All-Electric Mustang In The Works?

Remember when Ford and Chevrolet put a V6 in the engine bay of their respected muscle cars? The consensus of muscle car aficionados was akin to something like Tim Horton’s taking away Boston cream donuts. It apparently was just unthinkable.

Well now there might be something in development for the Mustang which would be akin to hell freezing over for pretty much any ‘Stang fan, or muscle car junkie in general.

Apparently Ford may be looking into making an all-electric Mustang. Impossible you say? Maybe not. Consider this:

1) All-electric vehicles are making a come back in a big way. There are currently at least ten automakers investing heavily in the technology, not least of which is Ford with the preparation of the launch of the all-electric Focus to bow very soon.

2) Automakers like Tesla with their Roadster, Audi’s E-Tron or BMW with their i8 (I know, the latter is not fully electric, but there’s a lot of electric technology in there) are proving that electric vehicles don’t have to be boring. In fact, performance electric vehicles is a new emerging segment. Therefore Ford could easily nab the “cheap” performance electric vehicle title with an all-electric Mustang.

3) This is probably the most important point of all. I have a source that has revealed exclusively to Car Driven that a prototype is already made, in fact it was witnessed in seclusion by said source. It’s possible this was just a regular electric car conversion, however considering the fuss made when a picture was trying to be taken, it’s clear this is something that Ford wants quiet for the time being.

While all of this remains speculation at the moment, you can be sure that Car Driven will do more digging to see what else is out there on the electric ‘Stang.

What do you think of the idea of an all-electric muscle car?

Bucking the Trend: Canadians Prefer Mustang to Camaro

For the first time in 25 years, the Chevrolet Camaro will outsell the Ford Mustang in the States this year. Ford has even conceded that its stallion will end up in the number 2 spot. In a bit of an odd trend, however, us Canadians apparently prefer the Mustang to the Camaro.

According to the New York Times, the Mustang’s sales is currently sitting at 4,935 units compared to the Camaro’s 3,974 sales.

This is especially odd since the Camaro is home grown, it’s built in Oshawa while the Mustang is built in Michigan.

Ford says it’s because the Mustang is “an icon” and many Canadians consider it to be their “dream car” (I must be in the minority if that’s the case). But really, the Camaro is fairly iconic as well.

GM says it’s because there is a lack of incentives on the Camaro and the convertible model is very limited at the moment.

Whatever the reason, it’s good to hear that Canadians aren’t so wrapped up in buying a product simply because it was made in our own backyard. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for supporting our workers and stimulating our economy, but the fact of the matter is, a car is the second biggest purchase someone will ever make. The decision on what to buy better go to the best car, and not simply because of where it was made.

I’m not suggesting that the Mustang is the better vehicle, however. I’m just saying that I’m glad Canadians are buying with their hearts and not what political figures tell them to do with their hard earned cash.

In any event, congrats to the Mustang. I think a test of both these vehicles are in order, wouldn’t you agree? I’ll get on it. I promise.

[New York Times photo credit: Autoblog]

Hyundai Set to Introduce 5-litre Genesis Coupe!

Hyundai really wants to be taken seriously in the performance world and its Genesis Coupe makes an excellent arguement for both value and performance. It is a great looking, great handling car. The 2.0T has some zing to it and the 3.8 GT will put a grin on your face.

But Hyundai is taking aim squarely at the muscle car market. The Challenger, Camaro and Mustang all offer variants of muscle that can churn out anything in the 400 horsepower range. Hyundai wants a piece of that pie.

So they are reportedly developing a 5.0 litre V8 that will pack 429 horses and 376 pound feet of torque. Yum.

That 5 litre obviously means inevetiable comparisons to the Mustang’s newly introduced 5.0 litre engine in the 2011 model. Since the Mustang can apparently now hold its own in the bends (for the first time ever in its life) it should be quite the entertaining battle.

[Car and Driver]

Mustang Beats Camaro In Sales For May

Ford is again doing quite well in sales thanks to some credible product offerings, one of which is the all new Mustang.

Even though the Camaro has a loyal following in pop culture, that hasn’t swayed people in the muscle car market. In the States last month the Stang sold 10, 225 units while Chevy was able to move 8,931 Camaros. I won’t even bother mentioning how Dodge did with the Challenger. Let’s just say it isn’t posing much of a challenge. Heh.

Ford has been winning many of the unavoidable comparison tests between the two pony cars, but Chevy hopes new revamped engines for 2011 will help it gain some ground.

Which would you choose?

[Autoblog Photo Credit: EGM Cartech]

This is What Happens When You Don’t Take Bailout Money

Your sales go up. Way up.

Of course, incorporating new product and upping the quality of existing product helps too.

Ford has done both and is definitely fairng the best out of the big three. The public seems to be rewarding their hard effort with increased sales, even in low volume segments. The F-150 SVT Raptor is already selling way more than predicted and now comes news that the 2011 Mustang ain’t doin’ so bad either. In fact, the 2011 Mustang is selling three times more than the 2009 Mustang did. The V6 is particularly doing well accounting for over half of the 2011 Mustang’s sales. We’re guessing that the 305 horsepower engine that returns 7.8 L/100 kms in fuel economy is the big draw.

The California Special edition is also doing well as it has also sold three times as much as two years ago. There apparently was already 11,000 orders for Mustangs placed in January and that number is expected to increase.

Time to step up your game, Challenger and Camaro.

We can’t wait for the Fiesta and Euro Focus to arrive!