The Mustang has long been regarded by Ford Motor as being in a class by itself. With the seventh generation of the renowned American pony automobile, that might soon come to pass.
The new 2024 Mustang hardtop and convertible with two gas engines was introduced by the Detroit carmaker on Wednesday. The car’s two biggest competitors, the Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger, are anticipated to switch to electric vehicles in the upcoming years.
A makeover of the famous vehicle without any form of electrification, according to Ford executives, is a component of the company’s “Mustang family” strategy, which also includes the all-electric Mustang Mach-E crossover, which went on sale in late 2020.
“We know customers do want that internal combustion and some of them want the electric and we offer both in that Mustang family,” remarked Jim Owens, director of Mustang marketing, at a press conference.
According to a report by Automotive News, a planned hybrid variation was shelved. This likely means that the Mustang will be the final gas-powered muscle car produced by Detroit’s automakers, a segmentation that was unthinkable just a few years ago.
This summer, Dodge revealed that its two-door Challenger and four-door Charger muscle cars would be replaced by a new all-electric vehicle at the end of the next year. As part of General Motors’ intentions to only sell electric vehicles by 2035, Chevrolet is anticipated to stop producing the gas-powered Chevy Camaro in the upcoming years.
This implies that the Mustang, which has prevailed in sales over the Camaro and Challenger with the current, sixth-generation car, will be the only option for gearheads who still want for the roar of a V-8 engine in a sporty American coupe.
Since many years ago, fewer Detroit sports and muscle vehicles are being sold. From 2015 to 2019, sales of popular two-door sports coupes like the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger, and Chevrolet Camaro dropped 32%. This was the final year of sales before continuous global supply chain issues, such as a lack of semiconductor chips, stalled automakers.
“Some of our competitors are talking about not being in internal combustion engine sports car business, and what we are so proud of here today is that we are already expanding that family,” Owens said.
When asked if the seventh-generation Mustang would be the last to have a conventional internal combustion engine, Owens and other Ford representatives declined to answer. Ford also unveiled the “Dark Horse” version of the high-performance Mustang on Wednesday.
The 2024 Mustang will go on sale in the United States in the summer of 2023 and be manufactured at a facility in the Detroit metropolitan area. Ford did not disclose the vehicle’s price, although the starting price for the current generation is $27,470.
Mustang 2024
Fans of the car should recognize the 2024 Mustang’s exterior. It is an advancement from the sixth-generation version, although it has a few more muscular features.
“We’re adding a modern edginess to heritage-inspired design,” Chris Walter, manager of Ford Mustang design, remarked
The car’s front and back are newly designed, but its overall dimensions and silhouette are the same as those of the current-generation Mustang, which underwent its most recent facelift for the 2015 model year.
The modern Mustang’s four-cylinder and V-8 engines have been updated. Ford did not provide performance details, but they will probably be superior to those of today’s cars. There will be manual and automatic transmission options for the V-8 GT vehicles.
The Mustang GT’s 5.0-liter V-8 generates 450 horsepower and 420 pounds-foot of torque, compared to the existing 2.3-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine’s 310 horsepower and 350 pounds-foot of torque. Depending on the model, the top speed can range from 121 mph to 180 mph.
The interior of the seventh-generation Mustang has undergone the most noticeable improvements, most notably the addition of a 13.2-inch center touchscreen and a 12.4-inch driver information cluster. Owners have the option of customizing the screens.
The “Electronic Drift Brake” option, which makes drifting simpler, and the “Remote Rev” feature, which enables owners to remotely rev the engine of the vehicle using a key fob, are two further new features.
