When will the 7th-gen Ford Mustang blast into SA? Well, the Blue Oval brand has finally confirmed a 2024 launch, though it’s no longer building the outgoing model…

When the wraps came off the 7th-generation Ford Mustang a full year ago, there was no indication from the Blue Oval brand’s local division of when the fresh-faced version of the pony car would arrive in South Africa. Now, however, we finally have some clarity.

Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa has confirmed to Cars.co.za the new S650-series Mustang “is expected to arrive in South Africa sometime during 2024”. Though that’s not terribly specific in terms of timing, it’s at least an official confirmation the new Mustang is indeed on its way to local roads.

In addition, we asked the automaker whether its Flat Rock assembly plant in Michigan was still churning out examples of the outgoing S550 model. The Dearborn-based company’s local division confirmed to us that “production of the 6th-generation Mustang has ended”.

Judging by the latest sales figures from industry representative body Naamsa, there’s still stock of the outgoing model in Mzansi, with August 2023 – when 44 units were registered locally – proving to be the nameplate’s best month of the year thus far (just edging out July’s 42 units). Over the opening 8 months of 2023, as many as 194 examples of the 6th-gen Mustang have been sold in SA.

For the record, the outgoing Mustang range in South Africa – representing the only truepassenger car from Fordstill offered locally, with the likes of the Figo and Fiesta having since been discontinued – currently comprises a trio of variants, all powered by the naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine: a fastback, a convertible and the limited-run California Special (which is interestingly still listed). Pricing currently runs from R1 139900 to R1 217900.

So, what about the new version? Well, we expect the 7th-gen Mustang to again be available locally in both coupé and convertible body styles. Though the engine line-up for SA is not yet confirmed, we wouldn’t be surprised if our market received only the 8-cylinder Coyote motor and did without the updated version of the turbocharged 2.3-litre, 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine (a powerplant that was dropped in 2019 as it didn’t prove particularly popular with local buyers).

In the United States, the updated version of this V8 engine – which generates 330 kW and 529 Nm in the outgoing SA-spec Mustang – churns out 362 kW and 566 Nm when breathing through the GT’s sports exhaust system. Of course, it bears repeating that local engine specifications have yet to be confirmed. In the States, a 6-speed manual gearbox (complete with a rev-matching function) and a 10-speed automatic transmission are offered.

There’s also a 373 kW Mustang Dark Horse derivative and a circa-600 kW Mustang GTD limited-run variant (the latter boasting a supercharged 5.2-litre V8), though it’s thought neither is currently planned for right-hand-drive production, effectively ruling them out for a local introduction (for the time being, anyway).

As a reminder, back in August 2014, Ford announced 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.

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 gaining theBullittspecial edition. TheMach 1followed in 2021, before the aforementionedCalifornia Specialtouched down in 2022.

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