Ford Mustang

• Ford is reportedly working on a hybridized version of the seventh-generation Mustang.
• Leaks suggest that the project has entered the “Technology Prove-Out” phase, which means that real electrified test mules exist today.
• It’s unclear if the tech will actually make it to market.

The Ford Mustang has been many things in its lifetime: a muscle car, a pony car, a supercar and even an electrified SUV. If the latest reports are to be believed, the Mustang could soon be adding hybrid to its repertoire.

That news comes from the Blue Oval-focused news website Ford Authority. Sources familiar with the project told the outlet that Ford is working on an electrified version of the current-generation Mustang, and that it’s codenamed internally as the S650E.

Photo by: Ford

The exact details of the project are unclear at this time. There’s no word on whether the electrification means Ford has equipped the Mustang with a traditional mild hybrid, or if the Blue Oval went all-out on a plug-in variant. What the report says is that Ford has paired some sort of electric motor (or motors) with a gas-operated powerplant aimed at boosting performance or efficiency.

It’s also not clear what engine configuration Ford has mated with the hybrid.

Ford has offered the Mustang with a plethora of different under-hood options over the years. The current generation (the S650) is sold with the 2.3-liter EcoBoost four cylinder and a 5.0-liter V8 (plus the 5.2-liter found in the GTD).

Laurie Transou, the global chief engineer of the Mustang nameplate, said that Ford would retain its V8 engine for as long as it could be sold. That raises an eyebrow: Is Ford adding a hybrid option to the V8 for efficiency’s sake, or might it be propping up the EcoBoost with a bit more power—or could there be something else up the automaker’s sleeve altogether?

Separately, it’s also unclear what a hybrid powerplant means for the Mustang’s manual transmission. It’s not unheard of for an automaker to couple a mild hybrid and a manual transmission, though it is pretty uncommon. Transou also noted that Ford would continue to sell its manual transmission for as long as consumers had interest in it. 

The Associated Press reported last year that the Mustang’s V8 take-rate was at a whopping 67%, with more than a quarter of those buyers equipping it with the manual transmission. That combination, mixed with a hybrid, could be quite interesting.

Photo by: Ford

According to the source, the S650e has entered Ford’s “Technology Prove-Out” stage, which means that there are likely some test mules out there on the road that have some form of electrification under the hood.

Don’t get too excited, though. We’ve been down this road before with the Mustang, and there’s no guarantee that the model will make it to production. If you recall, Ford teased the idea of a hybrid Mustang way back in 2017, but the project never made it to fruition. It was reported that the program was axed back in 2022 in preparation for a full-on electric Mustang, though CEO Jim Farley later said that a fully electrified Mustang flat-out wasn’t happening.

Ford hasn’t officially confirmed anything, and the automaker didn’t respond to InsideEVs’ request for comment by publication. 

If a hybrid Mustang makes it to market, it’s a pretty pivotal moment for the pony car. The Mustang has always been a sort of barometer for what American car culture is willing to tolerate, and with stricter CAFE regulations going out the window, the need for a hybrid is called into question. Then again, hybrids in general have been becoming more popular, so maybe the time to try it is now.

The bigger unknown is whether or not Mustang fans will accept a hybrid or revolt. After all, Mustang fans still lose their mind when you mention the Mach-E’s full name, and yet here we are, still buying both. If history is any guide, as long as the car still looks like a Mustang and sounds halfway angry, the badge will survive.