It could be too soon, however, to write off Ford's Mustang, Pipas said.

"Two months is hardly a litmus test for the entire year, particularly when the two months aren't big sales months for anything, let alone two-door sports coupes," he said.

Still, Ford is working to keep the Mustang fresh with new variations that keep the car ex citing, as well gearing up new promotions heading into the spring and summer, traditionally the Mustang's best sales months, said spokesman Alan Hall.

The company just began shipping new versions of a Shelby GT Mustang, and sometime next year, it plans a dark-green "Bullitt" version reminiscent of the 1968 Fastback Mustang GT that Steve McQueen drove in the classic movie.

"We have other things up our sleeve that we can't talk about that you'll see midyear," said Hall.

Cars with sportier body styles like the Mustang traditionally have shorter life cycles than more conventional cars, said Tom Libby, J.D. Power and Associates' senior director of industry analysis. The Mustang, because of its name and status, has defied that at times, Libby said.

Still, Ford must do everything it can to protect the Mustang's turf, he said.

"That model is a core model for them," he said. "They can't let this one fall off its perch."

Competition for the Mustang is only going to get worse when Dodge resurrects the Challenger muscle car in 2008 and Chevrolet comes out with the new Camaro early in 2009.

"When you've got the Mustang and the Camaro and the Challenger going head-to-head, the winner is the consumer because it's going to put a lot of downward pressure on prices," Libby said.

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