“Investing in another generation of Mustang is a big statement at a time when many of our competitors are exiting the internal combustion vehicle business,” said Ford CEO Jim Farley. Ford announced plans to make a hybrid version of the Mustang back in 2017. Since then, however, Ford has introduced fully electric cars like the Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV and the Ford F-150 Lightning pickup, as well as plug-in hybrids. That means a hybrid Mustang coupe wasn’t needed for Ford to meet its emissions reduction goals, said Ford spokesman Mike Levine. So while its rivals are abandoning gas-guzzling performance coupes like the Dodge Challenger, the fuel-burning Mustang will continue, said Kumar Galhotra, head of Ford Blue, the division that focuses on internal combustion vehicles. “We made this investment because we see, in the foreseeable future, that there will be a market for internal combustion Mustangs,” he said. Ford rival General Motors has set 2035 as a deadline for when its lineup will be all-electric, but Ford has not made a similar commitment in the United States. While the 2024 Mustang coupe has an all-new body, it is clearly reminiscent of older models. The headlights look narrower and, in this new version, have three light bars in a line, forming virtual eyebrows. The trunk area is also shorter and the area housing the taillights is deeply recessed, giving the lights a natural V shape. The grille is significantly larger on V8-engined cars than on 4-cylinder models. V8-powered Mustang GT cars also feature a large “heat sink” vent on the hood that, in addition to releasing air that passes through the radiator, reduces aerodynamic drag. While the exterior of the car approximates the traditional Mustang design, the interior is radically different. A single large display replaces the traditional gauges, while also acting as a central touchscreen. The half of the screen not directly in front of the driver is angled towards the driver. Richly detailed gauges and on-screen graphics are highly customizable, as are most of the car’s interior lights. For those seeking to recapture the Mustangs of their youth, Ford is targeting Gen X and Millennials, apparently moving on from the Baby Boomers who first bought the original pony car. There’s even a Fox Body Gauge option that displays dials like those on 1980s Mustangs. The Mustang will be available with modern driver assistance features such as active cruise control that can maintain a distance from cars in front even in stop-and-go traffic, lane keep assist and emergency braking. However, it will not be offered with Blue Cruise, Ford’s hands-free highway driving feature. It was thought that Mustang customers, buying a car focused on driving pleasure, wouldn’t be interested in taking their hands off the wheel, Levine said. For better or worse, depending on who you ask, owners of the new Mustang will be able to indulge in a favorite pastime — revving the engine while the car is stationary — without having to sit in the driver’s seat. Owners will be able to rev the engine at high speeds using just one button on the remote control of the key fob. With each press, the engine revs up and down several times. This serves no practical function and is strictly an entertainment feature. The car also has a traditional-looking handbrake that is operated by a lever, but is actually an electronic handbrake of the kind usually operated by a small switch on most other vehicles. Special settings can allow the handbrake lever to be used for drifting or sliding the rear wheels to the side. Ford also revealed a new, higher-performance version called the Mustang Dark Horse. Along with a 500-horsepower V8 engine, the Mustang Dark Horse will get various suspension upgrades, as well as dark-painted headlight covers and other visual cues. It also includes changes for aerodynamics and cooling, such as air ducts to cool the brakes and more powerful fans for the radiator. This Mustang will have special badging that will show a horse’s head facing forward, but the front end will still show a matte-finished version of the usual pony icon. Ford will also offer special track-only Dark Horse S and Dark Horse R versions that will come with safety equipment such as a roll cage, which is required for track racing, but with other unnecessary options and features, including a passenger seat, which they will stop. (A passenger seat can be added as an option on the Mustang Dark Horse S.) Today, the Mustang remains the last car — as opposed to a truck or SUV — sold by Ford in the United States. The new 2024 Mustang, the car’s seventh design generation, will hit the market next summer.
