Ford’s Mustang is the original pony car and for decades after its 1964 launch, it remained a rear-wheel-drive coupe with a gas-burning engine under the hood of 4-, 6-, and 8-cylinder varieties, That all changed in 2021 when Ford put the Mustang name onto a crossover (shocking!) with electric power (literally shocking!). The Mustang brand may soon grow again, with longer and taller Mustangs in the works – as in a sedan and an off-road variant. The automaker hasn’t confirmed either project as greenlit but reportedly showed off both at a dealer conference.
Back in May, CEO Jim Farley told Autocar that the new Mustang GTD, a $315,000 super pony of sorts, was a “down payment” on the future of the model. Could it be that he’s leveraging it as the new flagship of a full family of horses? It sure seems likely.
A new report from Autonews digs into the details that just took place in Las Vegas. Four different attendees evidently confirmed that we’re about to get a Mustang sedan of some sort and a long-rumored off-roadable Mustang with Raptor-like DNA.
Dealers saw a rendering of a long-rumored four-door coupe, which two of the sources said was called the Mach 4. Farley also showed a photo of an off-road “Baja” model, lifted with special tires, that he described as embodying “rugged” performance, according to the four attendees.
Both types of vehicles make a lot of sense for Ford right now. It doesn’t sell a single sedan right now and it’s already leveraged the Mustang name to help the Mach-E get off the ground floor with buyers. Doing the same thing but for a four-door sedan could ensure that the Mach 4 doesn’t flop like the Ford 500.
As we covered in a recent Autopian Asks, a Mustang Raptor (or Baja, call it whatever you want) also fits well within the family. The pony car is already well-loved and the only available V8 sports car not named Corvette available from the big three.
Stacking the deck with a slightly taller, off-road-ready pony car is just one more way to draw buyers who love the idea of something like the Porsche 911 Dakar or Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato but don’t have six figures to throw around.
According to that same report in Autonews, other Mustangs are coming into the stable too including a high-performance drop-top V8 with a manual gearbox that is similar to a Shelby model but also specifically not a Shelby model.
Finally, Vaughn Gittin Jr. is going to team up with Ford to produce a specialized EcoBoost version of the Mustang too. By my count that’s no less than four new Mustangs across at least three different segments headed our way if all of these reports come to fruition.
Those at the meeting said the Mustang news was intended to be Farley’s vision for how the company could double down on a key vehicle line while competitors dial back. No sales timelines were provided for any of the models, the people said, although dealers came away believing Ford was seriously exploring production.
I for one am all about more performance vehicles on sale and on the road.
One More Thing
It turns out that Mustangs aren’t the only thing Ford showed off at this conference. In fact, the same report says that dealers had a peek at a new Maverick-based van. At this stage, it doesn’t appear as though Ford has a specific name in mind for it but the timing is right.
The Transit Connect needs a replacement and the super popular Maverick seems like the appropriate platform to use for it. While it might not be a big seller, Ford probably recognizes how the small van market in the US is basically up for grabs right now.
On top of that, Ford reportedly showed off more information about its upcoming low-cost EV platform. While it didn’t provide specific model details, it did tell dealers that it’s considering using it for a sedan, a small truck, and a crossover.
“It was the first good meeting in five years as far as being positive and focusing on the future,” one dealer said. “It was awesome.” Farley said earlier this year that Americans need to fall back in love with smaller, cheaper EVs and this appears to all be part of the gameplan.
Images: Ford
Top graphic image: Gas Monkey Garage/YouTube
So, fun fact. In Gran Turismo 3, you could, if you were so inclined, place all terrain tires on your Mustang. Not a lot of cars had that as an option. Damn thing drove like a drunk elephant on a unicycle, but you *could* do it.
Good memories.
Porsche already has the 911 Dakar, but at least they had the common sense to not throw the 911 name on their four door Panamera, SUVs, and the rest of their line-up.
You can modify any Mustang in any of the Forza Horizon games that feature them (I believe some variety of Mustang appears in each of the 5 games) and make them all wheel drive with off road tires and even lifted suspension if you wish. Same goes for just about any other car in the game.
I mean, that’s cool? Gran Turismo 3 came out in 2001. It’s at least ten years before any of the Forza Horizon titles.
Counterpoint: VW has the Tiguan and the Passat, but they put the Porsche name on a 4-door Panamera and an SUV.
This is probably a smart move by Ford. Lots of millennial high-earners are glad to drive an Acura, Infiniti, or Mustang but wouldn’t be caught dead in a Ford Taurus … and they’re getting to be middle aged and starting families. My tech office parking lot has as many MachE’s now as it does Tesla’s (ignore me in the corner with my high mileage hatchback). This is Ford making a play for millennials who care about brand names.
I could get behind an off-roader if done right. Ford did a good job with to the Bronco and the Raptor is the only truck that could tempt me away from a Toyota truck.
So I see promise with an off-roader. The sedan? Maybe Ford us rethinking the whole exiting the sedan market thing and hopes the Mustang brand has the cache to move some units.
Four-door? Lifted/baja? Oh, boy, I’m listening. There has been a hole in my heart since Subaru ditched the Legacy Outback sedan.
Neat. If tossing the Mustang name around means that we get a sports sedan (pls make it a liftback tho) and an everyman’s factory safari coupe, that sounds like a great thing to me
I strongly doubt a safari coupe, it’ll almost certainly be a liftback SUV. I’d love to be wrong.
A shooting brake style 2 door lifted coupeUV(? is that a thing?) would be pretty sick but yeah it’s gonna look like an HR-V or something
I’m imagining a gas-powered Mach-E, sold exclusively with part-time AWD and a 10-speed, and the 5.0 available only in GT trim (unless they forgo it entirely for the 3.0L Ecoboost).
They should cut the crap and call the sedan the thunderbird they already did a sedan in the late 60’s early 70’s. I think it would be really cool.
Maybe they Ford should just go all in and start a new brand called “Mustang,” since they seem intent on watering down the name until it has zero value.
There were rumors of just this around the time the Mach-E was coming out. I suspect much of this is from the same program.
I’m just assuming this comes with a spill-proof Stanley Mug and a calendar displaying all the “Cars and Coffee” events to be held in the purchaser’s metro area?
Ford veered off course a long time ago, but this is proof positive they’ve completely lost the plot…
Waiting for the mustang hot hatchback, minivan, station wagon, shooting brake. Ford just admit you are making cars again.
Basically remaking the Pinto line, then? But with “mustang.”
This made me laugh – you are so right. Mustang is the new Pinto but aging rednecks will eat this shit up and it will succeed.
Marketing: the brand is sacred until we say it’s not.
Honestly think ford should have launched the mustang sedan alongside the 2015 model or maybe a year or so later in 2017. Back then people were still buying sedans. and it could have been the precursor to the Mustang – ev – crossover. But i’m still excited about a mustang sedan. It would be cool if the ecoboost 3.5 would be an option but the 2.3 would be more than enough pep for me.
They should really call the four-door a Falcon – even if it’s ‘Mustang Falcon’ – in a nod to the model’s roots.
Or even ‘Mustang Futura’ or ‘Mustang Sprint’…?
If you’re gonna name it after a horse AND a bird, why not cut out the middleman and call it the Pegasus?
Damnit.
Nobody ever takes to heart the lesson Oldsmobile laid out for everyone, do they? Ford has already made this mistake in the current lineup with the Bronco and Bronco Sport, where I’ve heard people say they don’t want a “Bronco” because it’s “cheapy”. When they’re talking about the CX430 Bronco Sport and not the U725 Bronco.
People don’t fucking research things that deeply. They anchor things in their mind superficially because the name doesn’t matter as much as what it actually does. For god’s sake people still call every electronic tablet an iPad.
Or “the flat one.”
IDK dude, they’re selling plenty of both Broncos
Um, wouldn’t a Maverick based van just be a Transit Connect, seeing as both vehicles are based off a Focus platform?
That was true for the first gen but the 2nd Transit Connect (the last one available in North America) used the global C car platform, which is different than the C2. The European 3rd gen used a VW platform.
Maybe in current Ford parlance, “Mustang” just means car.
It’s not their fault, they don’t know any better. It’s been a while since there was a new Ford car in America
A few years ago I would have thrown myself on the floor and rendered my garments. Now I’m just glad they want to make a sedan.
Totally. Or Ford could make it a hatchback, and see if that’s enough to lure SUV drivers away. “It’s just like an SUV, just we lowered for optimal performance b/c Mustang, right?”
I’m just sad there hasn’t been a true hatchback Mustang since the Fox body.
Hatchback? From your mouth to God’s ear!
…rent my garments.
You’re right.
I thought they meant “rend”.
past participle of rend
Of course, can’t believe I didn’t catch that.
If a name means everything, it means nothing. (runs off blubbering)
Step 1: Kill all cars except Mustang.
Step 2: Make all cars Mustang.
Step 3: ????
Step 4: Profit!!!
You forgot Step 5: “Due to economic pressures and low sales, we will be shaving the headcount by 8,000 and canceling the free fruit health program as well.” (On a zoom meeting, of course.)
God I love that Thomas Crown Affair GT500
It’s a great edition to that movie that really manages to nicely riff on the original rather than just duplicating it.
They 110% need to have a Mustang Baja TCA edition. And it better be a freaking 2-door droptop.
While a Mustang, it’s technically a Shelby, not a Ford.
I’m firmly in the “anything but Ford” camp and have been conditioned to be that way my entire life. My family would disown me if I bought a Ford. However, I would be willing to disappoint my family for one vehicle: The Thomas Crown Affair GT500.
I think Ford first mocked up a Mustang sedan concept in the mid 60s, so there’s some nice history there at least.
I would buy a Mustang sedan in a nanosecond if they pulled the design off. Hopefully they’ve done a lot of looking at A7s, second gen Panameras, BMW 8 series sedans, etc. It can be done. But it’s also very easy to get wrong.
Between this and the straight 6 version of the Charger sedan coming next year we may find ourselves with several muscle sedans on the market. How cool is that? Like many I love pony cars but they’re just hilariously dumb packaging. There’s no excuse for two ton cars that have roughly the same footprint as a lot of mid sized SUVs to not be able to carry more than two adults.
This is one of the reasons why the Challenger ran laps around the Mustang and Camaro when it came to sales. It had usable back seats. Anyway, bring on the pony sedans. There’s a place for them in the market. I’m sure I’m not the only one whose partner would put the kibosh on any coupe. But a sedan? Can’t argue with that baby. It’s PRACTICAL.
Yeah people are going to complain about this, but Mustang is the only car nameplate Ford has with any cachet. Might as well use it. As if they’d bring back a sedan and name it Taurus or Fusion in 2025. Ford has been threatening to build a 4 door Mustang for like, the last 60 years. If anything, it’s long overdue.
In all honestly I’m surprised all the comments so far have been whining, this article is all good news from the Jalop perspective.
-Ford is bringing back cars (!!!)
-Maverick-based van- probably 40mpg hybrid. (That’s like, concentrated Autopian bait… Just wait for the articles from Torch about how this small commercial vehicle is perfect for every family in America.)
-Cheap electric platform with a sedan, truck and van???
Idk seems like good news to me.
The Maverick proves that it isn’t the name, but the product that determines the success. They need to stop listening to the marketing dipshits that are too lazy/incompetent to properly promote a new vehicle. Call the 4-door, a Mustang or a T-Bird, an LTD, a Torino, or whatever. If it is meh, it will be a sales disappointment. If it hits a market want, it’ll sell.
Marketing adheres to the paint scrape theory. They (falsely) assume that the allure of one thing will transfer to another merely by association, as though scraping the paint of a Ferrari off onto your Toyota Tercel suddenly makes it as desirable.
In a way it’s disturbingly similar to that quack pseudoscience bullshit of “water memory” as practiced by homeopathy.
Come to think of it MBAs are exactly the type of people who do homepathic treatments…
What, no Taurus Raptor?
Maybe they’re using the time saved in coming up with a real name to brainstorm ways to stop building cars that need to be recalled every other day.
Sounds like Ford is going to make the . Mustang name their version of what Dodge did with Ram
They discussed doing this years ago when the Mach E and Bronco were announced. Both are examples of the brand family efforts
A Mustang 4 door coupe. I don’t even know what is going on in this world anymore.
Just wait til there’s a Mustang Minivan.
(It just rolls off the lips, doesn’t it?)
I was going to say “enthusiasts would line up to buy them” but they wouldn’t. They’d wait 5-10 years to pick them up secondhand after they get canceled due to low sales….then complain that they don’t make them like they used to.
Like the Flex?
Ministang?
Stangvan?
Mustar? (aerostar, windstar… get it?)
sounds like it’s gonna be Maverick Minivan
Mavan? Miniverick?
Mavestar
Vanmerick.
Four doors are two doors too many.
As if Ford doesn’t have enough SUVs – I count 7 in the US market – plus at least a couple that aren’t in the US.
But yeah, what’s one more?
Or enough unused/untainted Ford names that it can use for sedans that it MUST be a Mustang.
(Galaxie, Fairlane, Falcon, LTD, Torino, Taurus, Telstar, Cortina, Sierra, Scorpio, Orion, Elite…)
*facepalm*
I mean if sucks, but let’s be real here….not a single goddamn soul would’ve bought a Mach E if they didn’t call it a Mustang. So I get why they’d do it from a business perspective.
I disagree a little on that…I think they’d sell about the same if there were named Galaxie or the Bishop’s Torino.
From my experience (which is a small sample size for sure, but…), none of the buyers think of them as a proper Mustang, or bought them b/c “hey, I got a Mustang!” Rather, they like the overall package and an affordable EV that doesn’t necessarily make any statement, but gets the job done.
Edit: and for a real-life experiment that might show us something, we’re kinda in luck vis a vis the new Capri. Here’s a vehicle named after a legendary sport coupe, but also one that Ford doesn’t still concurrently make in its original form.
Yep, that’s why I bought mine, but you can add “a competent EV that isn’t a Tesla” as well.
Ha! That’s what I was trying to say with my “statement” part, as I didn’t want to necessarily offend people.
A colleague has a GT and he loves it – for him, it’s an easy to own commuter car that’s both fun and has room for his family.
I did. My family always bought Japanese and German cars, so growing up the Mustang, Camaro, Charger names meant nothing to me. Ford could have called their next minivan “Shelby GT80” for all I cared.
When the Mach-E came out, I was thrilled to see Ford take on Tesla and actually offer a well-built, long range, compelling EV that finally brought some competition to Tesla. EVs are ideal for my daily driver needs, but I refused to buy a Tesla.
I originally placed a reservation for a Lightning during the unveiling, but when it came time to order and they forced over $15k in options, I converted my Lightning reservation to a Mach-E GT order (identical to the one in the article above). It’s been a fantastic daily driver, and even actual Mustang owners admit it’s a great car once they ride in it.
Early on, a few people lamented the name when I took it to Cars and Coffee, but nobody seems to care now, and I’ve always just called it a Mach-E.
I mean fair enough. Clearly I underestimated how many people just wanted an electric crossover and didn’t care about the Mustang name.
I would argue that more people may have been open to buying it if it weren’t forced into trying to be something it isn’t.
Ford could have squared it off an called it a “Flex”…
.. or even as designed, called it “F8” or “F4” – – After the fighter jets – similar to how Mustang was named after a WWII fighter plane
That would have made things rather more interesting.
Another point for “Falcon” as long as they can show it’s an extension on the Mustang heritage and not that of General Dynamics or Lucasarts.
Side note: Hey Mitsubishi! Bring back the Zero you COWARDS!
Maybe they bought those cars DESPITE the name. After all who wants to be constantly reminded of how things get fatter as they age?
(Well that’s what I think whenever I see one.)
I have less than 0 interest in a midsize EV crossover so I probably shouldn’t have loudly shared an opinion on one….but when has that ever stopped me before?!?! Anyway all cars are getting fatter these days and it’s a goddamn shame. I’m hoping that sooner or later EVs and PHEVs won’t weigh as much as a condo but I’m not holding my breath. Hell the regular ICE Mustang is a nearly two ton proposition at this point….
It still should have been called the Galax-E
A four door or baja Mustang isn’t an SUV though…
Would you call a Panamera an SUV? What about a Safari 911? This just seems like Ford using the Mustang name for their arsenal of German fighters.
What was once “Stuart”, “Lee”, and “Sherman” is now “Dark Horse” and “GTD”…
A Panamera is clearly a liftback sedan – not meant for off-roading.
Safari 911 – maybe that’s an SOV? (Sports Offroad Vehicle)
But is there really that much of a market niche for lifted 4wd sports cars?
Cars that only hold two people and don’t haul much of anything – don’t drive well on road, and are too precious to take farther off road than a gravel driveway, much less a sandy beach?
When clearly the larger demand is for more basic, useful and affordable vehicles these days?
The 911 Dakar and Huracan Sterrato got a ton of attention. They also all sold way before they hit lots. I don’t think Ford is going for an off-roader…probably more of a rally build akin to one of those.
Yep, and the real money will be made on the appearance package clones.
“This just seems like Ford using the Mustang name for their arsenal of German fighters”
Phrasing? The Mustang fought against Messerschmitts and Heinkels, not alongside them.
I meant Ford’s recent vehicles competing against German counterparts, not “fighters” as in airplanes. Until recently nobody would have directly compared the Mustang and BMW M3, but now there are tons of reviews comparing the Dark House and M3 back to back.
The most commonly accepted history of the name “Mustang” for the car was from the WW2 fighter plane:
https://www.cjponyparts.com/resources/what-was-the-ford-mustang-named-after
Thanks for clearing that up.