In 2014, Ford will celebrate the Mustang’s 50th anniversary and it will do so by launching a brand new model. The revelation comes from the company’s design chief, J Mays, who spoke to journalist during the 64th International Auto Show in Frankfurt.
According to Mays, the design of the next-generation Mustang has already “locked down” three years ahead of its launch. The real surprise, though, is that Mays states that the new version of Ford’s iconic pony car will look more into the future than in to its past.
“Both redesigns introduced in 2005 and 2010 are retro vehicles,” Mays told journalist on the sidelines of the Frankfurt Motor Show. “The challenge with the 50th anniversary car is to not just look back over your shoulder, but to try to win all of the Mustang faithful yet bring the brand forward as well.”
That’s quite a high order, but Mays is more than confident that, even though the new Mustang will be different, it will still retain its character.
“It has to look like a Mustang, but you go down a list of things than might or might not be necessary to make the car look like a Mustang,” said Mays.
Ford really needs the new Mustang to succeed, as the current model is lagging behind its arch enemy/rival, GM’s Chevrolet Camaro. In the first eight months of the year, Chevrolet’s pony car has outsold the Mustang by more than 10,000 units – and that’s not counting the convertible version that recently hit the market.
Story source: Automotive News [sub.req.]
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