2015 Ford Mustang Goes Global, Appeals Local

Ford Motor Company has successfully consolidated the majority of its cars, trucks, SUVs, and commercial vehicles under what it calls its One Ford plan. The idea is simple: Build the same models for sale around the world, with minor variations to meet local and regional regulations. What about the redesigned 2015 Ford Mustang, the next-generation edition of a fundamentally American icon? How do you go global with a rear-drive muscle car powered by a V-8?

It is easier than you might think. Mustang fans exist on every part of the planet, and they find ways to scratch their itch. Still, when creating the new 2015 Mustang, Ford engineers and designers made sure to keep a worldwide audience in mind while preserving what makes the car special in the first place.

The 2015 Mustang will be offered with a fastback or a convertible body style in standard or GT trim. Styling draws equally from Ford's current design language and historical Mustang cues, and the interior features improved materials combined with a traditional dual-cowl dashboard with available aluminum trim.

Ford says the new Mustang is roomier inside, but headroom is reduced compared with the current car, and the redesigned 2015 Mustang Convertible model's back seat isn't quite as wide as it used to be. Trunk space, however, increases over the old car, and the new Mustang is lower and wider than the model it replaces while retaining an identical wheelbase and nearly as much length.

The engine lineup includes updated versions of the existing 3.7-liter V-6 and 5.0-liter V-8, with a new turbocharged, 2.3-liter, EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine available as an option for the standard Mustang. Final horsepower and torque figures are not available, but Ford estimates that the V-6 and V-8 will make about the same amounts as the current car, while the EcoBoost engine will deliver approximately 305 horsepower and 300 lb.-ft. of torque. Fuel-economy improvements are expected, thanks in part to the new Mustang's 200-lb. weight loss.