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Ford Motor Company unveiled its new 2015 Mustang at the Burj Khalifa, Dubai, in a glitzy ceremony.
Executive chairman William Clay Ford, Jr. fixed the famous ‘Mustang Pony’ logo on the front of the car to put the finishing touch on an event which inaugurated the Middle East and Africa as Ford’s latest business unit.
Mr Ford said: “Today we planted the Ford flag in the Middle East and Africa, an exciting, vibrant region that represents the final frontier for growth in the auto industry.
“We also sent a message to the world that Mustang is going global after 50 years as America’s greatest motoring icon. Almost 50 years ago, Ford placed a 1965 Mustang Convertible atop what was then the world’s tallest building, the Empire State Building in New York City. Today, we repeated the trick.”
To emphasise the universal focus of the brand, Ford streamed the event live on its YouTube channel from the 112th floor of the skyscraper, part of the Armani Hotel Dubai.
Down below, 10,000 people gathered in the Dubai Downtown area to see the Mustang put through its paces in front of the Dubai Fountain.
In order to get the Mustang up to the 112th floor and out onto the observation deck, a team of six engineers carefully separated the car into six sections that could be transported up via the building’s elevators. Once this was accomplished, it took 12 hours to reassemble the car into a whole unit.
Jim Benintende, president of Ford Middle East and Africa, said: “We’ve taken the new Mustang to new heights of technology and refinement, so taking it literally to new heights atop the Burj Khalifa is an amazing and fitting achievement for our team.
“There are no cranes that would reach that high, and helicopter delivery is out of the question. Making this happen is truly an example of Ford engineering expertise at work.”
The 2015 Mustang is the most developed version yet, offering more advanced driver-assist technology than any other car in its class, its makers say. The sleek new design, which includes a convertible option, is backed up by a range of engines including the new turbocharged EcoBoost 2.3-litre and an upgraded 5.0-litre V8 with over 420 horsepower. In addition to state-of-the-art connectivity systems, Mustang features available track apps, launch control and more.
Earlier in the day, Mr Ford gave a speech on ‘The Future of Mobility’ and argued that technology, more than ever before, was vital to combating the growing problems caused by increasing populations and mounting number of vehicles on the road.
He explained: “The freedom of mobility is now threatened. To keep traffic moving, we need an integrated transportation network that uses real-time data to optimise personal mobility on a massive scale.”
Ford said the advantages of smart vehicles are numerous, such as one stuck in gridlock ahead which could send a signal to your car, which would then re-route you to avoid delays, or smart car parks that can direct your car to free spaces.
“The potential benefits from vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure connectivity are tremendous as the automobile becomes better integrated into the broader transportation system,” he said.
When GulfWeekly questioned Mr Ford on how the company hoped to balance the rising costs of technology with affordability, particularly when the first-time buyer has historically been the automaker’s toughest demographic to crack, he argued that the company would consider consumer feedback above all.
“Aside from the base technology systems which we hope will be implemented in all smart cars, we will ask a potential buyer exactly what features they want in their car and which they don’t. This high level of customisation and choice will lead to a highly flexible price entry level which should satisfy all of our customers.”
The 2015 Mustang will be available in early 2015 from the Almoayyed Motors Ford Showroom, Sitra. For more information, call 17737373.
