Report: Hybrid and AWD Mustang dead, Purosangue bows next week, unorthodox Yenkos
Report: Hybrid, AWD Mustang dead
Intake: Ford is going to debut the a new Mustang next week in Detroit. The seventh-gen pony is expected to ditch its exclusive platform in favor of the rear-drive-based architecture that currently underpins the Ford Explorer and the Lincoln Aviator. Both existing offerings on that platform have hybrid and all-wheel-drive capability, and it was expected that both systems would appear as options in the Mustang family, but now, according to AutoForecast Solutions, an industry analysis firm who spoke with AutoWeek, those two variants are now dead. Instead, it’s now expected that the pony car debuting next week will be purely gasoline-powered for the duration of its six-to-eight-year lifecycle, after which it will jump onto the Mach-E’s all-electric platform. According to Automotive News, Ford told suppliers that it will stretch the Mustang’s lifecycle from six to eight years, likely meaning this is the final gas-powered pony car.
Exhaust: What irony: Eventual EV conversion aside, the heretical, all-electric Mustang SUV just saved the rear-drive, manual-gearbox, V-8 coupe from a hybrid fate.—Nathan Petroelje
Does this Honda sports car foreshadow a baby NSX?
.@Honda sports car spied, looks like a baby NSX: https://t.co/KmDOGfPG1P pic.twitter.com/KkehwcsfW6
— Car and Driver (@CARandDRIVER) September 7, 2022
Intake: Photos have surfaced of a wild-looking Honda sports car in a darkened office park. Shared with Car and Driver by a new father who went on a late-night stroll, the evocative coupe looks like a scaled-down Acura NSX, but it clearly wears the big H badge. Late this spring, Honda announced a grand plan to allocate more than $40 billion globally towards the electrification of its entire lineup. Among the cars teased were two shapely sports cars, each wearing a Honda badges. One of these is likely the all-electric NSX—which will wear an Acura badge here in the states but a Honda badge elsewhere. The other remains a mystery, although the shadowy, front-engine silhouette of the image below doesn’t match neatly with the images in the tweet from Car and Driver embedded above. The shaping and position of the latter’s cabin imply a mid-mounted powertrain, but what exactly would be under the hood is yet to be seen.
Exhaust: If we’re optimistic, Honda is readying a mid-engine coupe with the 315-hp 2.0-liter turbo four from the newly announced 2023 Civic Type R. More likely, this will have a battery-electric powertrain. That said, this stunning machine could just be a design exercise, and it may never reach anything beyond that. Still, what’s enthusiasm without a little bit of dreaming? An electric Honda S660 sounds like a riot…—NP
Ferrari’s V-12 not-an-SUV bows next week
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Intake: Those craving a family-hauling Ferrari will be glad to know that, next Tuesday, the Purosangue will finally be revealed. Per usual, we expect the OEM to hold back details such as fuel economy, pricing, and trim structure, but we will at least get a good look at this four-wheel-drive machine on September 13. Ferrari has already confirmed that this not-an-SUV-but-also-not-a-station-wagon will be powered by a naturally aspirated V-12 at launch. A hybrid V-8 is soon to follow, however, so that you and your friends can cruise through the heart of London, filling the generous trunk with Givenchy bags, and not suffer emissions fees.
Exhaust: Ferrari insists this is not an SUV and, for once, that’s not just PR speak. The Purosangue, though hardly a pureblood, does have precedent in the modern Ferrari canon: The GTC4Lusso (below) and, before that, the FF. Each was a four-seater with either a V-8 or a V-12 spinning all four wheels. A Ferrari you don’t feel guilty—or unsafe—taking to the ski slopes? Apparently, it’s a winning recipe. —Grace Houghton
SCE builds its most unorthodox Yenko yet
Intake: Specialty Vehicle Engineering (SVE) is building 100 supercharged Tahoes and Suburbans for the 2023 model year as limited-production Yenko SC models. Half will use hand-built 5.3-liter V-8s good for 700 hp, and the other 50 will use hand-built 6.2-liter V-8s that produce 800 hp. Each engine features a forged rotating assembly and upgraded cylinder heads. The Yenko SC package also includes upgrades to the brakes and suspension, as well as unique 22-inch wheels and Yenko badging inside and out. Customers can have their Yenko SUV built on both two-wheel- and four-wheel-drive platforms and the package can be based on LS, LT, RST, Z71, Premier, or High Country trim levels.
Exhaust: SVE, formerly SLP, has been building high-performance GM vehicles for 35 years, but this is the first time they’ve put the Yenko name on an SUV. The company has previously offered a Yenko Silverado package with similar power numbers. With just 100 being produced, these will be a rare sight, but they might not be quite as collectible as their muscle car ancestors from the ’60s, even if they are faster. —Brandan Gillogly
