UHY LLP's Detroit office produced this report back in June of last year, but we haven't seen it until now. While some of the information inside is clearly outdated (for example, Aston Martin won't build its DBX factory in the US – it was recently announced that Wales won out), much of it seems credible. This isn't a Ford document, and it is somewhat speculative by design. Even so, it's worth considering as it was likely prepared for a company in Ford's supply chain, a competitor, or investors.
When this report was prepared, Ford Mustang sales were outstanding, and the new Camaro hadn't even been released ... in June the Mustang was blowing by the lame-duck last-gen Camaro. So one thing that's missing from this report is the rationale. Why would Ford move up production? We don't have an answer for that, although we can conceive of some possible explanations. It could be to keep things fresh in a competitive market. It could also be related to future emissions, fuel economy, or safety standards. Without more information, it's hard to say.
Bringing a new Mustang by 2020 would make for a short lifecycle for the current car when compared to its predecessors. The SN95 lasted 10 years (with a major restyle in the middle) and the fifth-gen car lasted nine. Introduced as a 2015 model, the current Mustang would bow out in April of 2020, and production of the next one would start the following month.
A Ford spokesperson declined to comment to Autoblog on the report.
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