The reveal of the new Ford Mustang is just a week away, but the long-rumoured hybrid and all-wheel drive versions are reportedly on the cutting room floor.
Three sources have told Automotive News the hybrid variant has been scrapped. It’s believed the all-wheel drive Mustang has also been cancelled.
An earlier Automotive News report stated the hybrid was due for release in 2025, but an alleged engineer’s profile on LinkedIn indicated the Mustang was set to debut with both a four- and eight-cylinder hybrid variants.
Current Mustang
Codenamed S650, the seventh-generation Mustang will be unveiled on September 14 in Detroit.
The new car will be a 2024 model, indicating that although it will be on show at next week’s Detroit motor show — the first since the COVID pandemic started — the Mustang won’t hit US showrooms until some time in 2023.
Ford has teased the new Mustang several times, including a camouflaged look at its exterior and, most recently, the unmistakable rumble from its V8 engine.
The seventh-generation model will replace today’s S550 model, and will stick with its tried-and-true formula of rear-wheel drive, two-door bodies, and expressive styling with plenty of retro design cues.
The seventh-generation Mustang is widely expected to feature a 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and a V8. If recent history is anything to go by, there will be various V8 variants throughout the car’s lifespan.
The automotive publication believes the new Mustang should stay in production for at least eight years, with the follow-up model switching to a dedicated EV architecture.
Over the past year Ford has been rapidly reorganising itself to be more EV-centric. In March the automaker created three divisions: Model e specialising in EVs, Ford Pro for commercial and government vehicles, and Ford Blue focussed on existing petrol and diesel model lines, such as the Mustang, F-150, Bronco and Ranger.
While electric vehicles currently only account around four per cent of Ford’s sales globally so far this year, the company anticipates a rapid uptick.
The adoption of EVs will be partially driven by customer demand, as well as legislation, such as the EU’s proposed ban on new cars with internal combustion engines (ICE) from 2035, and California’s ban on new pure ICE vehicles from 2035.
In the US, the unrelated electric Mustang Mach-E crossover has grown its sales by 49 per cent this year to 25,765, while the Mustang is down almost 22 per cent to 29,910.
The increase for the former may be due to improving supply, while the decrease for the ICE Mustang may be related to the fact that the current car is nearing the end of its life.
MORE: Everything Ford Mustang
