http://ford.digitalsnippets.com/mustang/

In keeping with the more dynamic and aggressive exterior, the 2010 Mustang’s all-new interior is an equally powerful design with world-class craftsmanship and materials. “The double-brow design is a critical part of Mustang interior DNA,” says Robert Gelardi, senior designer. “But it’s been modernized and integrated into a one-piece, dramatically sculptured instrument panel, executed with the highest levels of fit and finish.”

“Hard-plastic instrument panels are a thing of the past,” adds Gary Morales, design manager. “The 2010 Mustang instrument panel is exquisitely crafted in soft seamless TPO (Thermoplastic Olefin) skin, fully encompassing genuine aluminum trim. Every line, proportion and surface has been carefully optimized to create an exciting cohesive driving environment.”

“The Mustang is about honest, real American muscle,” says Jennifer Atanasovski, color and materials designer. “Therefore, silver paint was not acceptable - real aluminum with the soft IP and high quality leather was essential.”

“Today’s photo really shows the shape and sculpture we put in the design,” says Gelardi. “The engine and transmission are the heart of the Mustang, so all the lines expand outward from this central nucleus of power: Notice the dramatic sweep of the aluminum panels, and how the exhaust-inspired air registers and fully circular gauges appear drilled into and precisely inset into the metal,” he says.

“The world-class fit and finish, strong yet modern connection to Mustang heritage, and upgraded materials make this a standout interior,” says chief designer Douglas Gaffka.

“We went down to the quarter and tenth of a millimeter to make sure everything was precisely executed,” said Gelardi. “That is the difference between ‘good enough’ and exceptional.”

 

Also nice hi-res shots on flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fordmot...71853/sizes/o/

 

Nice write up.
They really are addressing a lot of the problems with the 05 and fixing them in the 2010.

Glad to see they are using REAL metal...
None of the 'rubbing off' of the fake paint.
Especially with the stearing wheel badge, which is known to rub down.

 

Great news about the real metal instead of painted plastic. I didnt think the '05 interior was that bad, but this will be much better.

 

“Hard-plastic instrument panels are a thing of the past”... that's funny! "The past"...you mean like, 2005-2009 sort of past?

 

If its not today, or tomorrow...its past

 

You said that in your best Doc Brown voice didn't you?

 

“The world-class fit and finish, strong yet modern connection to Mustang heritage, and upgraded materials make this a standout interior,” says chief designer Douglas Gaffka.

“We went down to the quarter and tenth of a millimeter to make sure everything was precisely executed,” said Gelardi. “That is the difference between ‘good enough’ and exceptional.”

these comments are going to bite ford square on the *** if the interior does not live up to their qoutes! however i think that any upgrade beyond the hard plastic will be so accepted that fit and finish will be overlooked by the previous mustang owners but the newbies might not like it and judge it more aggresively. i am a mustang guy through and through but fit and finish was never pristine for the interior in my opinion. here is to hoping the quarter and tenth of a millimeter is spot on.

 

The question I want to throw out after reading that is, "Why didn't they take that attitude with the 05?" Rhetorical of course since the only ones who know the real answer are the folks on the design team.

 

The 05 had to make compromises.
New car, new platform, new pretty much everything. Very very little was carried over.

The 2010 being an update, has a little bit more freedom with the budget now.

When they were building the car (05) they got 'x' number of dollars to work on this, or that.
So when it came to the interior (and at the time it was lightyears ahead of the outgoing model)
they did what they could, with the budget and constraints they had at the time.
Not hard to believe.

So now when the 2010 comes along,
to keep fresh and up to date with the times, I'm betting the designers had a bit more flexibility wrt parts and materials.

 

+1

 

Man I can't wait to sit in this baby! I wanna touch EVERYTHING! LOL.

 

Exhaust inspired...cool

 

you have been in the desert too long! i think that might be a violation of general order #1...

 

That's hilarious! ROFL! What they don't know won't hurt me!

 

I wanna see this interior with SYNC and all light up with the new Ice Blue gauges and ambient lighting

 

The only thing I am not happy about is that they went back to the single multifunction stalk. That is the one thing that drives me crazy on my 02. Sometimes when I activate the turn signal the wipers would come on. As a matter of fact they hung one time like that. It hasn't happend as much since I have replaced the stalk. I also hope they didn't go back to the push / pull for the dimmer. I absolutly hate that, it always seems to put the stalk out of reach when in high beams. I much prefer the current pull / pull that the s197 has and the double stalks.

 

Me, too. While I think I'm sold on it, anyway, I really want to see how it's gonna look all dressed up...

 

Ya know, I figure that I THINK I already like it so much that when I do really see it in production that even if I didn't like it, my mind wouldn't tell me and I would inherently like it just because!

 

I think that with a manual tranny, the single stalk makes more sense. Just my opinion.