In just the first month, the 2011 Ford Mustang has three times more orders than the 2010 model did. The total so far is nearly 11,000, and 50 percent of those orders are for the Mustang V6 with the all-new 3.7-liter engine.

“Fuel economy ranks among the top two reasons people choose vehicles,” said Steve Ling, North America Car Marketing manager. “With the 2011 Mustang lineup, we’ve found a way to offer even better fuel efficiency for V6, GT and even Shelby GT500 performance drivers – while improving performance. And consumers are responding.”

The all-aluminum Duratec 3.7-liter dual overhead-cam (DOHC) Twin Independent Variable Cam Timing (Ti-VCT) engine delivers 305 horsepower and an expected best-in-class EPA fuel efficiency of 30 mpg on the highway – a 25 percent improvement versus the 2010 model.

In addition, a first-ever Mustang Club of America (MCA) Special Edition package available on V6 models generated three times more orders than expected. Orders for the California Special series – which is available on the Mustang GT and harkens back to the original 1968 package – are triple the expected rates.

For the 2011 model, 41 percent of orders are for Mustang GTs. The Mustang GT’s modern 5.0-liter four-valve, Ti-VCT V8 engine delivers 412 horsepower and 390 ft.-lb. of torque. At the same time, fuel economy of 25 mpg highway is projected to be better than the previous model and unsurpassed in the segment.

Approximately 9 percent of the 2011 Mustang orders are for Shelby GT500 models, which are powered by an all-new aluminum-block 5.4-liter supercharged V8 engine. This produces 550 horsepower and 510 ft.-lb. of torque, a 10 horsepower increase versus the 2010 model. The engine also is 102 pounds lighter than its predecessor, delivering a better power-to-weight ratio, improved fuel economy, acceleration, handling and steering precision.

Ford Motor Company is investing $155 million and adding 60 jobs at its Cleveland operations to build a new fuel-efficient V6 engine for the 2011 Mustang. The investment and jobs at Ford’s Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1 brings the company’s investment in powertrain engineering and facility upgrades in North America to $1.8 billion to support its 2011 vehicle launches – with more to come. The total number of jobs being added as part of these investments is 1,260. The new Mustang engine is one of nine new or upgraded engines or transmissions for 2011 model Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles.

The 5.0-liter V8 engine is built at Ford’s Essex Engine Plant in Windsor, Ontario. The 5.4-liter supercharged V8 is built at Ford’s Romeo, Mich., Engine Plant.