Three winning Mustang concepts—a shooting brake, electric ute, and tandem hypercar—unveiled at Shanghai Auto Show.
The future of the Ford Mustang may be wilder—and more diverse—than anyone imagined, thanks to a new generation of visionary designers. Ford Design China, in collaboration with CDS Transportation Design School, has revealed the winners of its global student design competition: Mustang: A Grand Tour of Re-imagination.
The contest challenged design students from around the world to reinvent the iconic pony car for the 21st century. After reviewing entries from multiple countries, eight finalists were invited to Ford’s Shanghai Design Center for a week-long immersion experience with the brand’s design team. There, the students refined their ideas into detailed 3D models under the mentorship of Ford professionals. The top three concepts were ultimately transformed into physical models and unveiled at the Shanghai Auto Show.
The Winning Concepts:
- Mustang Mach-S Concept by Liu Sizhuo (Tsinghua University): A sleek shooting brake with design cues rooted in the original Mustang Wagon ideas of the 1960s. It offers a modern twist on long-haul performance and style, blending utility with heritage.
- Mustang Super Utility Concept by Xie Yian (Pforzheim University): A bold all-electric Mustang Ute, complete with aggressive lines and versatile utility. Its appeal could be especially strong in truck-loving markets like Australia.
- Mustang Hyper Tandem Concept by Lai Yushun (Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts): A futuristic tandem-seater hypercar that channels Czinger 21C vibes, this concept reimagines Mustang as a boundary-breaking, high-performance halo model.
These radical reinterpretations of the Mustang signal that the nameplate’s design DNA is flexible enough to embrace everything from performance wagons to electric pickups. Whether any of these concepts influences a production model remains to be seen, but they reflect Ford’s willingness to let the next generation shape the future.
