All Hands On Deck To Style New Mustang

Ford Motor’s design studios worldwide will provide styling ideas for an American classic: the next-generation Mustang.

“It is a common process we [now] use on every vehicle,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice-president for global product development, at the Geneva motor show.

Ford’s next-generation pony car will be the first Mustang with styling themes proposed by studios in Europe, Australia and other regions. Previously Ford’s United States studio was solely responsible for Mustang design.

“When we embark on a new product, particularly one that is all new, it involves all of the studios. Then J [Mays] and the design team pick the best of those themes,” Kuzak said.

Mays is Ford’s global design chief. Ford adopted the global design approach three years ago.

Kuzak did not say when the redesigned Mustang is due. However, industry sources say the new sports coupe will debut in the 2014 or 2015 model year.

While the final styling theme might come from outside the US, he said, Ford’s Dearborn, Michigan, studio would have responsibility to turn the selected styling theme into a production vehicle.

Kuzak said the new Ranger pick-up is the latest example of product
co-operation undertaken by Ford’s studios. “The Ranger was done by the Australian studio with input from the European studio,” Kuzak said.

The Ranger is the first global Ford vehicle designed by the Australian subsidiary.

The Ranger pick-up was introduced last year and will be sold outside the US (and in New Zealand) later this year.
Ford has conducted Mustang clinics in Asia and Europe. He said men and women within a wide range of ages were shown photographs of celebrities and asked, “which person represents the Mustang?”

The No1 person selected was Steve McQueen.

McQueen appeared in the 1968 movie Bullitt, which included a high-speed chase sequence involving a Mustang driven by McQueen.