Here are the facts: the Ford Mustang will continue into the future and there will be a Shelby GT500 version available with the redesign. Beyond that, details are foggier than a seasoned weatherman’s report.
Still, we know that the Mustang hasn’t been selling well recently. In fact, it’s been out-sold by the Chevrolet Camaro for two years running. Speculating far into a car’s future is difficult if not downright silly, but people probably wouldn’t have predicted such a fall from grace.
It presents Ford with a quandry: how to keep the old guard while attracting fresh blood? Official pictures and details are far from hitting our notepads, but we do know that the automaker is considering a turbocharged four cylinder, but that’s hardly news. Still, the only member of the “Big Three” not to have taken bailout money seems to be on its toes, looking for a new worm and hook that appeals to the Millenial generation which is on the cusp of its car-buying years.
Night crawlers might look more-or-less the same, but according to quotes from the Wall Street Journal the 2015 Mustang will mark its 50th anniversary by shedding the retro clothes. Instead, the updated wardrobe will draw heavily from Ford’s Evos concept (pictured above), initially seen last summer.
That car inspired the updated 2013 Fusions sedan, and it would appear as though all of them borrow heavily from Aston Martin.
That notion will probably be enough to rock a few boats, but the automaker hopes to keep enough of a balance to put young buyers in line and keep old fans happy. The same source also said key features like a protruding hood and rounded headlights will remain, but it’s hard to picture what that means after looking at the Evos.
It shouldn’t really come as much of a surprise that the retro-styled current generation ‘Stangs aren’t first on many young consumer’s lists. They didn’t grow up with them, but then again many others did.
Maybe a fuel-efficient turbocharged four-cylinder will appeal to Millenials hunting for a more potent, low-cost blend than the high-end Dodge Dart, which will debut this year. It also seems unlikely that a company like Shelby would get on board with Muscle car farce, so hold off on panicking if the idea of a “modern looking” Mustang boils your blood, the GT500 is still a safe bet for performance. People will still buy a Mustang for value performance, even if it’s ugly in their eyes. If you don’t believe it, look at the first-generation Fox Body.
