Ford Mustang 2015

For 2015(actually available sometime in 2014) Ford is planning the biggest changes ever to the Ford Mustang, making it into a high tech sports model that will no longer look like a retro version of the first Mustangs. Also to meet tougher CAFE, or fleet economy standards, the new Mustangs will likely feature some sort of high tech version of their Eco-boost V8 design. By 2025, the Obama Administration designed legislation for CAFE will force automakers to boost fuel economy up to 56.2mpg, which means more hybrids or small econoboxes in the future. Expect to see plenty of plug-in hybrids in this future as well. These new Obama Administration influenced rules are forcing auto companies into a technology race nearly as challenging as the effort to design a craft to land a man on the Moon that the Kennedy Administration proposed before the end of the 1960's. Designing comfortable and acceptable cars with a fleet average fuel economy of 56.2mpg is no easy task. This is a huge burden being placed on designers and techs. But, it will also allow companies like Ford to sell more exports of their American cars around the world where gas prices are much higher than the U.S. In the UK for example, gas is around $8.37 a gallon. This makes many U.S. cars unattractive as exports.

You can pretty well expect that Ford intends to get a long life from the next generation Mustang. Probably, a good 10 model year run is likely planned for the new car with largely only cosmetic facelifts intended during that run. Ford needs to realize their tooling costs on one hand, but is also planning this new car with the best of technology for a long run until a whole new high tech Mustang replaces it in the future.

It actually takes the better part of about three years to do all the tooling and to get a new car ready for sale. and for now Ford is mostly only allowing a few sketches of the new car to whet our appetites. But, we like what we see so far.

Ford might just have some prototype models of some sort right now. But, they're still under wraps. Closer to 2014 we should see some nice glimpses of the new car before it's official release.