As part of a strategy to deal with company projections that electrified vehicles will outsell conventional (i.e. purely gasoline-powered) models within 15 years, Ford has announced it will soon offer hybrid versions of two of its best-known vehicles: the Mustang and the F-150.
The carmaker said the hybrid Mustang and F-150 would go on sale in 2020, built alongside existing versions at plants in Flat Rock and Dearborn, Michigan. Ford promised that the gas-electric Mustang would deliver “V8 power and even more low-end torque.”
The company is presumably referring to the Mustang GT, whose 5.0-liter V8 kicks out a healthy 435 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque, and not the 526-horsepower Shelby GT350. The current four-cylinder Mustang manages a reasonable 310 horsepower and 320 pound-feet from its 2.3-liter turbo four, and that Ecoboost engine may well be the basis for that hybrid version with better than 400 pound-feet of peak twist.
The instant-on edge of electric torque appears to be the story for the F-150 as well. Ford touted the upcoming model’s “powerful payload and towing capacity,” along with the hybrid’s ability to operate as a mobile generator for work or recreation.
In total, Ford filled in the blanks on seven of its own electrified models during today’s announcement. In addition to the Mustang and F-150 hybrids, the automaker announced:
An all-new compact electric SUV with at least 300 miles of driving range, to be built in Flat Rock by 2020, and sold in North America, Europe and Asia.
A high-volume autonomous hybrid designed for ride hailing or sharing, also built in Flat Rock in 2021.
A Transit Custom plug-in hybrid van for the European market in 2019.
Two pursuit-rated hybrid police vehicles, with one built in Chicago.
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