In a rather unconventional way, Ford opted to reveal the facelifted version of the Mustang a week after the official press days of the Detroit Auto Show.
Ford took the wraps off the new Mustang at Detroit’s show floor in front of a random crowd instead of the traditional media, with simultaneous events running in New York and LA.
This caused a few complaints, especially from dealers, show-goers and reporters according to the Detroit Free Press.
“Anybody who paid good money for a ticket to the show’s Charity Preview Friday or public days Saturday, Sunday and Monday has reason to complain that Ford hid the fact that they could see the Mustang’s new looks and features if they stayed home until Tuesday,” wrote the publication.
“Dozens of new vehicles were unveiled to generate interest in the show and allow visitors to plan a trip to see their favorites. That was good enough for Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Kia, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen and others. Ford, though, showed only an update of the F-150 pickup.”
When Ford was asked why they kept the Mustang reveal for later, the company said that they wanted to unveil the new car in NY and LA on Tuesday “so Mustang fans around the country can come and see it at the same time it goes on display in Detroit.”
But that is just an excuse for Ford as they could just as easily reveal the new Mustang simultaneously in Detroit, LA and New York during the NAIAS press days.
We can only speculate what is the real reason behind this decision and all we can think about is that perhaps Ford wanted to get the maximum media coverage possible at a time when they wouldn’t have to compete with others for the audience’s attention – not that this year’s NAIAS was packed with introductions, to be honest.
It’s a tactic that further undermines the importance of a motor show in general and eventually leads to the main question, also asked by Jalopnik: are the big motor shows as essential as they once were? Let us know in the comments below.
Opening screenshot via ABC7@Youtube
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