Next-Gen Mustang With Hybrid V8 Mentioned on Ford Engineer’s LinkedIn
An EcoBoost hybrid might be a possibility for the S650 as well.
An electrified Ford Mustang has been rumored for some time. The most convincing news broke last year when a patent filing showing a hybrid V8, presumably destined for the Mustang, was unearthed. Now, a claimed Ford engineer seems to have spilled the beans on social media.
The details were originally noticed by a poster on the Mustang 7G forums. They spotted someone on LinkedIn claiming to be a Ford employee who added particulars about current projects to their work experience. The kicker? They specifically included the S650 project by name, plus the exact configuration and displacement of not one, but two hybrid powertrains.
According to the LinkedIn post, the Ford engineer worked on projects involving hybrid variants of the 2.3-liter inline-four, as well as the 5.0-liter V8, hinting that both actually exist.
The previously uncovered patent detailed a hybrid V8 with two electric motors "mounted directly to opposing sides of the engine." This indicated not only the possibility of electrification for the Mustang but also alluded to all-wheel-drive.
Presently, no Ford is offered with a hybrid V8. Even American's best-selling pickup, the F-150, is only offered with a V6 hybrid—or fully electric, soon enough. That makes the front-engine, rear-drive layout very much a good fit for the Mustang. The patent is also fairly open-ended about its use of electric power. While the primary fit would be the front wheels, Ford doesn't rule out the use of electrification through the gearbox for the rear wheels either. What that means for a future Mustang with a manual transmission is up in the air.
While Ford has yet to officially confirm an electrified Mustang, the details loosely listed on the engineer's profile seem to point at exactly that. Or, at least, that Ford sunk R&D into whether or not the Mustang product line would make a good candidate for electrification.
And while we can't validate their status as a Ford employee, the engineer's LinkedIn profile seems to be legitimate. During their past 10 years at Ford, they claim to have worked on the current-generation S550 Mustang as a product development engineer on the vehicle's powertrain, working on engines like the 2.3-liter and 5.0-liter V8, plus the GT350. They also have recommendations from several colleagues on their profile that note their involvement in the Mustang project.
That being said, Ford CEO Jim Farley told us he wants the next-gen Mustang to be a "poster car," and with the auto industry shifting towards electrification, what better way to do that than with a hybrid power plant?
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