December 5th will mark seven years since Ford revealed the S550 Mustang, and the best-selling sports coupe in the world is definitely showing its age. The Blue Oval has already discontinued the Shelby GT350 in favor of the Mach 1, and as you already know, the seventh generation is due to arrive at dealerships for the 2023 model year.
None other than the Ford Motor Company let the cat out of the bag with a job listing at the Flat Rock assembly plant, confirming the timing as well as the codename of the next Mustang. The big question is, what kind of platform will the new pony car get?
Long before the Blue Oval messed up the launch of the Explorer and Lincoln Aviator, hearsay suggested that CD6 is the vehicle architecture in question. Developed for rear- and all-wheel-drive applications with turbocharged engines and two levels of electrification, this platform is exclusive to the two mid-sized SUVs right now.
The Blue Oval announced that Flat Rock is gearing up for EV production by 2023, but nevertheless, the Ford Motor Company didn’t mention a thing about the CD6 vehicle architecture which is currently exclusive to the Chicago assembly plant. In other words, there is a huge question mark regarding the underpinnings of the S650.
This gets us to a report from Ford Authority. According to “sources familiar with product plans, there are currently no plans to use the CD6 for smaller vehicles. The only forthcoming model that will utilize the platform is the Mustang, but from what we understand, that vehicle will not represent a ‘pure’ implementation.”
Ford Authority makes a case for “a flexible vehicle set” rather than a platform in the traditional sense of the word, which is why “the S650 will continue utilizing a specific platform with elements borrowed from the CD6 and other models.” If that sounds eerily familiar to you, well, the Dearborn-based automaker did it before.
Remember when the S550 Mustang came out for the 2014 model year? Many people were stunned about the switch from a live axle to an independent rear suspension, and the IRS is pretty darn similar to that of the Fusion sedan.
Long before the Blue Oval messed up the launch of the Explorer and Lincoln Aviator, hearsay suggested that CD6 is the vehicle architecture in question. Developed for rear- and all-wheel-drive applications with turbocharged engines and two levels of electrification, this platform is exclusive to the two mid-sized SUVs right now.
The Blue Oval announced that Flat Rock is gearing up for EV production by 2023, but nevertheless, the Ford Motor Company didn’t mention a thing about the CD6 vehicle architecture which is currently exclusive to the Chicago assembly plant. In other words, there is a huge question mark regarding the underpinnings of the S650.
This gets us to a report from Ford Authority. According to “sources familiar with product plans, there are currently no plans to use the CD6 for smaller vehicles. The only forthcoming model that will utilize the platform is the Mustang, but from what we understand, that vehicle will not represent a ‘pure’ implementation.”
Ford Authority makes a case for “a flexible vehicle set” rather than a platform in the traditional sense of the word, which is why “the S650 will continue utilizing a specific platform with elements borrowed from the CD6 and other models.” If that sounds eerily familiar to you, well, the Dearborn-based automaker did it before.
Remember when the S550 Mustang came out for the 2014 model year? Many people were stunned about the switch from a live axle to an independent rear suspension, and the IRS is pretty darn similar to that of the Fusion sedan.