Mustang reveals its next coupe due in Australia in 2023 will still have a V8

Ford has released the first pictures of the next Mustang coupe and convertible expected in Australia next year and has confirmed it will still have a rippling V8.

The seventh-generation Mustang – the first in nearly a decade – has been unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in Michigan, with Ford counting on it to remain Australia’s best-selling sports coupe.

Much to the relief of Ford fans, the next Mustang will still have a 5.0 liter V8 and be available with a six-speed manual transmission when it hits the market locally in late 2023.

The next American muscle machine will still be available as a GT, along with a new model known as the Dark Horse.

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Ford Australia said this new Dark Horse model, with a ‘customized’ V8 and ‘sinister looks’, would ‘set a new benchmark for Australian street and track performance’.

“With the introduction of the seventh-generation Mustang, Ford Australia will add an exciting new special edition nameplate to the Mustang stable, Dark Horse,” the press release said.

A four-cylinder EcoBoost with 2.3 liter turbocharger remains available, but Ford has not announced any new plans for a hybrid or an all-electric engine, despite Ford CEO Jim Farley’s promise to add hybrid versions to “our most profitable vehicles” by 2026. and popular cars’ .

“Investing in a new-generation Mustang is a big statement at a time when many of our competitors are exiting the combustion engine industry,” he said.

The next Mustang will also have a large digital screen for the driver to resemble a jet cockpit.

The coupe and convertible have undergone evolutionary styling changes from the current model, maintaining a resemblance to the original 1964 design, which was originally based on the American Ford Falcon also made in Australia.

The Mustang is Australia’s best-selling performance coupe with 1,220 sold since January, including 261 in August, according to data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

Priced from $52,590, it leaves its smaller-engine Japanese rivals for dead, with a V8 in the range producing 339 kilowatts of power.

Mazda has sold just 337 of the MX-5 convertible and coupe this year, including 58 of the four-cylinder roadster starting at $37,790 last month.

The seventh-generation Mustang – the first in nearly a decade – has been unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in Michigan, as Ford counts on it to remain Australia’s best-selling sports coupe

The next Mustang will also have a large digital screen for the driver to resemble a fighter jet cockpit (shown is an artistic impression of a right-hand drive version)

Toyota has sold just one 86 model this year, with a starting price of $32,180, while Subaru managed to sell 730 of its BRZ from January to August, including 98 last month, despite a higher starting price of $43,505.

The Toyota and Subaru coupés, which they developed together, have four cylinders.

Only 15 Nissan 370Zs have been sold this year, and none of the V6 sports cars left the showroom in August with a starting price of $50,490.

Australian motorists have lost V8 options since Ford stopped making the Falcon locally in 2016, a year before Holden stopped making the Commodore in Adelaide.

Chrysler stopped selling passenger cars in Australia last year, meaning motorists after a V8 could no longer get the 300 SRT muscle sedan with 350 kW of pure power.

The Mustang is the only top-selling V8 coupe sold in Australia and the most powerful performance car under $100,000.

The Chevrolet Camaro has to be converted to right-hand drive, even though it’s built on the same Zeta platform as the old Australian-designed Holden Commodore.

The coupe (shown) and convertible have evolutionary styling changes from the current model, keeping the resemblance to the original 1964 design, which was originally based on the American Ford Falcon made in Australia.