Ford will build a V8 Mustang for as long as regulations allow

A V8-powered Mustang could continue into an eighth generation, as Ford looks to keep its performance petrol engines going for as long as possible.

Ford has this week launched the seventh iteration of its famous American muscle car, which continues exclusively with internal-combustion drivetrains.

Rivals Chevrolet and Dodge are both killing off their current Mustang rivals, with the former’s Camaro coupe and the latter’s Challenger coupe and Charger sedan set to end production in 2024.

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Dodge has confirmed it will build a battery-powered Charger, while Chevrolet has hinted at a future electric Camaro.

While Ford didn’t deny it may have experimented with electric Mustang development mules, the company said it had chosen not to pursue the battery path for its iconic sports car.

“There’s always fun stuff running around Dearborn [proving ground], [but] we’re really happy with what we’ve unveiled – the Dark Horse that is the pinnacle of 5.0L [V8] performance,” said Mustang marketing manager Jim Owens.

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“We haven’t gone down the road of electrification of the coupe; we’re not going down that road.”

In late 2020, Ford released an all-electric SUV called the Mustang Mach-E – a model that controversially borrowed not just the Mustang nameplate but a second part inspired by the Mach-1. The vehicle is otherwise completely unrelated to the petrol-powered coupe/convertible.

The Dodge Challenger has outsold the Mustang for the past two years in the US, though Ford says the move by its competitors doesn’t make it fear for the future of Mustang.

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“This isn’t the first time Camaro or Challenger have not been with us [in the segment],” said Mustang marketing manager Jim Owens. “But we’ve been here continuously since 1965. “We’re not concerned that the segment is going away.”

Despite the UK and Europe threatening to ban petrol and diesel cars next decade, Ford is ready to continue building V8s into the future if regulations in the United States allow.

Ford has improved the efficiency of its fourth-generation ‘Coyote’ V8 for the latest Mustang, and said there is still room for further reducing CO2 emissions.

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“We’re on the 4th generation [V8] and engineers get smarter every day,” said Mark Rushbrook, the global director of Ford Performance Motorsports.

“And from doing the 3rd generation [engine] they learned a lot that fed into the 4th generation, and there’s plenty learned with the fourth generation that you could, technically, do a 5th-generation ‘Coyote’ V8 – if and when it made sense. It’s a matter of where the regulations go.”

“We certainly considered [an electric Mustang] – whether it made sense or not, and the decision was not. We think there’s a market of people wanting a fantastic-driving, fantastic-sounding sports car with a manual transmission.

Rushbrook said Ford continues to study the potential for a high-performance variant of its Mustang Mach-E electric SUV.