Ford Jellymoulds Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 (edited) The Ford Mustang has been a part of our automotive fabric for so long that it's hard to imagine a world without it. It's become an iconic part of the muscle car realm with several generations of metal favored by several generations of fans. There were low points in its lineage, such as in the '70s and early '80s, and there have been many high watermarks, such as today. There's no doubt among Ford enthusiasts that the current Mustang is arguably the best of the breed in terms of quality, handling, and technical savvy, and you have a world-class engine lineup, the highest efficiency, and one of the best chassis to ever underpin the Mustang. The current breed also has its downsides, as it's the most expensive and heaviest Mustang ever. And it's no longer the entry-level bargain basement car that once appealed to the masses back in the '60s. It has become more upmarket, more equipped, and has a price point closer to some European performance coupes. " …the plan is to aggressively export Mustang to countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan. " In looking to redesign the next-generation ponycar, many converging forces have the 2015 Mustang facing a major crossroads. It's racing quickly toward a swiftly rolling freight train of high gas prices, skyrocketing new government fuel mileage regulations, and a much more challenging global marketplace. Today it has a new Chevy Camaro to win against, new V-8 muscle cars coming from Korea to fend off, and now meets the Japanese sports cars face to face. The Mustang is being redesigned at this moment, and is facing just as drastic a headwind as it did when Ford changed the game with the Mustang II in 1974. Let that sink in for a moment as you are told that the next-generation Mustang is being loosely termed the Mustang III within the halls of Dearborn, Michigan. While that may send shivers down the spines of some, the good news is that today we have the technology. Best of all, the performance-minded gearheads in Dearborn have the will to meet tomorrow's new regulations and market forces without turning the current stallion into a wheezing little gelding as was the case with the Mustang II. What must be reckoned with is that today's Mustang is heavier and larger than it's ever been. The 2012 Mustang weighs about 100 pounds more and is virtually identical in size to the big-body '73 Mustang once widely considered to be a fat pig. The next-generation Mustang will need to shed some weight, lose some girth, and get a lot more efficient for a great many reasons. The biggest force affecting the design and fate of the 2015 Mustang will be the newly minted Federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements. This summer, the Obama Administration drastically raised the target for the required average fuel economy rating to a stratospheric 56.2 mpg by 2025. This will change the performance car landscape as we know it, and hopefully not as we saw in the 1970s.This means that the full fleet of vehicles Ford builds, from the Fiesta to fullsize F-Series trucks, must provide fuel mileage figures that average 56.2 mpg. So for every truck or muscle car that might only achieve 30-35 mpg, Ford will have to sell an equivalent number of vehicles that can get 75-80 mpg to meet the government-mandated average. If your mouth is wide open, you are getting it. We don't have fullsize trucks, let alone Shelby GT-500s, that can get 30-35 mpg today, and certainly not the small cars that get 75-80 mpg to offset them. What this means for Mustang is that it must reach never-before-seen levels of efficiency in just the next 10 years to simply exist, let alone push us back in the seat with 550 hp. As the 2015 Mustang will likely have a lifespan that reaches to 2025, it will need to be much lighter, smaller, and have much more efficient engines. Ford is seeking to shave at least 200-300 pounds from the current car's 3,600-pound curb weight. This will come partially with downsizing, but mostly from use of lighter materials in the body structure and chassis components. Look for more aluminum and use of high-strength steels. " Hybrid isn't a dirty word if it's used to add power and allow that V-8 to exist in modern-day CAFE rules. " 2015 Mustang Is Going Global Word has it that Ford is designing the new 2015 Mustang to be built in both lefthand and righthand drive; the plan is to aggressively export Mustang to countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan. For the first time in the modern era, consumers in these countries will be able to buy the Mustang right off the dealer showroom floor as a mainstream model instead of some gray-market specialty like it is now. In Australia, for instance, cars must be converted to righthand drive to be street legal. Mustangs have been imported for decades in small numbers and converted at a high cost for a select few. Other countries see small amounts of Mustangs sold, but it's not widely supported by dealer networks. It is understood that dealers in the UK and Europe are being told to anticipate the Mustang as a regular production model. Some Mustang purists in America are already taking it as an affront that Mustang may be getting compromised here and there to meet the tastes of people "over there." The reality is that the Mustang will be improved in several key ways that could only result from training it to run with the thoroughbreds in Europe. After all, it's only lately that we have seen the Mustang being tested at the Nurburgring, and there's a reason for that. Best of all, by exporting Mustang around the world, the aftermarket industry will benefit from a whole new marketplace of consumers and increased economies of scale that could result in a wider variety of go-fast mods for all of us down the road. So look at the bright side and get ready to start sharing the love on your favorite forums with our new Mustang brothers and sisters around the globe! Read more: http://www.popularho...l#ixzz1rucRfNQh Ford's current global styling... read full caption Absolutely awesome news its like Christmas come early, what a 50th happy birthday present to the world it would be. Have got my deposit ready and awaiting awaiting for one to buy from Ford UK. Hybrid option would break all the rules on European CO2 based taxation laws/sky high British fuel prices making it a very well worth it option, it certainly would wipe that smug grin of a Toyota Prius owners face as well. Ford need to make the next Ranger with a hybrid option as well as they are getting taxed of British roads in place like London's Emission Zone where you pay £500-£1,000 ($800-$1600) fines for not paying £100-£300 a ($160-$480) daily charge if your vehicle does not meet the London's emission regulations. If Ford made a hybrid Ranger gotta say l would buy one instantly as well. God bless Ford, God bless America for doing it, and thank you for ending the automotive boredom in Europe. Mustang is the sort of flagship car that will lift the European economy out of the doldrums, get folk spending again rather than cash sitting on the sidelines doing absolutely nothing, and bored to tears. Edited April 13, 2012 by Ford Jellymoulds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FPV GTHO Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Those of us with our heads out of the sand have known about Mustang going global for awhile now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blksn8k2 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Not much official about any of this and a lot of it sounds like it was written more than a year ago. Just a bunch of wishful thinking IMO... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerM Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 "The 2012 Mustang weighs about 100 pounds more and is virtually identical in size to the big-body '73 Mustang once widely considered to be a fat pig. The next-generation Mustang will need to shed some weight, lose some girth, and get a lot more efficient for a great many reasons." While I agree the pictures are a bit cartoonish, I don't see how those images portray anything but a whole lot of sheet metal and smallish windows, as seen in the 71-73 Mustangs. It almost looks "Camaro-ized". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford Jellymoulds Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 If the Mustang is going global (Still no confirmation from Ford UK yet) l hope the Mustang design team consider a LPG & Diesel versions for markets outside of North America, as places like Europe would see Mustang sales jump by at least 10-fold more sales if we had these options. UK LPG is £0.79 ($1.79) a litre, and unleaded gasoline is £1.50 a litre ($2.37) on average at the moment. Our UK unleaded costs about approximatelly 2.5 times more when you do the litre differnces I know there is not a lot of love for diesels within North America but most of the world outside North America do buy diesel cars, and a lot of places like Europe where high car taxation is based on low C02 emissions which cripples gasoline car sales here, most diesels produce one third less and a bit more torque, which breaks a lot of different car taxation rules within Europe. Would still buy the gasoline regardless even though l have to pay 65% tax back to the British Government on every £1 or $ l of gasoline l buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSFan00 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 it would be great if the Mustang were to herald some new consumer LPG era. Maybe a new republican admin/congress will help allow the auto makers to game the new standards by allowing CNG to be treated/calculated differently in the numbers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Pretty sure you won't see a diesel Mustang. And what's a Ford oval doing in the center of a Mustang grille? What is this? 1983? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker16 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Pretty sure you won't see a diesel Mustang. And what's a Ford oval doing in the center of a Mustang grille? What is this? 1983? you will see a diesel mustang if it is sold in Europe. it is not difficult to certify it becuase its power pack would likely be shared with the Transit van, having a diesel is the price you pay to participate in the global market, I think there is 0 chance we would see a Diesel mustang in the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 (edited) The Mustang is not a practical car. It will not be purchased by practical people for practical reasons. Putting the 3.2L I-5 in the Mustang would be slightly, but just slightly, less ludicrous than putting a tractor motor in a Ferrari. The efficient Mustang engine will be a turbo four, not a diesel. Edited April 13, 2012 by RichardJensen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
03 LS Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Pretty sure you won't see a diesel Mustang. And what's a Ford oval doing in the center of a Mustang grille? What is this? 1983? Wouldn't this be the first FNA designed platform going global, under ONE FORD? It better has diesel powertrain, just as important as the RHD. And there are many more times people around the globe who don't recognize a Mustang horse than who don't know a Blue Oval Ford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Does a Ferrari need a diesel? If anything, the Mustangs that will be most popular in Europe will be the extreme Mustangs, and they will be bought as toys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford Jellymoulds Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 The Mustang is not a practical car. It will not be purchased by practical people for practical reasons. Putting the 3.2L I-5 in the Mustang would be slightly, but just slightly, less ludicrous than putting a tractor motor in a Ferrari. The efficient Mustang engine will be a turbo four, not a diesel. LOL l always used the noisy tractor analogy many moons ago Richard myself, but its old hat now the diesels are very quiet and make very good commercial sense. We now buy a lot more diesel cars in the UK than gasoline versions, the Mondeo sells at a 9:1 diesel/gasoline sales ratio in the UK, you can only buy Ranger or Transit Connect diesels only in the UK. If Ford are gonna hit the ground running Richard with the Mustang it would be good to have a diesel option as well, as they break so many tax rules imposed on us by big brother government. With 65% of every tankful of gasoline being British Government tax on every fill-up, having a diesel option is probably a necessity in Europe these days, our government are worse than the thieving Arabs Richard. 4 pots never!! l want 8 pots don't give them ideas Richard, but would settle for 4 if it meant we could buy a Stang here though. Chevy have launched the Camaro last month in the UK, they have totally cocked up by sending us the LHD version only, it won't be long before they pull the plug on it. Gotta say nothing would please me more than just to have the opportunity to buy, and have a nice new RHD Stang parked up on my drive that was made in Detroit USA, with whatever engine Ford chose to put in for us. I think Ford are gonna be pleasantly surprised at how much we like the Mustang in Europe, and how well it will do here Richard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 (edited) Sorry. Still not buying it. An EB 4 will probably perform better and will almost certainly exceed the 3.2L in CO2 g/km, seeing that gas is a less dense fuel. Or, in short, equivalent fuel efficiency without the ~15% carbon penalty that comes from using diesel fuel. And finally, few people are going to buy this thing in Europe. You can't sell the Mustang in high volume to a continent where the B segment is the sales leader. I would venture to guess that Australia alone will give the whole European continent (well, except *maybe* Russia) a run for the money in sales volume. Edited April 13, 2012 by RichardJensen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Sorry. Still not buying it. An EB 4 will probably perform better and will almost certainly exceed the 3.2L in CO2 g/km, seeing that gas is a less dense fuel. Or, in short, equivalent fuel efficiency without the ~15% carbon penalty that comes from using diesel fuel. And finally, few people are going to buy this thing in Europe. You can't sell the Mustang in high volume to a continent where the B segment is the sales leader. I would venture to guess that Australia alone will give the whole European continent (well, except *maybe* Russia) a run for the money in sales volume. probably on the money, however, a high performance varient could entice some not able to afford something along the lines of a Porsche..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 And a high performance variant won't have a diesel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 "The Mustang is being redesigned at this moment, and is facing just as drastic a headwind as it did when Ford changed the game with the Mustang II in 1974" The M-II was designed between 1970-73, not "whipped up overnight as a reaction to the OPEC Oil Embargo" as some so called "car historians" claim, incorrectly. Iacocca wanted a smaller car, like the 65-66 and was meant to compete with Celica and 240Z. Nobody even imagined any major Oil crisis beforehand. Most of the pressure on car makers was for stricter emission controls, and safety. The sudden oil price spike was a huge shock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 And a high performance variant won't have a diesel. course not....wonder if the release will co-incide with the Nano releases?....thats said...hard to beat that 5.0.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSFan00 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 The question remains whether a case will be made for CNG, not diesel. CNG means weight at the back end, but the same engine. Could also be sold, potentially, to police fleets as a real operating-cost advantage, and make the Mustang, at that point, kind of a specialty halo car for the green crowd too (globally). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLPRacing Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Pretty sure you won't see a diesel Mustang. And what's a Ford oval doing in the center of a Mustang grille? What is this? 1983? Are you sure about that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 That video is from April 5.... ....2010! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 That video is from April 5.... ....2010! sure it wasnt April 1st? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker16 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 The Mustang is not a practical car. It will not be purchased by practical people for practical reasons. Putting the 3.2L I-5 in the Mustang would be slightly, but just slightly, less ludicrous than putting a tractor motor in a Ferrari. The efficient Mustang engine will be a turbo four, not a diesel. it is not about being practical its about meeting the expectations of the market. just like you need RHD in the UK you also need a Diesel engine to be competitive. Richard the transit uses more than the 3.2 I5, they also have a 155hp 2,2l I4 too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 (edited) it is not about being practical its about meeting the expectations of the market. just like you need RHD in the UK you also need a Diesel engine to be competitive. Richard the transit uses more than the 3.2 I5, they also have a 155hp 2,2l I4 too. Im not sure a diesel is necessary at all....especially in a car such as a sports coupe....911 diesel anyone?... small eco run-abouts yes....Biker, whats up, first Wagons now diesel Mustangs?????? lol j/k Edited April 13, 2012 by Deanh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker16 Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 Im not sure a diesel is necessary at all....especially in a car such as a sports coupe....911 diesel anyone?... small eco run-abouts yes....Biker, whats up, first Wagons now diesel Mustangs?????? lol j/k funny. FYI the tax system is based upon Co2 emissions, so a gas guzzler, pays £475.00 A YEAR in taxes, while a miserly Diesel pays £30.00 in taxes. in addition to the the cost of gas, is $8.35 a gallon there too. the 911 is in different price range than the mustang will be, a Porsche buyer can afford to pay the tax while a mustang owner cannot afford to pay it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT-Keith Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 I can see Ford doing away withe all of their N/A engines save for the GT and I expect stop/start for next-gen as well, at least as an option. I just don't see how they can meet the 2025 CAFE in 10 years unless something is radically changed. I don't see diesel playing a factor when a hybrid power train is more powerful, cheaper, and more efficient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.