Ford's Mustang has been an icon for the brand despite its occasional low points over the last 47 years. For the pony car's 50th anniversary, it will get an all-new look without the retro flavor, says Ford design boss J Mays.

The design is still in the process of being finalized, but Mays said the new car will "try to win all of the Mustang faithful yet bring the brand forward as well," in an interview with Automotive News.

That's a tall order to fill, meeting the desires of current Mustang fans and yet expanding to new areas at the same time. The most recent generation of the Mustang, the S197, won many of the Mustang loyalists over with its rather retro-themed design when it was released in 2005.

Given that the Mustang is the only one of the "big three" of muscle cars (Mustang, Camaro, Challenger) that has been continuously in production since its original debut in 1964, however, Ford may just have what it takes to pull off a completely new look that meets both goals--or at least soldier on with the badge if it misses the mark, as they've done before.

This isn't the first time Mays has talked about the 2014 Mustang's design, however. At the 2010 Paris Auto Show, Mays said the next Mustang would not "lost the Mustang DNA," but would "signal that the Mustang has another 50 years of life left." Mays says the design team is up to it.

As for what to expect of the 2014 Mustang, coming in 2013, check out our previous coverage here.

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