable performance in the grand scheme of things. Ford knows this, and as such lists it in the same breath as things such as the Puma ST, Focus ST, and even the Mustang Mach-E.
It has not been outright confirmed, but as the 6th generation version made it over, it is also expected that the Shelby GT500 Mustang will also appear on UK roads.
The 7th Generation Mustang Elsewhere In The World
Perhaps the biggest destination outside of the UK for Mustang exports is that land down under that absolutely adores V8s, Australia. Unlike the UK, the EcoBoost 2.3L turbo inline four will be available for Aussies to buy, but much of the emphasis and marketing so far has been for the V8 GT. It hasn’t quite made it there as of this writing (May 2024) but it is expected to go on sale in the middle of Winter (around July/August). You need to remember, Australia’s seasons are the reverse of North American seasons.
Of course, Europe will get the Mustang as well, although it pales in sales there compared to how it performs in the UK, with sales across the EU often measuring in the hundreds, not thousands, of vehicles sold over a generation. The same goes for South America, as well as Africa, where most sales are in South Africa.
The biggest new and major market for the S650 Mustang is Asia, with Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and China as major targets for the car. As strange as it may seem, the Mustang is seen as a very prestigious and special car in Japan, mostly because it eschews their local gentleman’s agreement about making efficient and affordable cars. It is a loud, brash, big stamp of American iron in an otherwise very conservative country, and seeing one there is about as frequent as seeing a Honda/Acura NSX on American roads.
China is, of course, the biggest export market of all, but that needs to be balanced with the population there of over 1 billion. In that respect, there are still more Mustangs sold in North America per 10,000 people than anywhere else, but Eastern and Central Asia seem to have developed Mustang fever, and Ford is all too happy to make the 7th gen ‘Stang a global car as much as possible.
On that note, it is worth mentioning that the S650 Mustang will be the first version of the car that will be sold on every continent around the world except Antarctica!
