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Time flies. There's little doubt about it. Here we are just looking at the 2023 model year vehicles, and instead of waiting for the next 2023 shoe to drop – most of them dropped over the last couple of years – we're now looking at 2024 models.
Mustang Reveal Is Key
Torque News has written about The Stampede (last week). It combines many elements, including customer registrations, trips, and the like. The cherry on this automotive sundae will be the ultimate reveal of the 2024 Ford Mustang next week. According to Automotive News and Motor1.com, the Mustang has an internal identifier -- S650.
The reveal is rolling right along as a herd of Mustangs – and other Fords – head to Detroit for the big reveal. And while Ford will reveal the whole enchilada about the new model, Motor1.com reports on an Automotive News article that fills in much more information before the Mustang blowout.
First and foremost, the upcoming 2024 Mustang will "likely become the last generation Mustang with a combustion engine," Automotive News (AN) reported through Motor1.com. Indeed, there is no hard evidence of this. It is based on Motor1.com's speculation of "the automaker's current electrification strategy." It is an interesting and likely point. There was more, though.
As Motor1.com commented that "there's something even more interesting in that piece that caught our attention."
Here's the interesting information that was in "the middle of the [AN] article:
Plans For Hybrid Mustang Shelved
The industry trade paper noted in its article that "plans for a hybrid Mustang have been scrapped, and the rumored all-wheel-drive version is most likely not happening as well."
From Torque News' perspective, this information is quite authoritative. Of course, it isn't based on any news out of Dearborn. However, the fact that it appeared on the AN site tells us that there is probably more than a germ of truth in the speculation.
Of course, Motor1.com does advise its readers to "take this information (about the Mustang's future) with a grain of salt at this point as there's nothing official" yet. The hard information is due just a week from now with the Mustang's official debut at the marque's blowout.
As Motor1.com related, "Rumors about an electrified Mustang first appeared a few years ago and were later fueled by a LinkedIn account belonging to someone who claimed they worked on the S650 program. A patent filing in the US from several years ago also showed a Mustang with a 'twin-motor drive system for hybrid vehicle' using a V8 combustion engine and two electric motors for an all-wheel-drive setup. Chances of seeing a hybrid AWD (all-wheel-drive) Mustang now seem slim, though."
New Pony Car To Use V8 Engine
The site said, "one thing we know for sure is that the new pony car will continue to rely on a V8 engine." And a "recent teaser promised V8 power for the world's most popular sports car, and there also seems to be a new GT Performance trim coming."
One thing for sure is we will know at the big reveal next week.
Marc Stern has been an automotive writer since 1971 when an otherwise normal news editor said, "You're our new car editor," and dumped about 27 pounds of auto stuff on my desk. I was in heaven as I have been a gearhead from my early days. As a teen, I spent the usual number of misspent hours hanging out at gas stations Shell and Texaco (a big thing in my youth) and working on cars. From there on, it was a straight line to my first column for the paper, "You Auto Know," an enterprise I handled faithfully for 32 years. Not many people know that I also handled computer documentation for a good part of my living while writing YAN. My best writing, though, was always in cars. My work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, Special Interest Autos, etc. You can follow me on: Twitter or Facebook.
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