Hearing the news that a hybrid-powered Ford Mustang is coming by 2020 will elicit some kind of response from every gearhead, but how you interpret that news will depend on whether or not you are a “glass is half-full” or “glass is half-empty” kind of person. It’s easy to see the negatives: Ford’s pony car is going eco, it’ll be little more than a sporty looking Prius, it’s the end of the Mustang as we know it, et cetera, and so on. For fans of 5.0s, Boss 351s, blown Mod motors and the like, it looks like the fun is well and truly over. If you look to the positive side of things, some of the most blistering hypercars currently on sale use some form of hybrid technology to accentuate a brilliant engine, and easily turn veteran driver-journalists into slobbering bags of expletives as they do their best to keep a car that isn’t theirs under control. Their reviews, usually filled with tears of joy and smiles, tells you that they experienced something profound. If that kind of technology made it’s way into the Mustang and managed to make the car greener in the process, then everybody wins, right?
At the moment, all we know comes from an official Ford press release, that points out that the company will introduce thirteen EV vehicles on the heels of a $4.5 billion investment into the technology. Some of the other vehicles are pretty predictable: a fully electric small SUV with a range of 300 or so miles, a hybrid F-150, a Transit Custom plug-in hybrid for Europe. Others, not so expected: two “pursuit-rated” hybrid police vehicles, a “high-volume autonomous vehicle” designed for ride-sharing, and the bullet point we’re most interested in:
- A hybrid version of the iconic Mustang that will deliver V8 power and even more low-end torque. The Mustang Hybrid, built at the Flat Rock Plant, debuts in 2020 and will be available in the North America to start
What we don’t know is just what the Mustang Hybrid will consist of. With the V6 having been eliminated, we suspect it will be the 2.3L turbo four cylinder paired off with EV motors that will plug-in charge to add a real kick in the back and to fill in where turbo lag is, similar to how a McLaren P1’s hybrid system operates. That’s the positive spin on things…the EcoBoost isn’t a slouch and it can be wicked up to run stout numbers on the strip. Adding the instant, full torque of an electric motor to help the car off of the line would just add to the fun. But then again, that’s the “glass half-full” approach. We don’t know for sure what’s coming down the pike here yet, but we can speculate until Ford releases the details. What do you think is coming for the Mustang? Electric boost? Full EV? The glue factory after a half-decade run?
End of the V8 Mustang. V6 Ecoboost with hybrid = top dog regular Mustang. Same or better performance as the current GT.
I would expect the Shelby to be the sole V8 entry, plus a V8 hybrid.
You heard it here first. LOL