Late last year, Ford CFO Sherry House said of the Blue Oval’s Raptor off-road vehicles, “That’s a product that I think we’re going to be doing a bit more of,” and now her boss has indicated that loosened EPA rules could make such a thing easier to achieve. During Ford’s Q4 earnings call this week, CEO Jim Farley noted that “pending EPA changes” open the door to satisfying the market’s unfulfilled demands for more off-road performance models, adding:
“We are doubling down on our icons, making the next-generation F-150 and Super Duty absolutely breakthrough in terms of cost, technology, powertrain choice, and functional features. We’re also expanding our off-road and performance lineups across our most important and popular franchises.” While the Mustang was not specifically mentioned, it’s almost certainly what he was referring to. Allow us to explain.
Why a Mustang Raptor Makes Sense
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The Mustang is undoubtedly one of Ford’s “most important and popular” model lines. There are already Raptor versions of the F-150, Bronco, and Ranger, and the Super Duty, Explorer, Expedition, and Maverick are all available in off-road-biased Tremor flavors. After the Escape was canceled, that leaves the Mustang, Mustang Mach-E, and Bronco Sport as potential candidates for off-road treatment, but the latter two are already offered in Rally and Badlands forms, respectively. Thus, the Mustang must be what Farley was getting at. Sure, we’ve performed a lot of mental gymnastics to arrive at this point, but the thesis is on solid ground. In 2023, Car and Driver reported that the Mustang was rumored to get a Raptor line, and there’s physical evidence to support the idea that Ford has wanted to make it happen for a long time.
Mustang Is Already Prepared for AWD, Ford Ready to Expand Off-Road Lineup
Autoblog
The sixth-generation Mustang’s front hubs are splined, which indicates that the car was engineered with all-wheel drive in mind, and the current S650 generation is, in many ways, a carryover of that car. C/D’s report said that the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 would feed all four wheels through a 10-speed automatic and an electronically controlled center differential, while Fox Live Valve dampers and a two-inch lift would help conquer rugged terrain. If the regular V8 would work with this setup, a supercharged Mustang Raptor R could also follow. Whether this is what Farley was getting at when he posited a 1,000-horsepower off-road supercar or not, it’s clear that Ford wants to capitalize on the enthusiasm its customers show for off-road monsters.
“We are translating our off-road dominance directly into the profitability of the company,” said Farley. “Raptor, and importantly, our off-road performance trims now account for more than 20% of the U.S. sales mix. This gives us massive earning power, and with the pending EPA changes, puts us in a strong position to satisfy those unfulfilled demands in the market.” Hopefully, 2026 will be the year that we finally see what Ford’s Raptor badge looks like on something that isn’t a truck or SUV.
About the author
Sebastian Cenizo
Senior Editor, Autoblog