There Will Be a Hybrid Mustang Coupe, Says Ford's CEO. But What About an Electric One?

The Ford Mustang GTD race car is a V8 affair, rated at $300,000. And there are more where that came from, despite the marching full electrification across the industry. But FoMoCo is trying to keep that away from the Mustang coupe lineup for as long as possible, considering the circumstances.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Ford’s CEO Jim Farley ruled out the possibility of the carmaker building an electric Mustang Coupe. Thus, the only Mustang-badged model with electric motors will remain the Mustang Mach-E for a while. The most potent in the lineup is the GT version, powered by two electric motors for a total system output of 480 horsepower (487 PS) and 634 lb-ft (860 Nm) of torque. These are the figures that take it to a top speed of 124 mph (200 kph), while it needs 3.8 seconds to do the 0-60 mph (0-97 kph) run.

Meanwhile, the most potent ICE-powered Mustang coupe is the Shelby GT500, coming with a 6.2-liter V8 that can deliver 760 horsepower (771 PS) and 625 lb-ft (847 Nm) of torque. It does the 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds and hits a top speed of 180 mph (290 kph). So Ford still needs resources to squeeze that much power out of the electric motors before it converts the Mustang coupe into an electric model.

Jim Farley says that "Nah, probably not," when asked about a fully electric Mustang. But Farley does not rule out the possibility of Ford coming up with a hybrid version. "Could there be a partially electrified Mustang coupe – and it be world-class? Yeah," he said for Bloomberg.

Ford has flirted with the idea of an electric Mustang over the years. But none made it to series production. They came up with the Cobra Jet 1400 drag racing demonstrator. Then Ford brought a 900-horsepower all-electric Mustang Lithium coupe at the 2019 SEMA Show.

Probably Ford's head honchos will change their minds towards the end of the decade, when internal combustion cars will be minoritized. And that would be the logical step considering that over at Stellantis, Chevrolet is planning on building an entirely electric successor for the Camaro high-performance sedan, which might arrive in 2026 as a 2027 model year.

Furthermore, Dodge is also phasing out the iconic HEMI V8-powered Charger and Challenger after the 2023 model year and will make the switch to electrified eMuscle. The electric muscle cars will arrive in 2024. The Last Call Charger and Challenger are the last ICE-powered versions of two of America's most popular muscle cars before they get discontinued.