Photo: Ford
It's been rumored the S650 program was postponed to 2026, but that's not the case any longer. A job listing by the Ford Motor Company highlights the seventh-generation Mustang as a 2023 model year, and production will continue in Flat Rock, Michigan.
The Blue Oval has an open position for a wind noise, road noise, and air leakage engineer within the plant vehicle team. Instead of going through the responsibilities and the lot, let’s talk about the launch date. “S650 launches in 2022 as a 2023 model year,” which means that 2022 is the final model year of the sixth-generation Mustang S550.
Ford introduced the Gen 6 in December 2013, operating a mid-cycle refresh in January 2017. The facelift dropped the 3.7-liter Cyclone V6, leaving the 2.3-liter EcoBoost I4 and 5.0-liter Coyote V8 to soldier on. The high-performance team has also added the 5.2-liter Voodoo V8 and Predator V8 to the roster, with outputs of up to 760 ponies.
Looking to the future, what can we expect from the Mustang S650? First and foremost, electrification is pretty much a given. Ford has patented a hybrid V8 supplemented by two electric motors, both driving the front wheels. Indeed, it’s all-wheel drive!
When Raj Nair was president of Ford North America, the executive let it slip that the long-anticipated Mustang Hybrid utilizes an EcoBoost-type engine. Taken as a whole, this setup enables “V8 power and even more low-end torque” than today’s Coyote V8.
The Electric Ford Mustang Lithium concept car could also be adapted for mass production, joining the Mustang Mach-E electric crossover. Ford certainly has big plans for the S650, but only time will tell if we will be treated to so many electrified powertrains.
What we do know, however, is that pony cars and muscle cars aren’t selling as well as they used to. The ‘Stang leads with 72,489 sales in the U.S. in 2019, followed by the Challenger (60,997 units) and Camaro (48,265 examples). General Motors’ pony has seen the most dramatic decline, a decrease of 5.3 percent compared to the 2018 volume.
Ford introduced the Gen 6 in December 2013, operating a mid-cycle refresh in January 2017. The facelift dropped the 3.7-liter Cyclone V6, leaving the 2.3-liter EcoBoost I4 and 5.0-liter Coyote V8 to soldier on. The high-performance team has also added the 5.2-liter Voodoo V8 and Predator V8 to the roster, with outputs of up to 760 ponies.
Looking to the future, what can we expect from the Mustang S650? First and foremost, electrification is pretty much a given. Ford has patented a hybrid V8 supplemented by two electric motors, both driving the front wheels. Indeed, it’s all-wheel drive!
When Raj Nair was president of Ford North America, the executive let it slip that the long-anticipated Mustang Hybrid utilizes an EcoBoost-type engine. Taken as a whole, this setup enables “V8 power and even more low-end torque” than today’s Coyote V8.
The Electric Ford Mustang Lithium concept car could also be adapted for mass production, joining the Mustang Mach-E electric crossover. Ford certainly has big plans for the S650, but only time will tell if we will be treated to so many electrified powertrains.
What we do know, however, is that pony cars and muscle cars aren’t selling as well as they used to. The ‘Stang leads with 72,489 sales in the U.S. in 2019, followed by the Challenger (60,997 units) and Camaro (48,265 examples). General Motors’ pony has seen the most dramatic decline, a decrease of 5.3 percent compared to the 2018 volume.
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