Photo: Ford
Ford is in no rush to push its iconic Mustang into its seventh generation. The automaker tells suppliers that the sixth-gen Mustang will add two years to its original expected life cycle with production extending into 2022.
Still on Top: Ford Mustang was the world’s best-selling sports car in 2019
Sources with knowledge of Ford’s plans say that the next-generation Mustang is on track to head into production in 2022 and launch for the 2023 model year. The seventh-generation Ford Mustang will also have an eight-year life cycle with a refresh planned for 2025.
That Mustang should ride on the CD6 platform used by the new Ford Explorer, which would make the seventh-gen car quite a bit larger. It also allows Ford to offer the Mustang with a hybrid powertrain and all-wheel drive, the latter a segment-exclusive option on the Dodge Challenger.
Ford will cap production below 100,000 vehicles per year, 77,000 of which will be fastbacks. Ford sold 102,090 Mustangs in 2019, trending downward from its 2018 tally of 113,066 cars. The Ford Mustang should retain its title as the world’s best-selling sports car for the sixth year in a row in 2020, but with just 33,786 cars sold through June, it will be well under six figures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Automotive News reported on Monday that stretching the Mustang’s lifespan from six to eight years could help Ford cut down on engineering and development costs. With the end of Fusion production in July, the Mustang is now the only car left in the Ford lineup. While Ford remains focused on revenue generators like crossovers and pickups, plans for a seventh-generation ‘stang suggest that the legendary pony won’t be going anywhere any time soon.
Mustang pushes on with Camaro’s future uncertain
Photo: Ford
As Ford appears to be pushing ahead with its next-generation pony car, one of the Mustang’s key competitors seems to be on shakier ground. With production on the current Camaro expected to end by 2023, Chevrolet is considering discontinuing the car for two to three years before starting production on the seventh generation. Chevrolet sold just 48,265 Camaros in the United States last year, ranking third behind the Mustang and the Dodge Challenger.
The next-generation Dodge Challenger is also rumored to launch in 2023. Dodge’s pony car is well overdue for a reboot with the third generation originally launching in 2008. The Challenger finished second to the Mustang in U.S. sales last year, moving 60,997 cars to the Mustang’s 72,489.
Ford certainly understands the brand cachet it has with the Mustang name, and it’s making efforts to futureproof it even as cars become less popular with consumers. Not only is Ford set to launch a hybrid version of the Mustang, but it’s getting ready to roll out its new Mustang Mach-E electric crossover. It is not outside the realm of likelihood that Ford is also mulling a Mustang fastback EV.
The current Ford Mustang lineup is as strong as it’s ever been. Ford launched the Shelby GT500 this year — the most powerful street-legal car it’s ever built — and has announced the return of the beloved Mach 1 for 2021.
The Future of the Mustang: New 2021 Mach-E charges (and accelerates) quickly
Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.