Ford debuted the 2015 Mustang at shows in New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Sydney, Barcelona and the company's birthplace and headquarters, Dearborn, Michigan, on Thursday, the Associated Press reported.
The muscle car has been enormously popular since its initial year of production in 1964; engineers of the most recent model only tinkered with the design that's prevailed over the last decade or so, though Ford is calling the 2015 version the first full redesign since 2005, according to the AP.
The key differences: the 2015 'Stang sits lower, the roof slants in at the front and at the rear at a more dramatic angle (a little like the Hyundia Tiburon - see below), and the rounded, three-bar tail lights are slightly smaller and now three-dimensional. The alterations combine to create a look that is "wirier than the current, more muscular version designed in 2005," according to the AP.
Despite its slimmed down appearance and Ford's stated intent to increase international sales, Ford design chief J Mays said the '15 Mustang's new look is entirely American.
"The reason they love it is because of its American-ness," he said.
Stephanie Brinley, an auto analyst with the consulting company HIS, believes European sales will triple to about 2,500 in 2015, while Chinese purchases will remain low because two-door coups don't sell well there, the AP reported.
Nationally, Ford's best seller is the pick-up truck, though it says the mustang has its highest brand recognition and generates the most favorable opinions, according to the AP. But the mustang hasn't even been the top selling pony car in the United States. Chevrolet's Camaro has manned that spot for the last three years. Perhaps the redesigned look will help the muscle mobile reclaim its top spot.
Current mustangs sell for $23,000. Ford hasn't offered a price for the latest one, which will be available in North American next fall, according to the AP.
