Ford is developing the seventh-generation of its famous muscle car, the Mustang, and like its compatriots Dodge and the Challenger GT, it might also be offered with an All Wheel Drive (AWD) variant as an option. According to a report, the next-gen Mustang is scheduled to drop in 2021 and an electrified variant of the Mustang will join the electric Mustang Mach-E a year later in 2022 as Ford’s electrification roll-out gathers momentum. Ford plans to launch 18 mild-hybrid and full-hybrid models by 2022, and the next Mustang is said to be one of those.
The report also says the new Mustang will ride on a modular architecture shared with other Fords, some of them SUVs. Which means that while core models will stay rear-wheel-driven, an all-wheel-drive variant is a strong possibility with either the release of the Hybrid Mustang or with the seventh generation, S650, release.
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The patents released for the hybrid Mustang indicate that Ford is intending to use a set-up where the front wheels would be powered via an electric motor while the gas motor would provide power to the rear axle, making a hybrid AWD Mustang an exciting possibility. The only reason we can’t confirm Ford’s plan is because a patent doesn’t indicate an intention to build, just that they have the idea and want to make sure that they can build it if they choose to.
The firm is hoping for the new model to build on the success of the current, S550-generation car, which has been on sale since 2015 and was the first Mustang to be marketed and sold globally. This meant the first-ever right-hand-drive Mustang sales were finally made possible. Ford has shifted 55,000 examples of the current car across Europe – more than ever before in the Mustang’s history.
The new Mustang would have arrived far sooner were it not for a reversal of product plans. In 2017, Ford announced it would bring a hybrid Mustang to market in 2020. But that same year, Jim Hackett stepped up to the role of Ford CEO and decided instead to prioritise getting a Mustang-inspired EV, the Mach-E, to market as its long-awaited first mass-production electric car.
Now that the Mach-E has been developed and its launch is around the corner, attention has turned back to the standard coupé and convertible Mustang models, which are still expected to dominate sales of the nameplate for some time yet.
As far as India is concerned, the car received a facelift on the current generation last in 2017 and is available in a single variant. The Ford Mustang is powered by a 5.0 litre Ti-VCT V* petrol engine rated at 401 PS of power and 515 NM of torque. The Mustang offers four selectable drive modes: Normal, Sport, Sport+ and Snow/Wet.