Photo: Ford
Raj Nair is a very nice fellow and, at heart, a Ford enthusiast. Otherwise, he wouldn’t use a Mustang GT as a daily driver even in the harsh winter of Detroit. Ford’s chief technical officer also happens to know what’s all the fuss about a very fabled Mustang.
Of course, I’m referring to the Mustang Hybrid, which has been confirmed to debut in 2020. To be made at Ford’s Flat Rock Plant in Michigan, the 2020 Mustang Hybrid has been the subject of many Internet forums and expecting enthusiasts. Three years before its launch, FoMoCo's Raj Nair let it slip that we should expect an EcoBoost engine and more than one electric motor.
“In the Mustang, it’s all about performance,” he tells Emme Hall of Roadshow by CNET on the grounds of the 2017 Detroit Auto Show. What Nair means by that is “V8-like performance. At the low end, even more torque available with the electric motors, so it’s gonna be a very, very fun hybrid to drive.” So that’s at least two electric motors, then. What about internal combustion?
At some point of the interview, Nair told Emme this: “So couple that [instant torque provided by electric motors] with a... an EcoBoost-type engine and you have a great combination.” Now that’s what I call a hybrid pony!
The question is, however, what sort of EcoBoost engine is Raj Nair referring to? If the rumors will be proven true and the 2018 Ford Mustang will lose the 3.7-liter Ti-VCT V6, then the 2.3-liter EcoBoost and V8 Coyote will have to do. Without a V6 in the lineup, I have this sneaking suspicion the Mustang Hybrid will be the model to reintroduce this type of engine sometime in 2020.
The other question is, which EcoBoost V6 will be featured in the 2020 Ford Mustang Hybrid? The 2.7-liter mill available for the F-150? The 3.0-liter unit that produces 400 horsepower in the Lincoln MKZ? The 3.5-liter engine tailored for the F-150, F-150 Raptor dune warrior, and 2017 Ford GT supercar? On that note, bear in mind that those two electric motors could drive the front axle, thus making the Mustang Hybrid an AWD pony.
And so, let the speculation game begin.
“In the Mustang, it’s all about performance,” he tells Emme Hall of Roadshow by CNET on the grounds of the 2017 Detroit Auto Show. What Nair means by that is “V8-like performance. At the low end, even more torque available with the electric motors, so it’s gonna be a very, very fun hybrid to drive.” So that’s at least two electric motors, then. What about internal combustion?
At some point of the interview, Nair told Emme this: “So couple that [instant torque provided by electric motors] with a... an EcoBoost-type engine and you have a great combination.” Now that’s what I call a hybrid pony!
The question is, however, what sort of EcoBoost engine is Raj Nair referring to? If the rumors will be proven true and the 2018 Ford Mustang will lose the 3.7-liter Ti-VCT V6, then the 2.3-liter EcoBoost and V8 Coyote will have to do. Without a V6 in the lineup, I have this sneaking suspicion the Mustang Hybrid will be the model to reintroduce this type of engine sometime in 2020.
The other question is, which EcoBoost V6 will be featured in the 2020 Ford Mustang Hybrid? The 2.7-liter mill available for the F-150? The 3.0-liter unit that produces 400 horsepower in the Lincoln MKZ? The 3.5-liter engine tailored for the F-150, F-150 Raptor dune warrior, and 2017 Ford GT supercar? On that note, bear in mind that those two electric motors could drive the front axle, thus making the Mustang Hybrid an AWD pony.
And so, let the speculation game begin.
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