The S650 Ford Mustang will be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show next month, and it was believed that 2025 would be the model year when the hybrid variant of the iconic muscle car would reach the market. But it seems that Ford may have decided to ditch the idea of a hybrid pony car altogether, as well as all-wheel-drive, meaning the S650 will be gas only through its lifecycle, effectively meaning that the 2024 Mustang is a more or less a top-hat refresh of the S550, with new looks, but with a carryover architecture and carryover powertrains.
Why Would Ford Cancel The S650 Mustang Hybrid Program?
According to Autoweek, industry analysts with close supplier ties have confirmed that the much-rumored hybrid version of the S650 Mustang wouldn’t be coming. The reasoning behind this is speculated to be the current success of the Mustang Mach-E, which has been sold out for the 2022 model year.
However, while the S650 Ford Mustang is safe from hybridization, the Mustang following the S650 is expected to be entirely electric. That’s expected to debut around mid-2028 to eventually replace the last internal combustion muscle car on the market, while previous intel suggested that the S650 Ford Mustang will have an eight year lifecycle, suggesting that the the ICE and EV variants could be sold in tandem for a few years. But, with the auto industry collectively investing half a trillion dollars into electrification in order to simply be compliant with stricter and stricter laws, that plan could have been nixed as well.
Even without the hybrid, the S650 Ford Mustang will be the last of its kind with a V8 engine. As Dodge transitions to a fully electric lineup (with an ongoing rumor that Hurricane turbo-six engines will also be available), and Chevrolet sunsetting the sixth-generation Camaro while it readies an electric Corvette family of vehicles, Ford is making sure that the Mustang is both the alpha and the omega.
Image via Ford.
