Leaks and rumors spew out of the internet every second of every day, so it’s important to look at each one with a critical eye and healthy pinch of salt. Last weekend videos of the 2020 Shelby GT500 made their way out of a closed-doors dealer meeting, but more intriguingly attending dealers were allegedly told a four-door Mustang is on the way. When we reached out, Ford responded with “no news to provide at this time, but we will absolutely keep dialing up Mustang excitement year-after-year.”
Earlier this year, Ford announced it was axing plans to invest in any future hatchbacks and sedans. So, it’s easy to dismiss any rumblings of a Mustang-based sedan as false. With the market trending the way it is, hatchbacks, trucks and SUVs are an easy way to make money and if Ford wants to keep investors happy and the ROI high, shedding the dead weight is one way to go. With that said, Mustang is safe — it will always be safe unless Ford wants an angry mod with torches and pitchforks marching on Dearborn.
Ford also has a track record of making seemingly snap decisions as well as keeping incredibly tight-lipped about future projects. If (and that’s a big ‘if’) Ford were to make an entirely new sedan, basing it off of the Mustang would actually make sense. Supposedly, one or two attending dealers reported the four-door Mustang would come with a turbo V8 and go up against the likes of the Porsche Panamera and Audi A7. It’s difficult to think a Ford will go after that sort of price point. Aiming at other coupe-styled four-door cars makes more sense. In the performance luxury world, four-door ‘coupes’ are almost as ubiquitous as crossovers — BMW, Audi, Mercedes, even Kia and Toyota make coupe-like sedans.
Do I want to believe Ford took a step back, looked at itself and realized there is a place for sedans in this world if done right? Of course. I’ve been quietly pleading for someone to shoehorn a Mustang V8 in a new Taurus for years. Should Ford extend a Mustang, add two more doors and still call it a Mustang? Hell no. Bring back the Falcon. So, do I think Ford, has it in them to bring this project to life? Maybe the Ford that greenlit the new GT and Focus RS, but not Ford as it is today. I’d love to be proved wrong. If we do hear an official announcement it’ll likely be at the North American International Auto Show in January — until then, we’ll keep an ear to the ground and salt in hand.