Ford is reportedly plotting the wildest Mustang to date, as a rumoured "Baja" derivative could take the Blue Oval’s much-loved car well beyond the beaten track.
A report in US publication Automotive News suggests Ford has gone as far as showing dealers "an off-road Mustang called Baja". That said, there has been no official comment from the car maker about whether such a vehicle is being developed or when it might be rolled out.
“We do not comment on future product plans or speculation,” says Ford Middle East’s director of public affairs and communication, Rasha Ghanem. “However, we listen closely to customers and enthusiasts across the region as we continue to evolve our portfolio and deliver vehicles that meet their needs.”
The Mustang nameplate has undoubted cachet in the Middle East and elsewhere, so using its brand value to create a sporty two-door all-terrain car may not be that far-fetched. Porsche and Lamborghini have already set a template of sorts for the genre with the 911 Dakar and Huracan Sterrato, respectively.
Ford has already thought outside the box with a cross-terrain "Rally" version of its battery-charged Mustang Mach-E, which had its debut in the US in 2023. While the Mach-E Rally is not on sale in the UAE, standard versions of the EV launched in the country in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Ghanem says this model “gives customers another way to experience the Mustang’s performance-inspired character".
The Mustang nameplate is one of the oldest badges in the industry. The model made its official public debut on April 17, 1964, at the New York World’s Fair.
The creation of the car was a collaborative effort led by several key figures at Ford, with vice president and general manager Lee Iacocca chief among them. He championed and led the overall concept, pushing for an affordable, sporty car for the youth market.
The recipe continues to work even in an era in which many buyers have deserted sports cars and sedans in favour of SUVs and crossovers.
Underlining the two-door sportster’s role in Ford’s Middle East line-up, Ghanem says: “Mustang is one of Ford’s most iconic nameplates and an important part of our performance heritage in the UAE. It led the UAE sports car segment for the third consecutive year in 2025, with a 36.6 per cent segment share – in other words, one in every three sports cars sold in the UAE.”
Broadening the reach of the Mustang with an off-road derivative would make obvious sense in our region, where lifestyle-focused all-terrain vehicles have undoubted appeal. “Ford offers a strong portfolio in the UAE that reflects customers’ enthusiasm for capability, performance and versatility,” Ghanem says. “The Bronco, Ranger, F-150 and Mustang each have a distinct role in meeting those needs.”
Ford Middle East’s director of public affairs and communication
How a dune-taming Mustang Baja might look is open to the imagination. You could start by visualising a jacked-up coupe that rides on lifted suspension and trades low-profile tyres for chunky all-terrain rubber. Add some rugged wheel-arch cladding, bespoke front and rear bumpers for better approach and departure angles and you are perhaps getting the picture.
Ford has already provided some clues to the styling it might take for a Baja through the Mach-E Rally. As for the mechanical specs, that is also open to speculation as Ford has plenty of high-performance hardware in its arsenal.
Raptor versions of the F-150 and Ranger use trick Fox suspension that is able to take plenty of punishment across tough terrain, and Ford also has a variety of high-performance V8 engines to consider. Among these is the 500hp 5.0-litre V8 that propels the Mustang Dark Horse and there is an even more brutal 795hp supercharged 5.2-litre V8 that is reserved for the Mustang Dark Horse SC.
A combination of any of these ingredients could make for a wildly entertaining cross-country machine. There is even potential for motorsport applications, as Ford now has a strong presence in the Dakar Rally.
While there is no confirmation that the Mustang Baja will see the light of day, Ford has reportedly shown the concept to dealers, so it’s not infeasible. Where there’s smoke, there’s often fire.
