Autocar rendering showcases how the Mustang could be stretched into a saloon
New ‘Mach 4’ will be priced from equivalent to £30k and complete the 0-60mph dash in less than 4.0sec
Ford is firming up its plan to take on the BMW M3 and Audi RS5 with a four-door version of the Mustang, and dealers in the US have reportedly been shown the final design.
The transformation of the venerable muscle car into a super-saloon was first reported by Autocar in May 2024. Now, according to Automotive News and the Wall Street Journal, US dealers have been given a first look at the model ahead of its arrival, citing insiders at a conference.
Automotive News reports the saloon will take the already-trademarked Mach 4 name into production (both as a nod to the Mach 1 range-topper and to differentiate it from the Mach-E electric SUV) and that it’s similar in size and shape to the Porsche Panamera.
Dealers were told that pricing would start below $40,000 (£30,000) in the US, claimed the report, and that it will be capable of completing the 0-60mph dash in under 4.0sec.
Those who saw the car reportedly said it uses a hybrid powertrain – potentially based around the 5.0-litre V8 engine used by the Mustang coupé.
Speaking to Autocar two years ago, Ford CEO Jim Farley pledged to “never build a Mustang that isn’t a Mustang” – and the latest information suggests the Mach 4 will be true to the muscle car brief.
Farley added: “For instance, there will never be room for a small, two-row Ford SUV with a Mustang badge stuck on it. But could we do other Mustang body forms – a four-door or whatever? I believe we could, as long as these models have all the performance and attitude of the original.”
Farley also said that Ford will continue to build V8s “as long as God and the politicians let us”.
Although the US has all but dispensed with emissions regulation under president Donald Trump, hybridisation could be key to Ford offering a derivative of its ‘Coyote’ 5.0-litre V8 in markets such as Europe and Asia, where emissions regulations are becoming increasingly tight.
The Wall Street Journal suggested the Mach 4 could go on sale by the end of the decade, but there’s no indication of whether it could follow the coupé in being exported globally.
Ford’s European passenger vehicles chief, Christian Weingärtner, recently told Autocar that it would consider offering global models here if it foresees sufficient demand for them.
He said the company was “willing to also go into other segments beyond” small and family-sized crossovers, citing “great opportunities” for larger cars.
Global appeal is likely to be a key consideration in the development of the Mach 4: Farley said the move to go global with the Mustang a decade ago was “a big risk” but it had “paid off”.
Yet he also shunned the prospect of an electric Mustang to follow the Mach-E: “I look at other users of pure-electric power such as Formula E, and even companies like Rimac, and I just don’t think that would be right for Mustang. Great for other Fords – look at the worldwide success of Transit – but not for Mustang.”
When approached by Autocar about the Mach 4 reports, Ford declined to comment.
