Pimp your ride: Ford offers custom vinyl graphics for Mustang

Ford is smartly putting an emphasis on letting potential owners customize their vehicles, taking the lead from a society that is intent on being individual. Such endeavors have proven to be a success for companies such as Scion, and Ford's Mustang has long been a favorite for customizers.

Ford has now added the Mustang to a list of vehicles in including the Fiesta and F-150 that can be ordered with a custom vinyl wrap. Over 50 designs are available, ranging from flames to flowers. You can head on over to the Ford Custom Graphics website and design a cheaper alternative to a custom paint job now.

BUBBLES, FLOWERS AND FLAMES: New Ford website lets customers customize their vehicles
Ford is making it easy, cost-effective and fun for Ford owners to turn their car or truck into a unique personalized ride with custom vinyl graphics
With nearly 50 designs to choose from for each vehicle, the custom vinyl graphics offer the look of a custom paint job at half the cost; available through www.fordcustomgraphics.com
Ford custom graphics are launching with the new Ford Fiesta and will soon expand to include graphics for two of the most customized cars in the country – the Ford Mustang and F-150; the program will later roll out with customization options for all Ford vehicles.

DEARBORN, Mich., June 2, 2010 – A new website is making it easy, cost-effective and fun for Ford owners to turn their car or truck into a unique personalized ride with vinyl graphics that offer the look of a custom paint job at half the price.

The website – www.fordcustomgraphics.com – launched in November with vinyl wrap designs for the new Ford Fiesta is now expanding to include graphics for two of the most customized cars in the country – the Ford Mustang and F-150 – and later will offer customization options for all Ford vehicles.

"Ford knows that customers want a vehicle to be all their own," said Jim Abraham, Ford's Licensed Accessories manager. "The Ford Custom Graphics website complements our strong accessory portfolio and enables customers to put a personal stamp on their vehicle."

All it takes is a few clicks of a computer mouse.

"You click on your vehicle and its exterior color, select the graphics you like, and then the website will show you exactly how the designs will look on your car or truck," explained Abraham.

Approximately 50 designs were created specifically for each vehicle. All are available in a variety of colors and sizes and were designed with the target customer in mind.

People interested in the hip, new Ford Fiesta, for example, can choose from cool, fun designs like bubbles, arrows, dots and flowers. Mustang and F-150 customers will have an entirely different portfolio to choose from.

"Mustang owners might prefer race-themed graphics like stripes, flames or matte black accents, while our F-150 customers might like something a little more rugged like camouflage or a faux diamond plate aluminum look," said Abraham. "The neat thing about the website is that we're tailoring the designs to our customers."

According to Abraham, the website will continue to evolve over time to meet consumer demand and expectations.

"The whole idea behind the program is to offer our customers new ways to personalize their vehicle and provide a new exterior look throughout the ownership experience," he said. "In order to do this, we are going to keep revising the available graphics packages to give customers fresh new ideas to choose from."

Without giving away too much detail, Abraham says that consumers can look forward to seeing custom graphics that leverage some Ford corporate sponsorships along with other categories like green driving.

Ford Custom Graphics: The look of custom paint at half the cost

Ford Custom Graphics offers customers the look of custom-painted designs, but without the expensive price tag, according to Tom Stemple, chief executive officer of Original Wraps, Inc., a provider of "on-demand" custom graphics to the automotive industry and the company that developed the website for Ford.

"Vinyl wraps are typically half the cost of custom paint work," he said. "Another advantage is that they can be easily removed if the customer wants a new design or decides to sell the vehicle. Paint is permanent, and custom-painted vehicles are often much more difficult to resell."

In addition, all of the custom graphics feature 3M Scotchprint® On-Demand quality vinyl. They are professionally installed at Ford dealerships and include a three-year/36,000-mile limited warranty.

Vehicle personalization: Have it your way

Forty years ago, if you wanted to personalize your vehicle you hung a pair of fuzzy dice from the rearview mirror or slapped a trendy sticker on your bumper. Today, the automotive aftermarket has grown into a $31.85 billion industry and includes everything from grilles and custom body kits to interior accents and performance parts.

With cool products – like custom graphics and a variety of other vehicle accessories – Ford is aiming at a larger slice of the aftermarket pie.

"We are doing everything we can to be on the leading edge of trendy new product offerings, and the idea of on-demand custom graphics is a great example of that," said Abraham.

According to Sheryl Connelly, manager of Ford Global Trends and Futuring, the growing interest in vehicle personalization mirrors a broader societal trend.

"The one-size-fits-all model isn't really relevant to today's consumers, and it's not necessarily a desire to stand out from the crowd. It's more a desire not to be lost in the masses," she said. "People are personalizing everything – cell phones, computers and clothing – and it's no different with automobiles."