Next gen Ford Mustang to go hybrid and AWD: report

FORD’S iconic Mustang could be set to undergo perhaps the biggest shake up of its 56-year existence, with the next-generation model tipped to feature hybridisation as well as all-wheel drive (AWD).

According to a recent report published by Autocar, the ‘S650’ Mustang will retain the current model’s right-hand-drive availability and could feature what Ford described as a “twin-motor drive system for hybrid vehicle”.

The new drive configuration was reportedly spotted in a 2017 patent filing hooked up to a V8 internal combustion engine shown to be sending its power to the rear wheels.

On the side of the internal combustion engine however were two electric motors “mounted directly to opposing sides of the engine” sending power to their respective front wheels.

A similar system has already been employed under the skin of the recently launched Explorer Hybrid SUV in the US, although that car comes with a 3.3-litre V6 rather than the V8 seen in the patent filings.

Power-wise, the Explorer setup comes with a 1.5kWh lithium-ion battery pack and produces a combined 237kW and 437Nm, almost exactly the same as the current Mustang 2.3L High Performance (239kW/448Nm).

For reference, the 5.0-litre V8 found in the Mustang GT churns out 339kW and 556Nm.

In terms of its underpinnings, Autocar suggests the hybrid Mustang will likely share the same CD6 platform as the Explorer given Ford announced in 2018 that it was streamlining its platform line-up with a single platform to be used for all rear and all-wheel-drive “unibody-construction cars”.

If it comes to fruition, the hybrid Mustang could mark the biggest step away from its traditional lineage, with all models to date having been powered by both aspirated and force-fed internal combustion engines with drive sent exclusively to the rear wheels.

It is not yet known if Ford plans to offer any traditional internal-combustion engined variants coherently with the hybrid, with the next-generation car slated to arrive some time in 2022 as part of the auto-giant’s plan to roll out 18 mild-hybrid and full-hybrid models globally between now and then.

Ford Australia would not be drawn into revealing any details or plans for the next-generation Mustang Down Under other than it was looking forward to “celebrating more milestones and feedback from Australian enthusiasts and customers as the Mustang story continues”.

Sales of the current Mustang were down 40.1 per cent through the first quarter of this year, with 741 units sold compared to the 1303 shifted over the same period last year.

Despite the downturn, the American bruiser has maintained its position at the top of the sub-$80,000 sportscar market, occupying a dominant 49.9 per cent share of the segment.