New Ford Mustang won’t be the last

Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley had shot down rumours that the latest seventh-generation 2023 Ford Mustang is the end of the road for the combustion-powered sports car.

Speaking to journalists at the unveiling of the S650 Ford Mustang this week, Farley made his intentions clear when asked whether this might be the final chapter for the pony car, which has a 58-year heritage behind it.

“We’re not going there. No, no way, no. The customers will decide,” he said.

“What a lot of people don’t realise is that 20 per cent of all Mustangs are sold outside the US or [that it is] the number-one sports coupe on the globe, and we’re now going to 140 countries.

“So this is going to give us a big advantage because a lot of people love this kind of car.”

Farley was also unfazed when asked why the new Mustang has no electrification (such as hybrid) when tougher emissions standards are looming, saying that Ford was doing enough with other model lines to keep the Mustang’s traditional powertrains – including its naturally-aspirated V8 – intact.

These include the all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV.

“The good thing is that we are investing in the seventh generation because we have Mustang Mach-E, because we’re number-two in the US for electric, because we’re number-two in the US for hybrid,” he said.

“That gives us the ability to do this.

“Other competitors are buying credits for emissions and they can’t come out with this kind of vehicle. We can. It’s so exciting that, in a way, the Mustang Mach-E allowed this car to happen.”

Faster Mustang in the works

As for whether faster versions of the new pony car will follow, Farley hinted that engineers could be readying a super Mustang that will help it spin off a better race car to compete at the Le Mans 24-Hour endurance race.

“To go to Le Mans you need a road car. You should be asking what that car’s about but I couldn’t tell you,” he said.

“So there’ll be more. What I’m saying is that to compete at Le Mans, we need breakthrough technology to win against Ferrari and Porsche. They are the established players and we are the dark horse.

“For us to go and win at Le Mans we have to bring something very special.”

Expected to feature an advanced aerodynamic package never seen before on Ford’s muscle car, the top-end Mustang should pump out more power, feature a track-bred suspension and feature what’s thought to be advanced chassis aids.

Meanwhile, Farley also stressed how important it is for the flagship sports car to feature in the Australian line-up.

“Mustang is really important to Australia,” he said.

“I guess what I’m saying is we really want to be a brand in Australia with opinionated products.”

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