Having already defiled the Mustang name with the Mach-E, Ford might bank on the pony car's heritage once more. In an interview with Autocar, CEO Jim Farley was open to the idea of rolling out other cars as part of an expanded 'Stang lineup. He did rule out some certain models such as a small crossover and an off-roader but didn't exclude a sedan.
"But could we do other Mustang body forms–a four-door or whatever? I believe we could, as long as these models have all the performance and attitude of the original."
While enthusiasts will scoff at the idea of a family-friendly Mustang, the truth of the matter is Ford has possibly been thinking of doing it for quite some time. Attached here are official renderings from the Blue Oval, penned by Senior Exterior Designer Christopher Stevens. These emerged back in mid-September 2022 when the S650 was officially unveiled.
The attractive design sketch was presented along with other illustrations of the coupe that were left on the proverbial cutting room floor. Some would argue that Ford could use another car in its US lineup after killing the Fiesta, Focus, Taurus, and Fusion in recent years. The Mustang is the only car left, with everything else being SUVs and trucks.
Whether a sleek sedan should have the Mustang moniker or not, that's up for debate. The idea is far from being new. In the mid-1960s, a four-door prototype (pictured below) was built but ultimately failed to get the green light. It looks as though the Dearborn-based automaker isn't afraid to capitalize on the popularity of the moniker by launching other models beyond the Mach-E electric SUV.
Rumors of a four-door Mustang have been swirling around since at least 2018. The original reports stated that Ford even told dealers about a sedan with a turbocharged V-8. However, it was ultimately just gossip. The sketches and Farley's interview with Autocar are the closest thing to a four-seat Mustang we have so far.
Farley wants to bolster the Mustang family with additional models as he told the British magazine there's more to come after the crazy-expensive GTD. A purely electric model is not on the list. Well, another one beside the Mach-E SUV:
"One thing I can promise, however, is that we will never make an all-electric Mustang."
The head honcho went on to mention Ford doesn't intend to replicate Porsche's strategy with the ever-growing 911 lineup. One thing we can all agree with from this interview is his statement about keeping the ol' V-8 alive for "as long as God and the politicians let us." While the 5.0 is staying and an EV is not happening, Farley didn't dismiss the idea of a hybrid setup:
"We've been testing and we really do believe partial electric powertrains work well for performance drivers."
