If they can pull this off, I'll be impressed:

Next Ford Mustang to drop 400 pounds - Autoblog

 

I don't think they'll be able to do that.
And if they do, the thing will be the size of a Fiesta. It'll be a clown car.
No thanks.

 

Also keep in mind this would be the base level 4cyl ecoboost. The V8 should still outweigh that by a few hundred pounds.

 

Meh, auto mags always hype pre production weights. Remember when all the rage was that the C7 was going to be 100+ lbs lighter than the C6? Didn't happen. 400lbs off a Mustang... won't happen either.

 

The 15 inches off in length and 6 width would make it almost the same size as a BMW 1 series. Doable with a V8 still but might turn away people who use it as a DD.

 

I don't see Ford making a Fiesta sized Mustang. It would be almost too narrow to have a center armrest.

 

SN95/New Edge size is what I'm thinking and perhaps 100-200 pounds lighter. A properly designed IRS in a car properly designed for an IRS would allow it to shrink and still offer some meaningful rear seat room (well as meaningful as rear seat room is in a Mustang).

I can't see Mustang shrinking down to the size of an 1 series, maybe if they had a 2v pushrod motor in the inventory but the coyote V8 is (IIRC) around 27" or 28" wide. The new car is small enough to exclude the 5.8 currently residing in the Shelby and that motor is 30" wide and possibly killing the supercharger due to euro pedestrian crush zone regulations (seems to me a cowl hood would solve that issue in the US, no reasons to stop producing an insanely overpowered car here).


Not exactly exciting stuff but this guy claims he works for the company making the rear axles for the S550 Mustang.

 

I own a 2011, I just can't see that happening. It's already cramped, not real easy to get in and out of the car now as it is... If they narrowed the current car like that, like mentioned above it would literally have no center console, the seats would be side by side. The door is already right next to the seat. Then again... the fox was a tiny car, but it didn't have to meet today's crash test standards, which it would probably fail miserably.

 

It won't have IRS then. Which I think is a must.

 

Yes, it will have IRS. The 2700lbs GT86/FRS/BRZ has IRS so there is plenty on room to expand on that size for a low 3000lbs car.

 

If your referring to the next gen Mustang, this is one of the early mules running around

 

More spy shots from Autoblog today.

2015 Ford Mustang shows its face in public - Autoblog

Whole nose essentially revealed. Looks good. Nice adaptation of the Evos nose onto a Mustang body.

There are also some spy pics of the Camo'd mule with a 2013 Mustang in tow. Hard to tell if the new one is any smaller dimensionally. And if it is it doesn't look over a foot shorter and 6 in narrower...

 

It's hard to tell since they aren't side-by-side, but I think that the 2015 looks a little smaller. Certainly not the large amounts smaller conjectured in the previous Autoblog article, though. The hoodline is definitely lower - and I think even lower than it looks as it looks like there's still camo on top of it. Not sure if it's purely a design choice, or due to pedestrian crash standards.

I think the front end looks promising, though. Definitely identifiable as a Mustang and more aggressive than the Evos.

 

Take that article with a grain of salt.

Edmunds isn't exactly known for being very accurate with inside scoops on upcoming cars, and there's plenty of glaring problems with this article.

First, Edmunds indicates the Mustang will weigh in at about 3200 pounds, which is pretty close to true. BUT.... they compare that 3200 pound weight to a full fledged, V8 powered Mustang GT instead of the EcoBoost 4 cylinder model that 3200 pound weight is the actual estimate for.

Second, the article says the car will drop 15 inches of length. While the new Mustang will be shorter, it's not losing THAT much. The overhang is being trimmed.... expect the car to be around 180" long (about an 8" trim).

Third, and second in ridiculousness only to the first point is the idea that the Mustang is going to loose 6 1/2" of width! Mustang is currently 73.9" wide. a cut of that much of width would put it at 67.4.... The Ford Fiesta is 67.8" wide, just to show you how ridiculous that notion is.

The new Mustang platform's jump off point is the current Mustang platform, if that helps. It's tucked in, uses high strength steel and more aluminum. It's not a "clean sheet" design just like the current D2C isn't a clean sheet design. Ford started with a structure, and looked at ways to make it lighter, while still being able to sell the car at a Mustang price.

The new Mustang is smaller, yes. But the guys at Edmunds belief that the next Mustang is the size of a BMW 1 series, isn't accurate. Even looking at the heavily camouflaged Mustang in pictures shows this.