This is the First Right-Hand Drive Ford Mustang from the Factory

It may not sound like a big deal, but Ford hopes a right-hand drive version is the key to the Mustang finally becoming a world car.

Ford released a photo this weekend of the first right-hand drive 2015 Mustang, something the company has never done on its own before. Previous efforts at selling Mustangs in right-hand drive markets were comprised of selling LHD cars in areas such as the UK and Japan, or special conversions limited to a few hundred units.

The sixth-generation Mustang is destined for 25 RHD markets, according to Ford, including the UK, Australia and South Africa. The car assembled by Ford will be used for testing purposes in the months leading up to official global production.

Ford is also banking on the 2.3-liter Ecoboost engine being the key to the Mustang’s success around the world, even though this first RHD 2015 Mustang is a 5.0 V8 version. The company sold just 4,000 Mustangs in overseas markets in 2012, so both the Ecoboost and RHD models should move that number significantly higher.

The new Mustang goes on sale in LHD form late this year, with RHD cars rolling off the line in significant numbers beginning sometime in 2015.

By Zac Estrada