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Originally Posted by Dragoneye
I'm not assuming -- it's just some simple logic on my part for the purposes of speculation. More power = More $$$....in just a little more detail, they're going to need stronger parts to hand the higher powers under a factory warranty, the TVS units are more expensive than the old pieces they replaced several years ago, and the powertrain/transmission/etc that will need to be upgraded to go with it will be more expensive. There's just no escaping it.
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Every component behind the 5.4L in the GT500 is perfectly comfortable behind the power level Ford is going to offer from the 2013 GT500
even from a production standpoint. Also the relatively minor changes that will be made in the bottom end of the new engine won't come close to offsetting the improvement in parts commonality Ford will gain by switching to the new design.
Having been in the automotive industry for many years I would bet my bottom dollar Ford is paying more per unit for the old rootes supercharger than they will be for the new TVS right now given the fact that they are one of the few rootes holdouts Eaton has left. Limited production has to be killing the price equation at this point and my bet says the switch to the TVS is as much a cost saving measure as anything.
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Originally Posted by Dragoneye
And I didn't know this was a "new" engine. The article posted made it sound like they massaged the 5.4L
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It isn't a 5.4L or a derivative thereof, let your imagination be your guide from there.
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Originally Posted by Dragoneye
Can you elaborate on that? I can accept everything up to the current GT500 as "affordable"...beyond that, while I understand the Mustang is Ford's only high-performance vehicle at the moment, I begin question the thought process...
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You have to go back some time to be fair, but the original GT500's were pricey in their own right, and every original Shelby is pricey now. The collector market/enthusiasm for those cars is very obviously driving the acceptance of the GT500. If the GT500 goes there 60k plus won't be an issue.
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Originally Posted by JusticePete
It is a business and not a hobby. If Ford loses money on the Mustang it will be gone along with the promise. The same is true of the Camaro. The F-150 is safe as long as it turns a profit. The name of the game is to move iron, just as it was when Henry Ford started the company.
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You won't find a more ardent capitalist on these forums and I'll disagree outright that losing money means certain death. I was in the industry myself for quite some time, I've owned my own business, and even I can see the logic here. The Mustang brings too many intangibles to the table to be weighed on volume and profit alone, and Ford knows it.
Fortunately, Ford has made it clear that profit has yet to be a problem. Throw in the fact that, unlike GM, the family still calls the shots here, and I would say that the odds of Mustang ever going anywhere are slim to none.