April and May have lit a few fires in the ponycar world, such things are now extra interesting now that there is only one ponycar left, the Ford Mustang. GM Chairman Mark Reuss mused about the Chevrolet Camaro Unpleasant Motor trendwhere I imagine a nice electric four-door with a price around 2024 Chevrolet Equinox electric carwhich starts at $43,295 with destination. Given a federal tax deduction, that would be the Camaros price below all competitors, assuming the performance makes the entry-level version worthwhile. In the suburbs of Michigan at fordCEO Jim Farley gave Coach his thoughts about what could be possible with Mustangruling out a pure-electric variant and a model focused on off-roading, while leaving the door(s) open for a sedan-style model “as long as (it) has the performance and stance of the original.” Those doors are now officially ajar after Ford’s trader meetings in Las Vegas. Automotive news reports Dealers were shown a range of potential future models, including four-door and off-road versions of the Mustang.
Unnamed attendees at the meeting said Ford called the family version of the Mustang the Mach 4, shown as a rendering. The second concept, a “rugged” off-road version A described as a “Baja model”, was shown in a photo. We are not sure if Ford called the model “Baja” or if A‘s description, and we also wonder if the fact that the Mach 4 was a rendering and the Baja was a photo means one is closer to a potential market launch than the other.
Vaughn Gittin Jr.’s RTR brought a third version of the pony car, this time an EcoBoost variant that starts in the $40,000 price range (and probably plagued in April). The engine choice is a departure from the Coyote V8 Focus RTRs are known for. Such a model would help Ford expand the turbocharged four-cylinder’s performance credentials, and fill the void left by Ford lower the EcoBoost High-Performance Package for 2025, and also for about the same price. It is reported that RTR is also trying to grow its own lineup of vehicles and sell them internally, not just through OEM dealers.
The last horse in the line was a very powerful convertible of the ‘Stang’ type with manual transmission, which incidentally did not bear any Shelby badges. Ford Authority has said mules and prototypes of what we would expect a new Shelby GT500 been testing for about a year, but Ford may want a new name. The rumor is that the company is considering an original name of its own — such as Dark Horse in the Mustang realm or Raptor and Tremor for the opening line — rather than continuing to license a badge.
None of this is mentioned in all of this, but we also need to consider the top view of a Mustang does a four-wheeler burnout in April, with a hint at even more ideas, perhaps those of EcoBoost hybrid variety.
Elsewhere in the range, dealers were given a glimpse of a physical model of a compact van based on the Nonconformist pick-up platform. This would effectively Transit connection on our market, possibly under a different name, and could be on the market as early as 2025.
Dealers also got a sneak peek at a future battery-electric platform to underpin several models, including a sedan, small SUV and pickup truck.
When AN Ford asked about the preview, a spokesperson for the automaker replied that there are “very exciting plans to expand our portfolio with new vehicles in all price ranges.” Dealers seem enthusiastic, one calls it “great”, another tells AN: “It was the first good meeting in five years in terms of being positive and focusing on the future.”