Ford unveils new gas-powered Mustang, while muscle car rivals go electric

DETROIT — Ford Motor has ever considered the Mustang to beryllium successful a league of its own. That whitethorn soon beryllium true, with the seventh procreation of the famed American pony car.

The Detroit automaker connected Wednesday unveiled the redesigned 2024 Mustang hardtop and convertible with 2 gas-powered engines. Meanwhile, the Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro — the car's largest rivals — are expected to spell electrical successful the coming years.

Ford officials accidental redesigning the iconic car without immoderate benignant of electrification is portion of its "Mustang family" strategy that includes the all-electric Mustang Mach-E crossover that went connected merchantability successful precocious 2020.

"We cognize customers bash privation that interior combustion and immoderate of them privation the electrical and we connection some successful that Mustang family," said Jim Owens, caput of Mustang marketing, during a media briefing.

A planned hybrid variant was scrapped, according to a report by Automotive News, apt making the Mustang the past gas-powered musculus car from the Detroit automakers — a narrowing of the conception that seemed far-fetched adjacent a fewer years ago.

Dodge this summertime announced its four-door Charger and two-door Challenger musculus cars would drive into the sunset astatine the extremity of adjacent year, to beryllium replaced by a new all-electric vehicle. Chevrolet is expected to extremity accumulation of the gas-powered Chevy Camaro successful the coming years arsenic portion of General Motors' plans to exclusively connection EVs by 2035.

That means gearheads who inactive thirst for the roar of a V-8 engine successful a sporty American coupe volition person conscionable 1 option: the Mustang, which has dominated successful income implicit the Camaro and Challenger with the current, sixth-generation car.

Sales of Detroit sports and musculus cars person been declining for years. Mainstream two-door sports coupes specified arsenic the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro fell 32% from 2015 to 2019 — the past twelvemonth of income earlier automakers were stymied by ongoing planetary proviso concatenation problems, including a shortage of semiconductor chips.

"Some of our competitors are talking astir not being successful interior combustion motor sports car business, and what we are truthful arrogant of present contiguous is that we are already expanding that family," Owens said.

Owens and different Ford officials declined to remark connected whether the seventh-generation Mustang would beryllium the past to diagnostic a accepted interior combustion engine.

The 2024 Mustang, which volition beryllium produced astatine a works successful metropolitan Detroit, volition spell connected merchantability successful the U.S. adjacent summer. Ford did not denote pricing for the vehicle, but the existent procreation starts astatine $27,470.

The exterior of the 2024 Mustang should look acquainted to fans of the car. It's an evolutionary alteration from the sixth-generation edition, but with characteristics that are a spot much muscular.

"We're adding a modern edginess to heritage-inspired design," said Chris Walter, Ford Mustang plan manager.

The beforehand and rear of the conveyance are redesigned, but the silhouette and wide dimensions of the car are akin to the current-generation Mustang, which was past redesigned for the 2015 exemplary year.

Both the four-cylinder and V-8 engines are updated from the existent Mustang. Ford did not merchandise show specifications, but they'll apt beryllium amended than today's vehicles. The V-8 GT models volition beryllium offered successful some manual and automatic transmissions.

The existent 2.3-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder motor delivers 310 horsepower and 350 pounds-foot of torque, portion the Mustang GT's 5.0-liter V-8 produces 450 horsepower and 420 pounds-foot of torque. The apical velocity ranges from 121 mph to 180 mph, depending connected the model.

The astir evident changes to the seventh-generation Mustang are connected the interior of the vehicle: astir notably, a 13.2-inch halfway touchscreen and an accompanying 12.4-inch operator accusation cluster. The screens tin beryllium customized by owners.

Two different caller additions see an disposable "Electronic Drift Brake" for easier drifting and a "Remote Rev" diagnostic with the quality for owners to rev the car's motor remotely utilizing a cardinal fob.