Ford used the name Ford T5 for the Mustang in Germany until December 1978.
The change was driven by trademark rights rather than by engineering differences. The German company Krupp already held rights to the Mustang name in Germany, so Ford could not market its American pony car there under its usual badge. Export cars were therefore renamed T5, a designation associated with the Mustang project and production identity.
T5 cars were mechanically Mustangs. They could receive the same broad range of body styles, engines, trim levels, and options, including GT equipment. Ford also removed or replaced Mustang-specific badging, including the grille emblem, steering-wheel hub markings, and side nameplates; T5 badges appeared on the front fenders instead.
The German restriction eventually expired. Ford resumed using Mustang branding for cars imported after the late-1970s transition, making T5 a distinctive export-market footnote rather than a separate model. It is commonly confused with Ford’s European Taunus, but the T5 was fundamentally a German-market Mustang.