2023 Ford Mustang to add hybrid power to V8 AND four-cylinder engines? New S650 series set to represent radical shift for Chevrolet Camaro rival

Nearly five years ago, Ford promised the Mustang would go hybrid, and now one of its former engineers has seemingly let slip not only when the radical shift will occur, but also what it will surprisingly entail.

Spotted overnight by a member of the Mustang7G forum, LinkedIn user Pedro Maradei claims to have worked for Ford from August 2010 to November 2020, with his last five months of work concentrating on the Mustang’s upcoming S650 series.

Critically, he lists the S650 Mustang as launching in the 2023 model year (MY23), which suggests it will be revealed by the end of 2022. Needless to say, the countdown is on.

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Now, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard of that timing before, as a job ad Ford itself posted on LinkedIn last February noted the S650 Mustang would be released sometime next year for MY23.

However, Mr Maradei’s detailed job history goes a little further, referencing his work on low- and high-pressure package analysis on the S650 Mustang’s not one, but two hybrid powertrains, separately featuring 2.3-litre four-cylinder and 5.0-litre V8 engines.

Of course, Ford promised in March 2018 the Chevrolet Camaro rival would add a hybrid powertrain with “V8-like performance” during its current S550 series, going as far as to announce it for 2020, but it’s still yet to see the light of day.

As such, Mr Maradei’s LinkedIn profile is the first we’ve heard of the Mustang getting two hybrid powertrains, with the alternative four-cylinder version coming as somewhat of a surprise.

It goes without saying that the two hybrid powertrains should be based on the S550 Mustang’s 2.3-litre EcoBoost turbocharged and 5.0-litre Coyote naturally aspirated V8 engines, likely taking their maximum outputs beyond 224kW/441Nm and 345kW/556Nm respectively.

The S550 Mustang is about to reach the end of the line.

That said, it’s not yet known what form of hybridisation they will feature, but in 2017, Ford did patent a powertrain that features two electric motors and a V8 engine sending power to the front and rear axles respectively for all-wheel drive (AWD), so that may be a clue.

Given the S650 Mustang is expected to adopt elements of Ford’s CD6 platform – which supports not only ‘self-charging’ and plug-in hybrid powertrains, but also rear-wheel drive (RWD) and AWD – it should bring more than mild electrification to the table.

After all, the Mustang is coming under increased scrutiny for its relatively high emissions, not only in target-driven Europe, but also in its home market of North America, so some big changes need to be made with the S650.

Either way, the Mustang is all but confirmed to continue being offered in right-hand-drive markets, including Australia, with the S650, so expect it to enter local showrooms as early as 2023. Stay tuned.