Whether you like it or not, the electrification of cars is going mainstream and several major automakers have pledged to launch new hybrid models over the coming decade, with some of them doing away with gas models altogether.

Having said that, there are long-running nameplates like the iconic Mustang that you can’t really imagine becoming an EV. Take for instance the Mustang Mach-E, Putting one of the best-selling names in automotive history on an EV crossover was sacrilege for some.

Coming to the coupe itself, an all-electric version could come by the end of the decade. A Cobra-jet 1400 EV is already tearing up the drag strip. Back in 2019, Ford teased an image of a Mustang with a blue pony on the grille.

Rumour has it that Ford has finally commenced work on the next best thing for the Mustang, a hybrid powertrain. Phew! Some saving grace, I suppose. Anyway, this in itself will be one of the biggest radical changes in the Mustang’s 58-year-old history.

Known internally as the S650, spy shots in the video above, reveal that the overall dimensions are pretty much identical to the current model, however, according to a patent filed in 2017, the pony car is set to undergo some significant changes under the skin as far as the powertrain goes.

The information was later confirmed by Pedro Maradei, an engineer who was working on the next-gen Mustang. The upcoming seventh-gen Mustang should employ Ford’s new modular platform shared with the Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator.

You can expect both the 2.3 liters EcoBoost and the 5.0 Liter Coyote V-8 to be retained, albeit with hybrid tech. Expect the S650 to feature all-wheel drive, with the gas engine powering the rear wheels, while a pair of electric motors should handle the front wheels. You could also expect the 10-speed automatic to make a comeback.

The S550 generation of the Ford Mustang has been around since 2015. The S650, which is part of the Blue ovals massive Hybrid roll-out, would have arrived by as early as 2020, had it not been for then Ford CEO, Jim Hackett who chose to prioritize the Mach-E instead. Now that the Crossover is out and about, the time has finally come for Ford’s iconic muscle car to take the plunge into the world of electrification.