Is it Christmas already? 2015 Ford Mustang production begins in Michigan

By Stephen Edelstein Published August 28, 2014

Forget Starbucks jumping the gun on fall with its August pumpkin spice lattes, it’s already Christmas for car fans.

The 2015 Ford Mustang is finally rolling down the assembly line at Ford’s Flat Rock, Michigan, plant. The Blue Oval has been taking Mustang orders since May, so customers have been waiting quite awhile to get their cars.

Recommended Videos

The first cars will likely hit showrooms in time to mark the Mustang’s 50th anniversary, although Ford missed the original “1964 1/2” model’s April 17 launch date by a few months.

Unlike that first-generation model, the 2015 Mustang will be traveling pretty far. Ford plans to sell the car in 120 countries, an even engineered a first-ever right-hand drive model to reach buyers who recognize the authority of the Queen.

A new Mustang is always exciting, but that’s particularly true of this sixth-generation model.

For 2015, the Mustang received its most substantial redesign in years. Ford excised the last remnants of the “Fox” platform that dates back to the 1970s, and equipped every Mustang with independent rear suspension, ensuring that the new model will be a sports car, not just a muscle car.

Related: 2014 Ford Mustang vs 2015 Ford Mustang

That may upset drag racers, but Ford appeased them with an electronic line-lock feature for the V8-powered Mustang GT.

However, the most controversial feature may be the new 2.3-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder engine. It’s not the first four-cylinder ever offered in a Mustang, but the notion of a small-displacement pony car just doesn’t sit right with some people.

Still, with 310 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque, the EcoBoost should be able to get out of its own way. It joins a 3.7-liter V6 with 300 hp and 280 lb-ft, and a 5.0-liter “Coyote” V8 with 435 hp and 400 lb-ft, both enhanced versions of the 2014 Mustang’s engines.

Those updated mechanical bits are wrapped in new styling that maintains some retro details, but has an overall look that’s thoroughly modern. Keep your eyes peeled.

Topics

Ford

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Cars

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E first drive review: Electric muscle

Blue Ford Mustang Mach-E on a rooftop

For its first serious attempt at a mass-market electric car, Ford decided to launch a crossover SUV inspired by one of its most iconic models, the Mustang.

The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E will likely prove controversial with traditional fans, who are used to Mustangs having only two doors, with V8 engines under the hood. While the original Mustang is a stereotypical muscle car with decades of history, the Mach-E takes its place in a growing field of electric crossovers, competing with the Tesla Model Y and the upcoming Volkswagen ID.4 and Nissan Ariya.

Cars

Ford’s electric 1,502-hp Mustang dragster burns tires, not race fuel

ford introduces electric mustang cobra jet 1400 prototype

Ford defiantly argued a Mustang doesn't need to have a turbocharged four-cylinder engine or a big V8 under the hood to honor the nameplate's heritage when it introduced the electric Mach-E. It took the emblematic model even further into electrification territory by building a battery-powered, Mustang-based dragster named Cobra Jet.

Hardcore, dyed-in-the-wool Mustang fans will recognize the Cobra Jet name because it denoted a mighty, 7.0-liter V8 engine in the late 1960s. Fast forward to 2020, and it proudly designates an electric dragster whose output checks in at a monstrous 1,400 horsepower and 1,100 pound-feet of instant torque, though Ford revised the first figure in September 2020. Its total output is 1,502 hp, a jaw-dropping number that puts it on par with the Bugatti Chiron.

Cars

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E will offer Active Drive Assist hands-free driving tech

Ford Active Drive Assist

Ford is serious about making the 2021 Mustang Mach-E its most tech-forward vehicle to date. The electric crossover will inaugurate a technology named Active Drive Assist that will allow drivers to safely and legally take both hands off the steering wheel when the right conditions are met. It won't turn the Mach-E into an autonomous car, however.

Bundled into a suite of electronic driving aids named Co-Pilot360, Active Drive Assist is an evolution of adaptive cruise control with lane-centering designed to take over on divided highways. The system relies on cameras, radars, and sensors to scope out the road ahead, but Ford's approach to the technology is similar to Cadillac's because it only works on pre-mapped highways. This safety-first solution ensures the car knows exactly where there's a bend or a hill, but it also means motorists won't be able to use Active Drive Assist if they're traveling on a road that the technology doesn't know. Ford already mapped over 100,000 miles of highways in all 50 states and in Canada.