New Ford Mustang GT Performance teased

There could be at least three core variants of the new-generation 2023 Ford Mustang if a recent Blue Oval social media teaser is anything to go by, with Ford indicating a new GT Performance version could crown the initial line-up.

The titbit of intel was hinted at in a 10-second video posted to the official Ford Mustang Facebook page late on Friday advertising the ‘Stampede’ Mustang cruise across Detroit, in which the boot lid is slammed closed, revealing the new ‘GT Performance’ logo.

Said logo is little more than a traditional GT badge with ‘PERFORMANCE’ stamped across top of the connected G and T.

The vision then cuts to a black screen advertising the new Mustang’s reveal and the Stampede cruise event set for September 14, before a raucous V8 soundtrack plays over the top.

Any Mustang fan will be able to tell you the V8 in question is the familiar 5.0-litre Coyote engine, but to our ears it sounds a little more intense and ragged.

Of course, it could just be the quality of the recording, but reports have been circulating for a while now about the prospect of dramatically increased power outputs for the new V8-powered Mustang GT variant/s.

Combine these reports with the angry engine note and new GT Performance badging in the video, and the dots start to line up in the shape of a new core flagship.

The plot thickens further when you consider North Americans currently have access to a dedicated ‘Performance Package’ for the current model, which adds an uprated Brembo brake package, a plethora of chassis upgrades, bespoke suspension tune and more efficient engine cooling.

It’s more than plausible that some or many of these features could be offered as standard on a new GT Performance variant in conjunction with a higher engine output than the regular GT.

To this end, we anticipate the new Mustang will – initially – be offered in three guises; High Performance (I4), GT (V8) and GT Performance (high-output V8).

We don’t have too long to wait to find out, given all will be revealed in less than a fortnight. However, Ford Australia president and CEO Andrew Birkic wouldn’t be drawn into revealing any local details about the new S650 Mustang, including its Aussie ETA, at the recent launch of the Ford Ranger Raptor.

“New Mustang will be launched at the [Detroit] motor show in a couple of weeks, so that’s when we’ll see the global reveal, but in terms of timing for Australia I’m not in a position to share that,” he told carsales.

Ford Australia closed order books for the current Mustang back in July as it struggled to meet demand due to the global semi-conductor shortage and other supply chain issues, and there’s no word yet as to when or if orders will reopen before the new model arrives.

“We thought that was the right thing to do because demand has exceeded supply, so we’re working through that and what supply we get we’ll work through the orders,” Birkic said.

“That is our priority right now and given the given the supply chain challenges we need to work through the backlog and that’s our priority.

“Of course, we have a lens on the new one, but right now it’s the current one we’re focusing on.”

Ford Australia won’t reveal how many Mustang orders it holds, nor whether that number exceeds its supply allocation of the outgoing S550 model, in which case some customers already in the queue and facing a long wait time may want to cancel their order and opt for the new version.

Production of the new Mustang is anticipated to start in March next year, with an Australian release likely to occur before the end of 2023.