If you need any more proof that Ford’s top brass is mulling over the idea of a Ford Mustang sedan, just check out the official illustrations from Ford’s designers.
Among the design sketches officially presented alongside the world debut of the seventh-generation Ford Mustang coupe and convertible last week was this sleek four-door derivative illustrated by the Blue Oval’s chief designer himself.
Penned by Christopher Stevens, Ford’s senior exterior designer, this sketch of a Porsche Panamera-slaying high-performance sedan shows what the US auto giant thinks a four-door Mustang should look.
Although there’s only one authorised image of the four-door Mustang, it was one of a number of designs that influenced the look of the all-new S650 Mustang that arrives in Australia in late 2023.
The side profile shows that it retains the sleek new proportions of the seventh-generation 2023 Ford Mustang and lacks the ungainly, cab-backwards look of some four-door sports cars.
The two-tone paint scheme with black roof builds on the Mustang sedan’s sporty silhouette and, despite the two extra doors, the iconic muscle car’s long bonnet, narrow glasshouse and heavily stylised fastback rear-end ensure it doesn’t look like a stretched coupe.
Yet despite the conjecture and excitement around a four-door Mustang, global buyer preferences are moving away from sedans and towards more flexible modes of personal transport like crossovers and SUVs, meaning a vehicle like this is unlikely to make it to production.
And if it did eventuate, a Mustang sedan clearly won’t be launched alongside the new-generation coupe and convertible two-door models – including the more powerful new Dark Horse flagship – that will go on sale in the US and Australia next year.
But if Ford did sign off a Mustang sedan, it would almost certainly be offered with a range of powertrains, most likely including the S650’s uprated 5.0-litre V8 and turbo-petrol 2.3-litre four-cylinder engines.
And Ford has time on its hands, since the US car-maker says the seventh-generation Mustang won’t be the last, and has previously shown a willingness to apply its storied pony car nameplate to new body styles – as evidenced by the successful Mustang Mach-E electric sedan.
Expected on sale in Australia by 2024, the Mach-E has proved almost as popular as the Mustang itself so far this year in the US, where more than 25,000 examples of the sleek EV have been sold compared to almost 30,000 Mustang coupes and convertibles.
So as automotive executives love to declare, never say never to a Mustang sedan.
What do you think of the idea? Would you buy a Ford Mustang sedan instead of a two-door, or another four-door sports car? Head to our social channels on Facebook and Instagram to have your say.