Although it doesn’t bear the blue oval badge, the Mustang remains the American automaker’s most important marketing tool. Even the design of the crossover that Ford manufactures in Mexico is inspired by the muscle cars and features Mustang’s distinctive tri-bar taillights.
As a national symbol, the Mustang is to America what a Ferrari is to Italy or a Jaguar to England. But unlike the two European icons, the American sports car was conceived as a versatile model, capable of satisfying the needs of a wide range of customers.
The Ford Mustang was the model with the most customization options of all the cars that came out of the Detroit plants in the 1960s and this has been one of the keys to its success. Throughout its history it has been available in a wide range of power, performance and price levels, and with enough storage space and number of seats to be used regularly, at least by those without a large family.
The model was presented for the first time in 1964 and since then its production has been maintained without interruption. The seventh Generation, Unveiled this week at the Detroit auto show, it includes new features ranging from a fighter jet-inspired digital cockpit to new turbocharged and naturally aspirated engines.
“Investing in another generation of Mustang makes a great statement at a time when many of our competitors are exiting the internal combustion vehicle business,” said Farley.
Ford is the only one of the three Detroit manufacturers that has decided to stay in this segment. General Motors is expected to end production of Chevrolet Camaro in 2024while Stellantis said that it will end production of the Charger and Challenger next year.
2024 Ford Mustang Features
The new generation of Mustang has an appearance that respects the tradition, but inside it has a lot of technology with which the American manufacturer seeks to attract a wide variety of consumers.
“We knew what customers wanted and designed the most digital Mustang ever while retaining the all-important driver-centric cabin,” said Ricardo Garcia, Ford interior design manager.
mustang interior design
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Ford Mustang Cluster
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5.0-liter V8 engine
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The fighter jet-inspired cockpit offers the driver two fluid, curved displays that can be quickly customized to display the information the driver wants or needs to see.
“Removing some of these physical buttons, like the radio and climate control, and integrating them into a digital display was popular in the research with Millennial, Gen-Z and traditional Mustang drivers alike.”
The new Mustang offers two engines that sit at the extremes of efficiency: on the one hand, a powerful 5.0-liter naturally aspirated Coyote V8 engine, and in the other a 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder brand new.
Mustang will be available with a standard six-speed manual transmission or the renewed 10-speed automatic transmission.
Each model in the Mustang lineup has its own unique front end. GT differs from EcoBoost models by larger, more aggressive grille openings designed to allow more airflow, reflecting the increased power and performance.
Mustang Dark Horse: a version for the race track
Ford expects to maintain its global leadership in the segment of muscle cars by continuing to not only update the Mustang, but also add new variants. The latest of these is the Mustang Dark Horse, designed with a focus on the track.
“We took the all-new Mustang, which features the best of our new 5.0-liter V8 performance, and added power, improved aerodynamics, improved tires, improved steering, and added a much more user-interactive cockpit to create a Mustang that it outperforms any Mustang GT that has come before it,” Ed Krenz, Mustang chief engineer, said in a statement.
A special team of Ford engineers, designers and experts worked for more than three years to create the Mustang Dark Horse model, which expands the Mustang lineup and, according to Ford, “sets a new benchmark for performance on the streets and tracks”.
The heart of the Mustang Dark Horse is its 5.0-liter Coyote V8 engine that was specially modified and designed to deliver the most performance in the new Mustang family. The camshafts were strengthened and the forged crankshaft and piston rods first introduced in the 760-horsepower Ford Performance Mustang Shelby GT500 were used.
The available Mustang Dark Horse Performance Package includes an auxiliary engine oil cooler, a rear axle cooler, a lighter radiator with improved cooling capacity, more powerful fans and carbon fiber wheels.
“Whether convertible or coupe, V8 or turbocharged 4-cylinder, manual or automatic, Mustang has options at multiple price points and performance levels,” the brand said in a statement.