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Ford Mustang Hybrid Might Offer AWD

Ford has announced ambitious plans regarding its future lineup, which includes more than seven electrified models launched within the next five years.
2018 Ford Mustang Facelift 19 photos
Photo: CarPix
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The Blue Oval will invest $700 million into its Flat Rock assembly complex in Michigan, which will be responsible for the manufacture of several electrified and autonomous vehicles. Among these vehicles is a hybrid F-150 and a hybrid Mustang.

Ford has already specified that the Mustang hybrid will offer V8 power,” which does not mean that it will come with a V8 engine and a hybrid drivetrain, but that it will have a hybrid setup that will match the power and torque figures provided by typical V8 configuration.

From there, everything is under wraps at Ford, but we have a few ideas on what will happen to the Blue Oval’s pony car. If Ford were to match an evolution of its current engines to the hybrid setup, which is something very likely, the 2.3-liter EcoBoost unit is the best possible match for the electrified Mustang.

We think that this is suitable because the difference in power between the V8 and the EcoBoost four-cylinder unit is 105 PS (111 hp for U.S.-spec models), which could be completed with the help of electric motors.

The 3.7-liter naturally aspirated V6 version of the Mustang is also close to the EcoBoost when power is concerned. But as it happens, hearsay suggests that the six-cylinder unit will be discontinued for the 2018 model year. The fuel economy of the the four-cylinder unit will favor the EcoBoost to the detriment of the V6.

Furthermore, Ford will have more room under the hood of the EcoBoost Mustang to fit the hybrid drivetrain, which is a packaging advantage that is hard to overcome by a V6 unit. For the moment, it is clear that the Mustang will not be a plug-in hybrid, which means that it will only use the electric power that it generates and stores in its batteries.

Because Ford wants to keep weight low in the hybrid Mustang, it is not expected to implement a battery large enough to support a full-hybrid configuration. Instead, the first-ever hybridized Mustang might be a mild-hybrid. The definition describes a vehicle that gets electric assistance, but cannot drive on electric power alone.

The only thing that Ford needs to decide about the hybrid Mustang configuration is whether they will employ a temporary AWD system by fitting the electric motors on the front axle, or if it will have an RWD hybrid.

In the case of the former, the Mustang could have a front-wheel-drive mode if it were to operate on electric power alone, which will not be possible for the first Mustang hybrid. That might change for the next-generation hybrid Mustang, though.
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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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