Ford’s U.S. Design studio, that was solely responsible for Mustang design, will have to entertain input from other Ford styling centers around the world for the next redesign.

“When we embark on a new product, particularly one that is all new, it involves all of the studios. Then J [Mays] and the design team pick the best of those themes,” Derek Kuzak, Ford’s global design chief, told the trade magazine, Automotive News, today at the Geneva auto show.

Ford adopted the global design approach three years ago and it appears that the Mustang will not be exempted from the process. The revelation also puts into question future marketing plans for the pony car, as well as compromises that could be needed to achieve multiple market goals.

While the reasoning is not clear, the trade publication also reports that Ford has conducted Mustang clinics in both Asia and Europe. Kuzak said men and women within a wide range of ages were shown photographs of celebrities and asked, which person represents the Mustang? The No. 1 person selected was Steve McQueen.

Facing significant, government-initiated requirements in corporate average fuel economy over the next decade, drawing expertise from engineering units long experienced in making lighter and more efficient vehicles makes a degree of sense.

Even if the final styling theme were to come from abroad, Kuzak said that Ford’s Dearborn, MI, studio will retain the responsibility to turn the selected styling theme into a production vehicle. This indicates that the Mustang is likely to remain a North American vehicle, and is consistent with previous management statements on the topic.

The SN-95 Mustang used a somewhat similar ‘competitive’ approach to its finished design. Three teams – all American, though – each submitted design proposals for the car. One of the three was chosen for final development for production. The Mustang shown here is  a one-of-a-kind concept powered by Ford Racing Technologies and built by Italian designer Giugiaro, introduced at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show.