Next-Gen Ford Mustang To Use SUV Platform — Will Get Bigger

The Ford Mustang is all set to get a whole lot bigger when the Blue Oval brand brings out the next-generation of the pony car. According to a new report by Automobile Magazine, the next-generation Ford Mustang will be based on the CD6 platform that underpins the brand's Explorer SUV along with the Lincoln Aviator.

The next-generation Mustang, codenamed S650, was expected to arrive in 2021 but Automobile Magazine claims that a source has informed that Ford has decided to delay the switch till atleast 2025 (model year 2026 in the United States). Another source told the publication that the switch could be as late as 2028 (model year 2029).

Whatever the case may be, the 2021 Mustang will instead retain on the current car's unibody rear-wheel-drive platform, which is only used by Ford for the pony car. The new car though is expected to be thoroughly tweaked and will get all new sheet metal from the front to the rear. The next-gen Mustang will also be the first version of the muscle car to get a hybrid powertrain.

The current Ford Mustang (codenamed S550) has been in production since 2014 and it measures in at 4,784mm long 1,916mm wide, and 1,381mm tall. The wheelbase of the Mustang is 2,720mm long. The Ford Explorer, which is based on the CD6 platform is quite a lot bigger in size and the SUV is 5,050mm long and 2,000mm wide, which is 266mm longer and 84mm wider than the current Mustang.

The Explorer's size shows us just how much bigger the new Mustang could get when it arrives in 2025. If the Mustang expands to the dimensions allowed by the CD6 platform, it could end up being the size of the Dodge Challenger muscle car. The Challenger measures in at 5,020mm long which is 246mm longer than the length of the current Mustang.

Most of the next-gen Mustang's extra length is expected to be carried over to the wheelbase of the muscle car which could mean that Ford could deal with less strict emission norms for the next pony car.