Covered. The first images of the 2015 Ford Mustang leak out days before its official preview.
There are few secrets in the auto industry these days. And it doesn’t help if someone is planning to run a story on one of the most important debuts of the coming year on their front page.
These images of the 2015 Ford Mustang come to us through a series of connections but all trace back to the December 9th issue of Autoweek magazine. What you see is the sixth-generation pony car set to make its official debut through an unusual, 6-city/1-day preview scheduled for this coming Thursday.
There are plenty of reasons why interest in the new Mustang is running so high. We don’t get a new version of the muscle car all that often, this being only the sixth all-new model since the car made its splashy debut at the 1964 New York World’s Fair nearly 50 years ago. But the story gets more interesting. While the Mustang has long been classically American, Ford has every intention of taking it global this time around.
A more distinctive, global look shows up in this 2015 Mustang side profile.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if the new Mustang will be able to solidly wrestle back the muscle car sales crown from rival Chevrolet Camaro, the Chevy coupe dominating the charts since coming back to life a few years back.
(For more on this week’s 2015 Ford Mustang debut, Click Here.)
Then there’s the issue of new technology. Barring some absolute surprise during the December 5 debut, expect to hear about a much more technically sophisticated Mustang that will, among other things, offer an independent rear suspension for the first time on either the base or GT models. (An IRS was only offered, until now, on the SVT Cobra sold between 1999 and 2005.)
Other tech news includes the addition of such niceties as push-button start and option like adaptive cruise control. There’s also a large touchscreen display at the top of the center console to handle the MyFordTouch infotainment system.
The new ‘Stang is also expected to feature aluminum front fenders which will help it achieve a rumored 200-pound reduction in mass.
Our friends at Autoblog struggled to read some of the text from images of the Autoweek story and have come up with the conclusion that Ford will move ahead with a “2.3 Performance Pack,” which should translate into a new EcoBoost 2.3-liter inline-four powertrain that apparently will deliver better performance than the Boss 302.
(Ford reveals some Hot Wheels at this year’s SEMA Show. Click Here for a closer look.)
An earlier spy shot courtesy of the intrepid Jim Dunne: CarSpy.
Ford’s by no means the only one looking to find high-tech alternatives to traditional heavy metal Detroit powertrains. And that approach should prove particularly appealing in overseas markets where fuel economy will likely be as important as 0 to 60 times once Mustang goes global. Word has it that Ford will be shooting to generate at least 10% of its sales from markets outside North America.
But for those who couldn’t imagine a pony car without a V-8, don’t fret. There’s almost certainly going to be a wide range of engine alternatives, if for no other reason than to heat up the competition with the new 2014 Camaro.
As these images suggest, Ford chose not to go with some radical redesign – as it almost did back in the ‘80s when it launched a spacy little front-drive a coupe that was originally intended to replace the classic, rear-drive pony car. That decision was reversed at a relatively late date, a good move considering the relatively short life of what became instead the Ford Probe.
We’ve seen a few heavily camouflaged 2015 Mustangs running around Detroit in recent weeks and, as these pics suggest, you might not even realize you’re looking at the new car nose-on. The biggest update: the angled LED front accent lights – a design cue carried over with the three-bar taillamps.
New headlights, new diffuser, no more fake gas cap.
(Chevy wants to give Ford — and Porsche — a run for the money with the new Camaro Z28. Click Here for the details.)
From the side, the look is a little more updated; in fact, we’re almost tempted to suggest there’s a bit of the Audi TT in the more rounded roofline, as well as the hidden B-pillars. The rear reveals a new diffuser and more distinctive pony emblem.
We’ll be on hand for the official Thursday unveiling and should have more details to reveal then.
From these shots it looks pretty good. I loo forward to seeing it live and close-up.
If those are the real photos it’s a huge disappointment to me and a step backwards just as the C7 Vette is, in styling. The styling looks like something a boy ricer would do to a Honda or Toyota. The wannabe racer look is really cheezy IMO, especially the Fugly rear diffuser.
It’s amazing they could take several generations of really attractive Mustangs and follow up with a loser design for the 50th anniversary. It’s like they are trying to see if they can make a bigger mistake than GM did on the C7 Vette boy racer styling.