Where does the 'brand' go from here?

[LouG]

I think the brand should start by getting its shit together and building cars that aren't getting recalled all the time.

Well, back in the day there were no recalls. Owners found faults the hard way.
Careful what you wish for.

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[RDH43]

The Mustang is only topped by the Corvette as the most recognized automobile model and platform. Its been a force in the industry since its inception (save for the mustang 2 debacle) and as such is not going anywhere. Pretty amazing when you think about how far its come since 1964. Quite the journey for what started out as a two door affordable sporty secretary's car....and reality that is still the car that keeps it going even though exact numbers for ecoboost and GT sales can't be found by me...It seems about 3 to one or greater to me (shrugs)


Long live the Mustang...right now it has zero competition though which it needs....Anything other than a two door pony/sports car though is not a Mustang nor will it ever be...imo

We have to hope the awesome legacy keeps it alive....


Happy motoring

 

[Frogdog1]

What people are wanting isn't going to happen for the most part. What Ford wants to happen is going to happen. It's that simple.

 

[AZ_Ryan]

Aside from the some of the quality control and recall BS, I think the "brand" is quite healthy as is. The S550 was a huge leap forward, and the S650 is just an improved version of that. The platform is only 10ish years old, so why not squeeze a few more years out of it and enjoy. If Ford wants to expand the Mustang into multiple versions on a new shared platform like a sedan, or hybrid, or EV then so be it. All I ask is that they keep the spirit of the base model fastback and the V8 and manual around as long as possible.

 

[Crew4991]

What I'd personally love to see is ford to introduce more mustang models where each one can excel in a particular area, and be less compromised. Mustang enthusiasts want so many different, yet contradictory things. Some people want the mustang to be smaller, lighter, more nimble, others want it to be the same size it is or even a bit bigger to have a usable rear seat and more cargo space. Some want 60s, design, others 80s/90s, and others still something completely modern. Some want the mustang to keep pushing the limits of performance and tech, others long for the days of a slower, but more affordable mustang.

Ford can't do all of this with a single car, but they can please most of these people with multiple mustang models.

- Starting with the coupe, keep the timeless 60s look, keep the V8 and manual, but make it look even more attractive to justify the higher prices we're seeing with mustang's now. I've often said something like a 1967 gt 500 with Aston Martin proportions and surfacing would be great.

- A sedan, also with a V8, sharing the platform with the coupe to drastically improve cost efficient. Something that looks and drives similar to the coupe but with more interior space. Potentially appealing to not just enthusiasts, but police fleets who want to replace aging chargers.

- Mach-e move it over to this new affordable EV platform which apparently is the most cost efficient, innovative EV platform to date, genuinely impressive, and a great base for making EVs more affordable, but also more profitable to produce. Evolve the design slightly to make it even more muscular.

- A white space hatchback based on that same affordable EV platform. Something that sells for sub 30 grand, with 250-300 hp. A hatchback shape for added practicality, and it differentiates it from the V8 coupe even more. Give it fox body styling cues. The mustang for young people lusting after truly affordable fun new cars, something that revisits the mustang's roots. Cool looking, fun to drive, super easy to mod, and so affordable basically anyone can afford one.

- A mustang supercar. That's the GTD currently but I'm thinking more in line with a mid-engine supercar, something that takes this idea of a high performance exotic mustang and pushes it way past what the GTD did.

5 models, all doing a different job. You got affordable, you got super high performance, 60s design, 80s design, exotic futuristic design, hatchback, coupe, sedan, crossover, super car, EV, V8, hybrid. Whatever you want a mustang to be, you can get within reason.

LOVE this idea but I suspect that Ford would throw in a hybrid 4 cyl into the mustang sedan to cater to the gas pinching families.
Having that mustang sedan similar to the old crown vic would be insanely cool to us enthusiasts!

 

[MaddNomad]

LOVE this idea but I suspect that Ford would throw in a hybrid 4 cyl into the mustang sedan to cater to the gas pinching families.
Having that mustang sedan similar to the old crown vic would be insanely cool to us enthusiasts!

Yeah I hope they abandon the stupid branding exercise and bring back legendary nameplates. Mustang should be sacred like the 911.

 

[MidwayJ]

The early rumors about the S650 were that it was going to be built on a new platform, which would be shared with other vehicles. At some point Ford abandoned that plan in favor of the S650 being more of a "refresh" of the S550. Ford probably intended to use the Mustang "brand" for multiple vehicles built on the new chassis, but since they didn't develop the new platform it hasn't happened.

The absence of a new Mustang platform didn't impact the Mach E, which needed to be engineered from the ground up.

 

[AZ_Ryan]

The early rumors about the S650 were that it was going to be built on a new platform, which would be shared with other vehicles. At some point Ford abandoned that plan in favor of the S650 being more of a "refresh" of the S550. Ford probably intended to use the Mustang "brand" for multiple vehicles built on the new chassis, but since they didn't develop the new platform it hasn't happened.

The absence of a new Mustang platform didn't impact the Mach E, which needed to be engineered from the ground up.

I think the Mach-E is probably the reason why an all new platform wasnt used for the S650. Plus, I'm sure Ford saved a lot of money updating and refreshing the previous model. Not to mention is a pretty darn good platform.

Of course the Mach-E didnt end up being the home run Ford thought it would be. And I can see why moving forward a redesign might include a shared platform with our beloved "real" Mustang.

 

[Q6543]

The early rumors about the S650 were that it was going to be built on a new platform, which would be shared with other vehicles.

 

[MidwayJ]

That's not what I was referring to. Ford never planned for the S650 to be an EV.

 

[Q6543]

Correct, the next gen is/was.

And it adds some context to the topic, which is why we’ll see the S650 dragged out as long as possible

they planned on the S650 to bridge the gap to EV, now a lot of that is pushed out several years and decisions need to be made.

even if hybrid is on the table, purists likely won’t stomach the cost/weight.

 

[Frogdog1]

If/when EV's are the only choice, used ICE vehicle prices will skyrocket. I'm really not really looking for that scenario.

 

[AZ_Ryan]

All the doom and gloom of EVs and hybrids replacing ICE is very premature. Even if the next gen mustang is a shared platform with those cars, we will still have a V8 version well into the 2030s according to Ford. Stop worrying about the boogie man, and enjoy what you have. The "brand" is just fine.

 

[Trueblue3605]

Ford is the ‘brand’, Mustang is a model.

This is a really stupid statement, Ford and Mustang are both brands, obviously the OP is referring to the mustang brand particularly as it relates to putting the mustang badge on various other body styles beyond the 2 door coupe as they did with the Mach-E.

 

[MidwayJ]

The early rumors about the S650 were that it was going to be built on a new platform, which would be shared with other vehicles.

My memory was fuzzy. It wasn't going to be a brand new platform. The Mustang was supposedly going to share the CD6 platform with the Explorer and Aviator.

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