Ford unveils newest Mustang, extending gasoline-powered life

DETROIT

Ford unveiled on Sept. 14 its seventh-generation Mustang in a brash and boisterous launch event in downtown Detroit that pointed to the staying power of gasoline-powered vehicles.

The big reveal had been teased for months by company officials and organized as a celebration of the 58-year-old model.

The event, organized for Ford employees and Mustang mavens, featured pulsating music, slickly produced videos on wide screens and a light projection of the brand’s horse logo onto a city building that loomed in the background.

The 50-minute event culminated with the arrival of three sleek new sedans in different trims and, later, a fourth option, a racing vehicle called “Dark Horse” that was introduced dramatically by Ed Krenz, Ford’s chief functional engineer for performance.

“Its name is indicative of its design and its aspirations,” Krenz told a cheering crowd. “Its demeanor: absolutely sinister. Dark Horse is for the enthusiast who wants purebred force of nature.”

Ford, which has dived into EV investment as much as any company in recent years, had refrained ahead of Sept. 14 from saying whether the new Mustang would be electric or gasoline-powered.

But the company made no apologies for its choice to go with the internal combustion engine (ICE).

“Investing in another generation of Mustang is a big statement at a time when many of our competitors are exiting the business of internal combustion vehicles,” said Jim Farley, CEO of Ford Motor Company in a press release, adding that the company is “turbocharging” ICE growth even as it invests $50 billion in EV growth through 2026.

Mustang brand manager Jim Owens said some customers prefer the “visceral” feeling of an ICE vehicle, adding that the company has already released an EV version of the Mustang, the Mach-E sport utility vehicle.

“We know that there are customers out there in the sports car segment who still want the internal combustion engine,” he told AFP in an interview before launch.

“There are a lot of late millennials and early Gen Zers who are into the sports car segment, and we think we have some wonderful things in here that are going to draw them in,” he said.