Ford CEO Jim Farley confirms that the company still has not ruled out the possibility of a Mustang sedan as Ford continues exploring ways to expand Mustang sales and long-term longevity
Sketches of various Mustang designs including a sedan variant
The Ford Mustang has been an enduring symbol of the muscle car wars with the coupe also ascending to become a key symbol of Americana. But while the Mustang Mach-E SUV is still facing some backlash from consumers due to its use of the moniker, that’s not stopping Ford from exploring other vehicle segments.
That includes a potential sedan model as the company explores other vehicle segments to try and expand the Mustang’s curb appeal to a wider dragnet of customers without resorting to a formal EV model.
Ford CEO opens up on Mustang’s future
Ford Mustang might eventually get a sedan model according to comments by CEO Jim Farley
In an interview with AutoCar magazine, Farley said that he was open to the idea of creating an expanded lineup of Mustang models with the new vehicles expanding the Mustang’s badge recognition to other vehicle markets.
While a small CUV and an off-road model were immediately ruled out by Farley, it’s important to note that a sedan was not immediately declined by the CEO. The idea of a Mustang sedan has been discussed internally at Ford for several years and while the idea would be immediately vilified by Mustang loyalists, the fact that early design sketches have made their way out into the open suggests that the company is open to exploring new avenues for the Mustang moving forward.
Ford has to tread very carefully
An official Ford sketch showing a potential Mustang sedan
While it may seem like it would be an easy task for the company to release a Mustang sedan, Ford has to be very careful about how it approaches such a move. The model’s loyalists are a very powerful group of customers and they have made their feelings known to Ford when the company embarked on Mustang-related projects in the past.
In addition to providing Ford with plenty of pointed commentary about the Mustang Mach-E, these customers were also responsible for Ford backtracking on a plan to replace the aging Fox-body era Mustang with a new front-wheel drive model based on the Probe. A key complaint back then was that the Mazda-based coupe lacked the proper credentials to be a true muscle car and not having a V8 further spurred the calls for Ford to drop the plan. The Mustang lived on and while the Probe also made production, it was axed after two generations.
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Hybrid pony still in the cards
Look for Ford to continue exploring ways to expand Mustang’s reach
Farley also used the interview to confirm that the Mustang’s V8 engine will still be around and that the company will not follow the lead of other sports car makers like Porsche when it comes to downsizing power plants. An EV model is also not happening either but that’s due to Ford not wanting to cannibalize sales from the Mach-E and preferring to avoid any further backlash from Mustang fans.
Instead, it appears that Ford is still open to creating a Mustang hybrid with Farley neither confirming nor denying the existence of such a model in his interview with AutoCar. The hybrid would be the most sensible move and the one that carries the least risk.
That includes Ford using any marketing for the model as an opportunity to show that the hybrid system can not only deliver stronger performance but also better fuel economy as well. While some loyalists will still turn their noses at a hybrid system regardless of what Ford says, a few of them might be won over by the performance benefits since having more power to put down onto the pavement will always be a Mustang selling point.
Ah, the spectre of more brand dilution. The Poles used to call that “pissing in the soup”. The good news is that you have more soup. Nuts. Besides, they’ve already done that with the Mustang E. Enough, perhaps.
Well, you asked.