The next-generation Ford Mustang is expected to arrive in 2021 with a number of important changes, the most important of which is Ford’s plan to use one of its five new modular architectures to underpin the muscle car. The planned change means that the current Mustang’s exclusive rear-wheel-drive platform could be a thing of the past once the next-generation model rolls in.

This is a big change for the Ford Mustang, one that’s going to get a lot of mixed reactions from the public. Ford knows that the plan to switch the Mustang’s architecture from the current dedicated platform to a modular platform will be met with a lot of criticism from Mustang fans, the automaker, through Mustang chief designer Darrell Behmer, is preempting the possible backlash, saying that the next-gen Mustang “is still going to be a strong, well-proportioned vehicle.”

“The modular architectures will still give us flexibility; it's not going to bastardize Mustang,” Behmer added.

Convincing Mustang fans is going to be easier said than done, and that responsibility is going to fall on Ford’s shoulders. Purists of the muscle car are notoriously protective of the Mustang’s image and mystique. Any changes, especially major ones like a platform change, is going to be met with some resistance and indignation. On that end, the Mustang’s chief engineer, Carl Widmann, told Automotive News that even if the ‘Stang is moved to a modular platform, it’s not going to fundamentally change the car.

"The general layout of RWD has morphed over time, but it's still the general architecture that it has been," Widmann said. "In the architecture world of an RWD — which you're going to end up with an RWD architecture — I think these pieces of it are pieces that will always work. As you tune it and put a top hat on it, you can get different combinations and can define a lot of the emotion."

If there is a silver lining to this switch, it’s that the Mustang’s two biggest rivals, the Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Challenger, already sit under modular platforms. Likewise, the new modular platform will also allow Ford to offer an all-wheel-drive option on the Mustang, something that Dodge already offers on the Challenger. An all-wheel-drive option isn’t going to answer the concerns some people may have, but it should also appeal to new buyers, particularly those who want to enjoy their muscle cars all year and not have to stow it away in their garages when winter hits.

Further Reading

Read our full review on the 2018 Ford Mustang.

Read more Ford news.