Ford stopped offering sedans in its home market several years ago, instead opting for lifestyle vehicles like the Ford Bronco, Ford Bronco Sport, and Ford Maverick. So it’s always interesting to find clear evidence that the automaker is interested in benchmarking a particularly notable performance sedan, considering it offers nothing that can directly compete with it. And although its sighting at this time is likely a complete coincidence, it comes not long after Ford CEO Jim Farley indicated the company could produce a four door Mustang.
As made abundantly clear by these photos, the vehicle in question is the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing, the flagship high performance sedan from Lincoln’s crosstown rival. It’s powered by a twin-turbo 3.6L V6 engine rated at 472 horsepower and 445 pound-feet or torque, mated to a standard six-speed manual transmission. A Ford-derived 10-speed automatic transmission is optional. Either way, the Blackwing is solely offered as a rear-wheel drive model, although all-wheel drive is available on other CT4 trim levels.
Cadillac’s CT4-V Blackwing carries an official 0-60 mile per hour figure of 3.9 seconds with its six-speed manual and a $63,590 MSRP. Those figures place it squarely in line with the Ford Mustang Dark Horse Premium, which has a $62,930 price tag assuming dealers don’t mark them up. The Dark Horse features a slightly more powerful variant of the 5.0L Ford V8 Coyote, rated at 500 horsepower and 418 pound-feet of torque. Ford doesn’t publish official 0-60 figures, but the Dark Horse can likely give the Blackwing a run for its money with the right person behind the wheel. In this particular instance, it appears the automaker is directly benchmarking the Cadillac against a Ford Mustang GT Premium convertible.
The big question about this sighting centers on Ford’s potential plans to offer a four door Mustang sedan. Ford CEO Jim Farley very recently suggested a four door sedan variant could happen, a comment that did not go unnoticed by enthusiasts. While it remains unclear if such a vehicle will ever make it to production, the Mustang family has certainly expanded in recent years, most notably with the Mustang Mach-E electric crossover. Additionally, Ford’s announcement that its entire retail lineup in the United States will offer hybrid options by 2030 guarantees that a Mustang hybrid is on the way. Farley basically said as much when he stated that Ford Performance is currently evaluating hybrid powertrains, which itself is a sign that partially electric power has a place in the company’s motorsports portfolio.
Either way, a four door Mustang would likely compete against the revived Dodge Charger lineup. The upcoming sedan and coupe will be sold as fully electric models, although gasoline powered variants will be introduced in 2025. With the Chevy Camaro officially out to pasture, the CT4-V Blackwing and the rest of the CT4 lineup are essentially GM’s most direct Ford Mustang rivals.
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Comments
Lord, if this happens it’ll be amazing.
Where’s the Lincoln LS, Continental and Mark9??
Exactly! Lincoln needs to be resuscitated.
Bring back the Fusion and have it compete against that Cadillac. A turbocharged V6 fits in the Fusion body.
Lincoln competes with Cadillac not Ford. Lincoln deserves the excitement now.
Gotta be honest, I came into the comments half expecting to see people whining because that’s “not a real Mustang” (whatever that’s supposed to mean). I’m instead pleasantly surprised to see people understanding that a 4-door Mustang is a sedan. Which people want.
That Caddy is a Camaro underneath. The come off the same line in Lansing.
I own a 2015 Cadillac ATS4, it is essentially a 4 door Camaro, same platform as the last version of the Camaro. Turbo 2.0L engine, 6 speed auto and all wheel drive based off of rear wheel drive not a FWD. The car is a blast to drive, the only down side is the trunk is small.
I needed a 4 door sedan, the back seat is tight but useable.
Ford should put a good double A-arm suspension on the Mustang and build a Lincoln and a new Fusion using a modified version of the chassis for all three, probably could do SUV/CUV versions too. Just need to do completely different bodies so it isn’t badge engineering.
Exactly my thoughts for decades now regarding a Lincoln derivative on a Mustang chassis.
Ford seems to be okay strangling itself and Lincoln in the same way that killed Mercury.
People will buy CARS instead of trucks and SUVs if those cars are vehicles people aspire to own, have good value, aren’t just badge engineered vehicles, and ownership is an enjoyable experience.
While Cadillac manages to hit sales targets while competing with Germanys best with great CARS, Ford twiddles its thumbs and watches Lincoln die a much slower death than Edsel.
It would make so much sense for Ford to give Lincoln a contemporary halo car that the last iteration of Continental wasn’t.
The LS came close but was a warmed over Jaguar with Jaguar quality or lack thereof.
As a Mustang owner with a current S550 and owner of Mustangs back to 1970, I’m concerned with another four door vehicle diluting the brand to the point of irrelevance in a crowded market which in turn could kill the original Mustang and hurt Ford with the subsequent losses in market share.
Stretch an S650 chassis, give it an entirely different look with Mustang mechanicals like the 5.0 or a 3.5 liter V6 twin Turbo EcoBoost and put a Lincoln nameplate on it and give the Lincoln brand the resuscitation it needs after decades of stale, badge engineered cars and SUVs.
I hope Mr Farley or Bill Ford reads this…
I dumped my Ford stock eight years ago when I saw nothing but trucks, SUVs and one CAR coming in its portfolio.
Market a Lincoln COUGAR with a Dark horse Chassis underneath!!