2015 Ford Mustang Order Bank Opens

[ice-capades]

According to the most recent FDNB (Fleet Distribution News Bulletin) released on 08/08/2014, Job #1 is still listed as 08/11/2014 for the 2015 Mustang. Further on in the FDNB it also shows the week of August 11th as being a "down" week for the plant. I'll wait to see what the next FDNB shows.

[Melino]

Thanks as always for the info, ice-capades.

[ice-capades]

According to yesterday's FDNB (Fleet Distribution News Bulletin) the 2015 Mustang Job #1 Date was pushed back from 08/11/2014 to 08/18/2014. In 28+ years I don't recall a Job #1 date being pushed back so close to the scheduled date. Interesting!

[phil1336]

According to yesterday's FDNB (Fleet Distribution News Bulletin) the 2015 Mustang Job #1 Date was pushed back from 08/11/2014 to 08/18/2014. In 28+ years I don't recall a Job #1 date being pushed back so close to the scheduled date. Interesting!

So, the previously announced tentative JOB2 production date for 2015 Mustang Convertibles 10/27/2014 is obviously going to be pushed into Nov or Dec assuming there are no further Production complications at FRAP. Perhaps the Unscheduled Order Bank for 2015 Mustang Convertibles (might) actually start accepting "Clean" Orders with Prices near Thanksgiving in late Nov. Looks like early Spring will be when the first "Verts" start hitting Dealers Lots. 9 more months of Depreciation on the Vehicle being traded in just adds to the frustration. LIke I Posted before, much like the extended 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid run, the 2015 Mustang run will be either very short or extended almost into 2016.

[ice-capades]

No word yet on 2015 Mustang Job #1 production start yesterday. I expect that confirmation will be with Ford's public relations photo showing the first 2015 Mustang to roll off the end of the assembly line! Yes, I'll even speculate that the first car off the line is a 2015 Mustang 50 Year Limited Edition Coupe in Wimbledon White!

[fuzzymoomoo]

No word yet on 2015 Mustang Job #1 production start yesterday. I expect that confirmation will be with Ford's public relations photo showing the first 2015 Mustang to roll off the end of the assembly line! Yes, I'll even speculate that the first car off the line is a 2015 Mustang 50 Year Limited Edition Coupe in Wimbledon White!

 

FRAP is down this week. Earliest they will start production is Monday 8/25

[ice-capades]

According to the latest, official information from Ford via the FDNB (Fleet Distribution News Bulletin) released on August 15th, the FRAP has no scheduled "down" time until the weeks of 12/22/2014 & 12/29/2014. If the plant is actually "down" this week then that would certainly indicate that there's some issue or problem as a follow-up to the delay in Job #1 production that was scheduled for a start on 08/11/2014 and then rescheduled for 08/18/2014 at the last minute.

 

Any delay in the start of 2015 Mustang production hurts all Dealers at this point. As more customers learn of the all-new Mustang, they're starting to inquire as to when the car will be available. Our Dealership has only one 2014 Mustang in stock and we don't want to accept a Dealer Swap for another as it will hurt any upcoming allocation for the all-new 2015 Model Year Mustang. As time goes on, the only customers that will want a 2014MY Mustang are those looking to take advantage of the year end incentives on the outgoing model.

[fuzzymoomoo]

According to the latest, official information from Ford via the FDNB (Fleet Distribution News Bulletin) released on August 15th, the FRAP has no scheduled "down" time until the weeks of 12/22/2014 & 12/29/2014. If the plant is actually "down" this week then that would certainly indicate that there's some issue or problem as a follow-up to the delay in Job #1 production that was scheduled for a start on 08/11/2014 and then rescheduled for 08/18/2014 at the last minute.

 

I could be wrong, I was just told they were down by a friend that works there. My guess is they are having production problems. They only just started running MP1 jobs 2 weeks ago and rumor has it they scrapped all the PP cars because the body panels were stamped too thick

[mustangchief]

Scrapped? Ughhhh....you know they could sell them to the DoD for 5 times the cost as up armored surveillance sedan vehicles.

[fuzzymoomoo]

I was wrong about one thing, FRAP was down last week, not this week. And like I said about the scrappings, It's just a rumor, I have absolutely no way of confirming it.

[phil1336]

Somewhere Posted on Mustang6G recently, 2015 Mustang "Convertible" JOB2 production was to begin on 9/16/2014. Odd, if it true since my Dealership tells me that they still can`t place a (Clean) Order yet in the Unscheduled Order Bank. Probably still late Oct at the earliest for the Convertible builds.

[ice-capades]

See attached letter from Ford (August 20th) to Dealers regarding retail order scheduling.

 

"The new Mustang is in production. We expect retail order scheduling of the coupe to begin in late September with dealer arrivals in November. The convertible model will follow about 30 days later."

Mustang_F150_Retail_Order_Schedulingv4.pdf

[forddriver]

The way I see this is the people who love mustangs and have been loyal for years have to wait to get a car they ordered and any Joe blow off the street can get one first. Being one of the people who wrote letters when they were going to ax the Mustang .....THIS REALLY PISSES ME OFF! Defend all you want but this is wrong.

[phil1336]

The way I see this is the people who love mustangs and have been loyal for years have to wait to get a car they ordered and any Joe blow off the street can get one first. Being one of the people who wrote letters when they were going to ax the Mustang .....THIS REALLY PISSES ME OFF! Defend all you want but this is wrong.

Fleet Orders to Car Rental Companies go to the head of the line. Sure they have small profit margins but Ford wants them sent to popular Vacation destinations to get them exposure on the street ASAP. Just like when they launched the (then) new 94` Mustang, Retail Orders to New England arrived in Feb despite being Ordered in Aug. First Vehicle shipped to Hertz in SO FL and Southern California. Especially so with Convertibles!

[ice-capades]

Remember the "Quality is Job #1" advertising campaign? Well, Ford practices it in reality with every new vehicle launch which is why retail order scheduling is delayed until the "OK to Buy" status is reached which coincides with the initial shipping release. All of the initial production vehicles are held and re-inspected until Ford's quality standard is met. The last thing that Ford wants is to have to issue a recall to repair or correct something that could have been easily corrected at the plant. And the worst scenario is building and shipping retail order vehicles that could be subject to the same recall potential. Think vehicle recalls aren't important? Look at how the situation is changing after the GM ignition recall situation. Ford's been very pro-active with recalls the past few years but that's not the point of my message here.

 

A few years ago I had a customer's retail GT order get scheduled, built and then sit at the plant for weeks before actually being shipped. When it finally arrived at the final rail ramp for offloading to a car carrier for delivery to the dealership, it was then shipped all the way back to the plant for an unknown reason at the time. It was later learned that the vehicle was built during a production sequence when Ford had questions about the correct coolant being installed. As such, they had all the vehicles in transit sent back to the plant so that the coolant could be flushed and then installed with what was the known, correct coolant. The vehicles were then released again and shipped to dealers.

 

Ford and its Dealers care a lot that you take delivery of a quality vehicle and will do everything possible to make sure that you do. Of course, the important benefit of placing a retail factory order is that you get to order your new 2015 Mustang with the exact vehicle specifications that you require. In some cases those specifications may not be available when you place your order due to commodity restrictions. Your Dealer receives a "Daily Status Report" and others that give them all the available information about vehicle scheduling issues, etc. to help keep you informed. Unfortunately, not all Dealers are good at communicating with customers regarding their retail order status so make sure that you let your Dealer know that you expect regular updates on the status of your order.

 

Hope that this helps answer some questions!

[forddriver]

So if they are held for QC then shipped why not the retail orders they have sold first. Same thing for people who have friends at dealerships who will order theirs in dealer stock. Same old thing if you know some one you get an advantage . I have been waiting on this for five years and knew the 50th Anniv was the same time as my 50th Birthday at the end of Sept. If I knew a dealer that would have put my order in with their stock order it could have been the best birthday ever. I will just be at the mercy of some crazy marketing scheme. It has for sure took the excitement out of buying a $43,000 car.

[fordmantpw]

So if they are held for QC then shipped why not the retail orders they have sold first. Same thing for people who have friends at dealerships who will order theirs in dealer stock. Same old thing if you know some one you get an advantage . I have been waiting on this for five years and knew the 50th Anniv was the same time as my 50th Birthday at the end of Sept. If I knew a dealer that would have put my order in with their stock order it could have been the best birthday ever. I will just be at the mercy of some crazy marketing scheme. It has for sure took the excitement out of buying a $43,000 car.

 

Have you asked a dealership if they will order yours with their stock? Agree to pay a premium and I'm sure they will.

 

It has nothing to do with a marketing scheme. It's about keeping customers happy and turning out quality product without upsetting folks about their car being recalled. See ice-capades story above your post.

 

I thought people at the age of 50 would be aware that you don't always get what you want. Yeah, it sucks, but sometimes you just have to deal with it!

[akirby]

It is far better to wait for a clean build that can be shipped immediately than to have your car sit for weeks waiting on who knows how many repairs. I remember the mustang fiasco and this process is much much better.

[fordmantpw]

The MKZ launch was a good example of a bad way to do it as well.

[phil1336]

The Ford Dealership I have special ordered my last 2 Vehicles from has always ordered (2) identical Cars at the same time. One as Dealer Stock and the other, Retail Order (X-Plan). Which ever one arrives first is mine, simple!

Edited August 27, 2014 by phil1336

[forddriver]

As far as getting what I want..... Oh yes I do when I drop 45 grand on something. As far as keeping customers happy...... Well I have nothing but bright rays of sunshine coming out my BUTT! I get what everybody is saying They dont care as much about stock orders quality as they do retail. Not so much. They just want cars on their lots before I can drive mine. No my dealer wont pull one of his stock units so I can get mine sooner. The roll out of the 05 was much smoother and yes I ordered one of those too.

[ice-capades]

forddriver... Stop whining about having to wait a bit longer to get your vehicle. Ford's quality standard has been in place for a number of years now restricting retail order scheduling until after initial stock orders are built and meet the quality standard requirement prior to building retail customer orders. Ford doesn't want to build retail customer orders too early that may then be subject to recalls and media coverage. If you can't understand Ford's quality commitment then please buy a different vehicle. Ford and its Dealers are committed to delivering quality built vehicles and want to make sure that any early production issues are addressed prior to building retail customer orders.

[phil1336]

forddriver... Stop whining about having to wait a bit longer to get your vehicle. Ford's quality standard has been in place for a number of years now restricting retail order scheduling until after initial stock orders are built and meet the quality standard requirement prior to building retail customer orders. Ford doesn't want to build retail customer orders too early that may then be subject to recalls and media coverage. If you can't understand Ford's quality commitment then please buy a different vehicle. Ford and its Dealers are committed to delivering quality built vehicles and want to make sure that any early production issues are addressed prior to building retail customer orders.

I`m trying to understand your logic but.....are not the early production Vehicle`s that are first shipped to the Dealerships ultimately going to be sold from "quote" Dealer Stock Inventory eventually to a Retail Buyer? It might make sense if all the early production Cars that arrive are strictly held and reserved for Fleet or Commercial Sale but if these early arrivals end up in the same Retail Buyers hands, whats the point? I guess the speculation is that a better quality Build is projected a month or two after initial Production commences. Maybe both previous launches of their Escape and the Do Not Sell / Stop & Hold Orders has made Ford a bit more cautious.

[akirby]

Oh good grief. Until the factory can build for 5 consecutive days without a defect they hold all the vehicles. These have to be fully inspected and repaired before being shipped which can take WEEKS!!! Do you know how upset customers get when their factory order is sitting on a lot somewhere waiting for repair while new ones are being shipped directly from the assembly line? Versus simply waiting a couple of extra weeks?

[phil1336]

Oh good grief. Until the factory can build for 5 consecutive days without a defect they hold all the vehicles. These have to be fully inspected and repaired before being shipped which can take WEEKS!!! Do you know how upset customers get when their factory order is sitting on a lot somewhere waiting for repair while new ones are being shipped directly from the assembly line? Versus simply waiting a couple of extra weeks?

If the Vehicles are held temporarily for a while to assure that 5 consecutive days of building goes ok, fine. But the logic of why "Stock" Orders are released typically before Retail Special Orders still alludes me if Quality Control for retail buyers is the concern. The first Dealer Stock arrivals will ultimately end up in Retail Buyers hands anyway. I`m not anxious, I`ll put my 2015 Mustang Convertible order in eventually when the Unscheduled Order Bank allows legitimate placement of an Order and it will arrive when it arrives.