Ford’s next-gen Mustang, Koenigsegg’s new hypercar, Hyundai refutes combustion engine shutdown reports
Report: Next-Gen Mustang due in 2023
Intake: While a next-generation Ford Mustang has been in the works for some time now, we may finally have a rough date to mark on our calendar. Autoline is reporting that the next generation Mustang is due in March of 2023. The new Mustang was first slated to arrive sometime in 2021, but that timeline was substantially delayed, likely due to many factors including the global semiconductor shortage and the pandemic. The new Pony car is expected to ditch the current-gen S550’s exclusive platform, instead utilizing Ford’s rear- and all-wheel-drive architecture that currently underpins some crossovers, such as the Explorer. An all-wheel-drive Mustang is almost definitely in the works, as is a hybrid that’s expected to come in 2025.
Exhaust: While a Mustang with four driven wheels may sound heretical to some, we’re just happy to see that the beloved pony car will live on for another generation as just that—a car. Likewise, a hybrid version has us a little uneasy, but it may be necessary given government mandates that Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) reach 52 mpg by 2026. That said, offsets to that CAFE requirement can be had in the way of EV sales—and the Mach-E checks that box.
Koenigsegg rings in the New Year with a new hypercar
Intake: 2022 will see the debut of an all-new Koenigsegg. The Swedish hypercar company dropped this silhouette teaser image on its Facebook page at the stroke of midnight on January 1 with the following caption, “Dear 2022, here’s our New Year’s resolution – More ultimate performance through clever engineering and optimal design. Here we go!” The design appears to feature the firm’s trademark wraparound windshield, a large front splitter, and a rear diffuser like the Agera, but it’s impossible to make out much more detail or know whether it will be powered by the wild two-liter, three-cylinder Freevalve engine or Koenigsegg’s five-liter V-8.
Exhaust: This year marks Koenigsegg’s 20th anniversary, so perhaps the new car will be an homage to the CC8S of 2002. The only guarantee is that it will be, as Koenigsegg describes all its vehicles, “Mega.”
Update: Hyundai refutes reports of combustion engine development shutdown
Intake: Last week, reports circulated that Hyundai was ceasing all development of internal combustion engines, even going so far as to shut down its Namyang R&D Center in Korea. We reached out to Hyundai for comment, but as of the time of publication did not hear back. Today, we received a statement from Hyundai’s global offices:
“Hyundai Motor Group can confirm that it is not halting the development of its engines following recent media speculation. The Group is dedicated to providing a strong portfolio of powertrains to global customers, which includes a combination of highly efficient engines and zero emissions electric motors.”
Exhaust: Despite the seemingly constant torrent of EV announcements, there’s still going a hefty interim period—the length of which is heavily debated—in which an automaker such as Hyundai cannot afford to let existing gasoline-powered engines languish. The comment above makes clear that it’s still “game on” for gas, and a Hyundai spokesperson confirmed that development is ongoing for hydrogen fuel cell power, as well.
Watch a Ferrari SF90 ballet at Bonneville
Intake: America’s natural arena of speed just played host to Ferrari’s fastest production model, the SF90. In the film above you can see the SF90 dash through a desert dawn, salt spray pluming from all four wheels as it runs close to 200 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, using all of its combined gasoline- and electric-tag-teamed 986 hp to punch through the desert air, and all of its 860 pounds of downforce to stick to the slippery salt surface. The best part of the video, however, is when the driver meddles with the manettino and sends the SF90 into a series of spectacular slides.
Exhaust: A factory Ferrari has never set a land speed record at Bonneville, but in 2010, a heavily-modified 288 GTO P4 by Norwood achieved a mighty 275.4 mph two-way average. Isn’t it time that Maranello itself took the honors? Now there’s a challenge for 2022.
The Fox-body was a popular CHP pony car
Intake: Life isn’t a movie, and often the bad guy doesn’t escape so easily when the police are in pursuit. That is especially true when the Highway Patrol packs some good ol’ horsepower. We get a taste of such municipal muscle this week on Jay Leno’s Garage, where it’s all laid out in black and white—the cars, anyway. The Fox-body Mustang might seem like an odd choice for a cruiser at first blush, but retired California police officer Rich Sapikowski explains how it was in fact perfectly suited for duty.
Exhaust: In a perfect world there would be no need for an officer to bury the speedometer needle on an H.O. Mustang, but Sapikowski points out the pesky reality. Traveling out past Bakersfield, it can be 30 miles between exits and that makes for plenty of room for a perp to get away. It also meant the officer would often bake in the driver’s seat, because the air conditioning would cut off over 100 mph. Is the chase worth the sweat? Many officers thought so; these police pony cars cars were clamored over then, and they still are now.
