Interior space was now at a premium
Ford will make the new Mustang look smaller than it actually is to give it better green credentials, it has been reported.
The company believes that people associate smaller cars with fuel efficiency so the new Mustang’s true dimensions will be distorted.
The Mustang will soon be taking on the new Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Challenge but the firm is worried this new fascination with muscle cars doesn’t sit well with the current fuel crisis.
To fight any prejudices against the car the designers and engineers will give it the appearance of a small car when it appears in 2010.
However the key word is ‘appearance’ as the likelihood is Ford won’t actually go as far as making the car physically smaller.
‘We have a car which I think is more suitable for the times than the Challenger and the Camaro,’ Peter Horbury, Ford Motor's North American design director, told Automotive News.
‘Especially the Challenger — it is a huge car when you see it on the road.’
The Camaro is aid to be 10.1 inches longer and 1.8 inches wider than the current Mustang.
‘By cleverness in design, we've been able to make it look like the wheels are further out, further forward and further rearward,’ Horbury added.
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 4 3"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1 1"%3E%3C/svg%3E)