Next-Gen Mustang to Have Global Design Input

[OAC_Sparky]

Oh whatever with the temper tantrum man. New Mustangs haven't sold to the youth market in large numbers for well over 20 years. You're hanging on to something that hasn't been reality since about 1980 or so.

The truth is that there are not a lot of young people out there that can (1) afford the $30k+ in the US (and$40k+ in Canada!) and can (2) afford the insurance on one. 95% of the "kids" I see on the Mustang forums that own one didn't pay for them; it was a highschool or college grad present from a rich parent or grandparent.

 

I have a '12 GT on order. Moderately optioned out with tax in Canada it stickers for nearly $50k after taxes.

 

But you know what the kicker is? The insurance is LESS than what I pay on my '05 Focus. Why? Demographics and safety; more young people can only afford Focuses so the accident rate is higher. And when a Focus does get into an accident it's more likely to have major damage and more likely for someone to get hurt.

Edited March 5, 2011 by OAC_Sparky

[SVT_MAN]

The truth is that there are not a lot of young people out there that can (1) afford the $30k+ in the US (and$40k+ in Canada!) and can (2) afford the insurance on one. 95% of the "kids" I see on the Mustang forums that own one didn't pay for them; it was a highschool or college grad present from a rich parent or grandparent.

 

I have a '12 GT on order. Moderately optioned out with tax in Canada it stickers for nearly $50k after taxes.

 

But you know what the kicker is? The insurance is LESS than what I pay on my '05 Focus. Why? Demographics and safety; more young people can only afford Focuses so the accident rate is higher. And when a Focus does get into an accident it's more likely to have major damage and more likely for someone to get hurt.

 

Insurance is a funny thing ... blame it on the underwriters I suppose. My 99 Mustang GT sits in my parents driveway because I can't afford the insurance at the moment (just purchased a house). Maybe when I'm 25 it will be affordable again. Who knows. Maybe I'll have to sell it. I don't want to do that, but I don't want it just sitting around either.

[Pioneer]

Insurance is a funny thing ... blame it on the underwriters I suppose. My 99 Mustang GT sits in my parents driveway because I can't afford the insurance at the moment (just purchased a house). Maybe when I'm 25 it will be affordable again. Who knows. Maybe I'll have to sell it. I don't want to do that, but I don't want it just sitting around either.

 

I was 21 when I bought my '95 SHO. I am 36 now. I paid more for a years worth of insurance on that one car than I pay to insure 3 cars and a Harley for a year.

[F250]

Mustang is not 'just a youth' car. It has always appealed to all ages, was meant to since the start. Some got spoiled by the low prices of the 87-93 cars, since they were old, squeaky, designs. But did they make a profit?

 

And who says that only young kids would buy a sporty car? Nowadays, teens spend money on smart phones, iPods/pads, laptops, etc. Then, wait till have a career before sinking money into a car. So, aim at the true buyers, just not with dated product. New Stangs should finally get IRS and a turbo-4 motor standard.

 

Yall are right and I was a bit off-base about pricing. Old people like me tend to think everything is over priced lately. And old people like me actually remember the original Mustang (you know-the one the current car copied) was most certainly designed for the youth market. They just took an existing small car (the 2-door Falcon old people were buying) and re-styled it to appeal to young people (made it look sporty). Bang! Ford discovered it didnt cost more to stamp good looking body panels as opposed to boaring ones- and good looking cars sell better,even to older people! Using an existing sedan platform allowed the car to be built cheap in 1965...like the Fox Mustang (and T-bird) of 1979 used the Fairmont platform. The problem is Fords mainline sedans are now economy front wheel drive cars so Mustang has to pay for it's own performance RWD platform (no argument...Corvettes/M3s,Camaros etc are RWD for a reason)

 

I need to stop "living in the past" in this thread about Mustangs though...

The Mustang is a recognized (soon to be) 50 year old Icon

The return to the 5.0L designation certainly capitolizes on a lot of Mustang history...beginning in 1982

The car itself is retro styled after Mustangs built from 1967 to 1968

The interior design is from the same era of course

The Mustang is the last, best example of an American Ford automobile

 

As far as I'm concerned the current car can stay just like it is for quite a while with normal upgrades.

 

oh..yea... that turbo-4 cylinder Mustang thing...been there/done that from 1979 to 1986. IRS was done to, 1999 cobras. Did you know Carol Shelby built an IRS GT-350 back in the 60s (like Cobras had) to test for possible production but found it wasnt worth the expense and complexity. Worked out ok as GT-350Rs were beating other IRS cars at the track regularly. If Mustang had IRS like Camaro and it weighed more, cost more and didn't handle as well as the SRA it has now (like Camaro) why push it?

Edited March 5, 2011 by F250

[FordBuyer]

What is the average age of a NEW Mustang buyer? I'm guessing about 49 years of age. And I would assume most real young people, especially male, would be looking at a used Mustang and a very good deal. The used vehicle market is booming. So Ford is basically building NEW Mustangs for females with good jobs in their 30's and males in their 30's, 40's, 50's, and 60's. Insurance on a new Mustang 5.0 for a 16-22 year old would be horrendous and even on a used 5.0 from the 80's and 90's would be tough to handle. And we wouldn't even want to get into obtaining a loan without a cosigner with very good credit rating on some teenager. The average teenager is looking at a 1997 Taurus for $3,000.

[OAC_Sparky]

. The average teenager is looking at a 1997 Taurus for $3,000.

Are you kidding? My neighbour can't give away his 2002 Taurus for $1200. Most teenagers would rather take the bus than drive around in a Taurus, if they had to pay the bill ...

[FordBuyer]

Are you kidding? My neighbour can't give away his 2002 Taurus for $1200. Most teenagers would rather take the bus than drive around in a Taurus, if they had to pay the bill ...

 

Not around here....a used Taurus with high miles and low price is probably the number one driver for teenagers. I notice so many teenagers driving very used Taurus with rust sticking out. I imagine in many cases its a hand me down family vehicle. Old Grand Ams, Saturns, and Taurus. That 2002 Taurus must be a real piece of shit. I wouldn't let my Matador Red Taurus SES Sport with 38,000 miles go for under $6,000, and its a 2002 without even a hint of rust on it anywhere and alloy wheels are perfect even after 9 winters.

[coupe3w]

This looks like a take on the 2010 Saleen to me.

 

http://blog.americanmuscle.com/hot-or-not-2014-ford-mustang-concept-car-design/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fb3012011hotornot2014mustang

[Hugh]

From what I've seen and heard so far, I really don't feel the Mustang will move too far from it's roots. It sounds like a lot of outcry for nothing. IIRC, the Probe was a poorly marketed issue. It was a fine car in it's own right. Maybe it should have been a hatchback to begin with (can't recall it was a notchback)? I felt the 1993-98's were pretty nice at the time. I think the Mustang will be just fine. The size is perfect (mid-size I think) and anything smaller will come into Focus territory and that's a conflict with Focus ST (Please have a RS) and I feel two different customers.

Just my 2 cents so far.

Edited March 5, 2011 by Hugh

[atomcat68]

Maybe with European input a Capri will be built for the Euro market. Could Jellymoulds get his wish?

[jpd80]

From what I've seen and heard so far, I really don't feel the Mustang will move too far from it's roots. It sounds like a lot of outcry for nothing. IIRC, the Probe was a poorly marketed issue. It was a fine car in it's own right. Maybe it should have been a hatchback to begin with (can't recall it was a notchback)? I felt the 1993-98's were pretty nice at the time. I think the Mustang will be just fine. The size is perfect (mid-size I think) and anything smaller will come into Focus territory and that's a conflict with Focus ST (Please have a RS) and I feel two different customers.

Just my 2 cents so far.

Well said.

If anything, the next Mustang will reaffirm it's connection to the American market as well as expansion into other markets with different power train and fuel economy requirements which means that the NA market gets to keep it V6 and V8 models while the rest of the world can pay for V-6 Ecoboost and I-4 Ecoboost (courtesy of Falcon) and any other variations needed for those markets.

[TomServo92]

From what I've seen and heard so far, I really don't feel the Mustang will move too far from it's roots. It sounds like a lot of outcry for nothing. IIRC, the Probe was a poorly marketed issue. It was a fine car in it's own right. Maybe it should have been a hatchback to begin with (can't recall it was a notchback)? I felt the 1993-98's were pretty nice at the time. I think the Mustang will be just fine. The size is perfect (mid-size I think) and anything smaller will come into Focus territory and that's a conflict with Focus ST (Please have a RS) and I feel two different customers.

Just my 2 cents so far.

 

I agree. The whole idea that the Mustang will become a Euro FWD econobox because of global input is stupid at best.

[BlackHorse]

The whole idea that the Mustang will become a Euro FWD econobox because of global input is stupid at best.

 

 

No one on this thread or at Ford has even remotely suggested that such a thing would happen.

[TomServo92]

So the answer is to stick running horse emblems on some Euro-trash econobox...F..k that. Kill the car instead...which would be the same thing. Sure glad GM didnt have Opel design the last Corvette...

 

 

The original Mustang was designed and built specifically for the youth market. So it no longer is what it was intended to be from day one. Stop building it then. Ford doesnt need it. It cant make money being what it has been for 50 years so pull the plug...but dont let the next one be designed by a cluster of foreigners that have no idea what the Mustang was.

 

While they are at it they can change the name to Ford Marketing Company...designed in Europe, built in Mexico and sold to unemployed Americans.

 

.

 

 

No one on this thread or at Ford has even remotely suggested that such a thing would happen.

 

Really?

 

I never said Ford said that BTW.

[BlackHorse]

Really?

 

I never said Ford said that BTW.

 

Yes really. You should read the thread in its entirity and not take things out of context. F250 was not saying that the next Mustang should be a European econobox. He was implying that others were saying that when in fact they hadn't. Just as you have done.

[TomServo92]

Yes really. You should read the thread in its entirity and not take things out of context. F250 was not saying that the next Mustang should be a European econobox. He was implying that others were saying that when in fact they hadn't. Just as you have done.

 

I didn't imply that anyone other than F250 said it. My post was a direct response to his little tirade.

 

And I did read the thread in it's entirety. Don't assume I didn't. I've been following it since it started.

[F250]

I didn't imply that anyone other than F250 said it. My post was a direct response to his little tirade.

 

And I did read the thread in it's entirety. Don't assume I didn't. I've been following it since it started.

 

Yea, I went off a bit. I'm still a Mustang owner (have had 3 of them) and I've seen enough of Ford history to catch the warning signs.

 

The Mustang can't become an econo-box...well it did the 1974 Mustang-II. Based on the econo-box Pinto platform no V8 was offered that year. Ford realized they screwed up and rushed to re-design the front of the new vehicle to shoehorn the 302 back in. It required a new hood, grille panel, radiator support and a lot of front engine rework to make it fit into a car that was not designed for it.

 

So now Ford is asking for global design input for the next Mustang.

 

Remember the "Way Forward" when Ford eliminated 30,000 AMERICAN JOBS across the board including designers and engineers. How many all new American designed cars has Ford produced since? Have new vehicle launches been on time and clean lately?

 

Just some things to consider...

[atvman]

Just because the Mustang "may" have European influence next time around doesn't mean it will be a watered down econobox. Is the M3 a watered down econobox? What about the C63? Porsche 911? The Germans can build performance cars as well as anybody in the world. Let's not all scream Armageddon because the Mustang "may" have global input.

[calypsocoral]

The Ford Mustang is a distinctly-American car. I'm quite sure that automotive designers around the world realize that. Mustang clubs in Europe exist BECAUSE there are some folks overseas who actually WANT a distinctly-American car. I'm sure that fact is not lost on the design studios in Europe, either.

 

All in all, I don't really care who designs the Mustang, so long as the end result LOOKS like a Mustang, DRIVES like a Mustang, and FEELS like a Mustang. As noted before, a fellow from Vietnam did a much better job of that than the AMERICANS who designed the Fox-bodied abominations.

[atvman]

The Ford Mustang is a distinctly-American car. I'm quite sure that automotive designers around the world realize that. Mustang clubs in Europe exist BECAUSE there are some folks overseas who actually WANT a distinctly-American car. I'm sure that fact is not lost on the design studios in Europe, either.

 

All in all, I don't really care who designs the Mustang, so long as the end result LOOKS like a Mustang, DRIVES like a Mustang, and FEELS like a Mustang. As noted before, a fellow from Vietnam did a much better job of that than the AMERICANS who designed the Fox-bodied abominations.

I met Hai Tau Tang (I think that's how you spell it) a few years back, I believe it was right before the 2007 GT500 came out. He did a presentation on the Mustang at my college. One of the things he said that stood out was that a mid 1960s Ford Mustang was the first car he ever saw and that it was his inspiration when designing the 2005 model. It looks like a Mustang.

 

Just because a car is designed elsewhere or by people who weren't born in America doesn't mean it can't be a true Mustang.

[F250]

Just because the Mustang "may" have European influence next time around doesn't mean it will be a watered down econobox. Is the M3 a watered down econobox? What about the C63? Porsche 911? The Germans can build performance cars as well as anybody in the world. Let's not all scream Armageddon because the Mustang "may" have global input.

 

Um...yea.

But they are not asking for input from Porsche or BMW. If we are talking about Ford of Germany have you seen their lineup? Not much Boss 302 or Shelby GT500 material there!My link

[F250]

I met Hai Tau Tang (I think that's how you spell it) a few years back, I believe it was right before the 2007 GT500 came out. He did a presentation on the Mustang at my college. One of the things he said that stood out was that a mid 1960s Ford Mustang was the first car he ever saw and that it was his inspiration when designing the 2005 model. It looks like a Mustang.

 

Just because a car is designed elsewhere or by people who weren't born in America doesn't mean it can't be a true Mustang.

 

Yes, he did a good job of copying the original American design.

[OAC_Sparky]

Not around here....a used Taurus with high miles and low price is probably the number one driver for teenagers. I notice so many teenagers driving very used Taurus with rust sticking out. I imagine in many cases its a hand me down family vehicle. Old Grand Ams, Saturns, and Taurus. That 2002 Taurus must be a real piece of shit. I wouldn't let my Matador Red Taurus SES Sport with 38,000 miles go for under $6,000, and its a 2002 without even a hint of rust on it anywhere and alloy wheels are perfect even after 9 winters.

You missed what I said at the end, "if they had to pay for it themselves". Try to convince a kid to spend HIS money on a Taurus. If the parents are buying a kid would drive a pink Geo Metro with 4 bald tires.

[NickF1011]

If Mustang had IRS like Camaro and it weighed more, cost more and didn't handle as well as the SRA it has now (like Camaro) why push it?

 

Yes, if it had an IRS setup like Camaro. Why would it though? Ford has a lightweight gem already in its control blade IRS that hardly offers up any weight penalty at all and has a proven on- and off-road history. I don't see any reason why they would stray from that concept.