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Ever since the S197 received its major '10MY refresh, the tracking of prototypes and insider information regarding "the next Mustang" has been one of my favorite pastimes. It was pretty easy to piece together the parts of the puzzle and work out the timelines for each refresh.........up until now, that is.
There are conflicting reports as to what's coming next, and when. I guess part of this is down to changing plans at Ford. We know there's been massive change since Jim Hackett came onboard, with a number of nameplates being given the boot, and the focus on trucks, SUVs and electrification. Within all that, I'm sure whatever plans Ford had for Mustang have been updated and timeimes impacted.
There was a strong assumption Mustang would move to CD6, the RWD platform that underpins the new Explorer and Aviator. That may still happen, but if current rumors are to be believed, that won't happen for a good few years. This new 7th Gen Mustang is what we assumed would be S650. But, now it seems some in the know think S550 will carry on with significant updates. The most recent guestimates from Automobile are:
https://www.automobilemag.com/news/next-ford-mustang-details-on-sale-info/
"One source says the CD6 Mustang, which goes by the codename S650, appears to be delayed at least to the 2026 model year, while another source guesses 2028 or 2029, either of which makes it less of a product plan than a promise to keep building the icon. In the interim, the S550 Mustang will receive a major mid-cycle facelift to update its current D2C platform and reskin it with new sheetmetal from nose to tail, which will require some underbody work. It’s the mid-cycle D2C update that will spawn a Mustang hybrid, although that car is said to be delayed slightly from the 2021 model year to early in calendar-year 2022"
In terms of prototypes, only 3 have been spotted in recent months. One has relatively light camo (the white one, below) which seems to indicate a new model based on the current car (I'm still wishing for the Mach 1!!). The other two are slightly more hacked about (the Royal Crimson and Bullitt models, below). On these, the only significant change we can see are relocated from turn signals/foglights......they are higher up, closer to the headlamps). Now, such minor changes do not reflect the "major mid-cycle facelift with new sheetmetal from nose to tail", as reported by Automobile.
So, what does all this mean? My thoughts (for what they are worth).
'21MY - a very minor update with the relocated turn signal/foglights (what this means for the white prototype, I'm not sure!!)
'23MY - significant refresh, as described by Automobile, with new sheetmetal from nose to tail (we haven't seen these prototypes yet)
'26MY++ - Move to CD6/S650
These are just my musings.....but I'd be interested to hear the views of others
There are conflicting reports as to what's coming next, and when. I guess part of this is down to changing plans at Ford. We know there's been massive change since Jim Hackett came onboard, with a number of nameplates being given the boot, and the focus on trucks, SUVs and electrification. Within all that, I'm sure whatever plans Ford had for Mustang have been updated and timeimes impacted.
There was a strong assumption Mustang would move to CD6, the RWD platform that underpins the new Explorer and Aviator. That may still happen, but if current rumors are to be believed, that won't happen for a good few years. This new 7th Gen Mustang is what we assumed would be S650. But, now it seems some in the know think S550 will carry on with significant updates. The most recent guestimates from Automobile are:
https://www.automobilemag.com/news/next-ford-mustang-details-on-sale-info/
"One source says the CD6 Mustang, which goes by the codename S650, appears to be delayed at least to the 2026 model year, while another source guesses 2028 or 2029, either of which makes it less of a product plan than a promise to keep building the icon. In the interim, the S550 Mustang will receive a major mid-cycle facelift to update its current D2C platform and reskin it with new sheetmetal from nose to tail, which will require some underbody work. It’s the mid-cycle D2C update that will spawn a Mustang hybrid, although that car is said to be delayed slightly from the 2021 model year to early in calendar-year 2022"
In terms of prototypes, only 3 have been spotted in recent months. One has relatively light camo (the white one, below) which seems to indicate a new model based on the current car (I'm still wishing for the Mach 1!!). The other two are slightly more hacked about (the Royal Crimson and Bullitt models, below). On these, the only significant change we can see are relocated from turn signals/foglights......they are higher up, closer to the headlamps). Now, such minor changes do not reflect the "major mid-cycle facelift with new sheetmetal from nose to tail", as reported by Automobile.
So, what does all this mean? My thoughts (for what they are worth).
'21MY - a very minor update with the relocated turn signal/foglights (what this means for the white prototype, I'm not sure!!)
'23MY - significant refresh, as described by Automobile, with new sheetmetal from nose to tail (we haven't seen these prototypes yet)
'26MY++ - Move to CD6/S650
These are just my musings.....but I'd be interested to hear the views of others
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