Ford teases next-gen, electrified Mustang in new ad campaign

We’ve known for a while that the Mustang name, or at least its looks, would soon collide with hybrid and/or electric power. Ford already committed to a hybrid Mustang by 2020, plus there will be a Mustang-inspired electric crossover with a very familiar triple-taillight rear end. And in one of Ford’s new commercials, we get a brief glimpse at the front-end of a car with a light-up pony, which could very well be either one.

Bryan Cranston voices the ad, which is all about how Ford is a company that builds things. Ignoring the fact that all car companies build things, when the light-up-pony-badged mystery car comes on screen, Walter White Cranston says, “Building for the next century,” a nod to the electric vehicle technology that will almost certainly at this point define car manufacturing and development in the 21st century.

There isn’t really much else to go on here, aside from the fact that front end does not have  open space for airflow—a design common for EVs. The hood has the familiar dual ridges stretching from the nose to the windshield, which we recognize as a design element on the current Mustang. It’s a little too hard to tell from the angle just how tall this car is, which might indicate if it’s truly a sports car or more of a slightly-lifted crossover.

As for what we know about the upcoming generation of the Ford Mustang, all that’s out there right now is that it’ll ride on a rear-wheel-drive unibody platform, although a modular one that is no longer exclusive, and that all-wheel drive will exist as an option. Judging by the shot just before the exterior view, the electrified Mustang could involve a V-8 engine with a battery-electric propulsion component working alongside it.

Either way, it looks like this whole electrified Mustang idea is actually happening, whether it’s truly a Mustang or not. As for the name, there is a shot of the original Mach 1 before we see this future car. And while rumors indicate Ford is no longer considering that name for the all-electric Mustang-inspired crossover, this could indicate a hybrid Mustang in the future might adopt that moniker.

Let’s just hope everyone comes to their senses and rejects the idea to call this the Mach 1 at all. Come up with something new for once, people.