The new 2013 Ford Mustang is hitting dealers' lots, and Ford is celebrating by relaunching its online Mustang Customizer with new features such as improved battle modes, badges and statistics. The automaker is also giving four fans the chance to win either a Mustang V6, GT, Boss 302 or Shelby GT500.

"Since the customizer was originally launched in September 2011, more than 4.1 million different variations of the Mustang have been built by more than 1 million unique visitors," Lee Jelenic, Ford marketing communications manager, said in a statement. He added that this type of social marketing among online fans has helped to fuel a Mustang sales spike of up 18 percent so far in 2012.

Ford says that its customers consistently cite design and personalization as prime reasons they buy a Mustang, and the customizer lets them create a unique look for the iconic car and compare it with those of their friends. And over the rest of year, four lucky customizer users will win a Mustang when Ford chooses four “dream Mustangs,” then builds them for the creators -- one unique Mustang V6, GT, Boss 302 and Shelby GT500 each.

Ford says it learned from customer research that the customizer tool is an ideal way for present and future Mustang owners to engage with the brand. And in a world where so many experiences are brought through technology to screens large and small -- and to consumers anywhere and at any time -- Ford found that the customizer is a chance for customers to get a feel for the new Mustang without ever having to get behind the wheel.

The customizer is available as an application for iPhone, iPad, Android devices and online. It lets fans choose a Mustang V6, GT, Boss 302 or the new 662-horsepower Shelby GT500, then apply a wide array of colors, graphics, body kits and wheels to get their desired style. If the ordinary color palette doesn't have the look they want, sliders let user blend custom hues. Except for the custom paint colors, customers can order a Mustang of their own, exactly like the one they built in the customizer, with available off-the-shelf special parts and graphics.

Users can view the car they created from five different directions with a variety of backdrops -- and even add burnouts. They can save their finished fantasy Mustang to a computer to use as desktop wallpaper, share with friends on Facebook and enter into the “battle mode,” which pits designs head-to-head and allows others to vote on them -- and maybe even win a new Mustang.

[News Source: Autoblog]