2024 FURD MUSTANG ONE MORE TIME

THERE'S MORE GAS-FED PRANCING TO DO BEFORE ELECTRIFICATION TAKES OVER

- ALISA PRIDDLE

Creating the 2024 Mustang, Ford pulled a gutsy and potentially historic move. The seventh generation is likely the last gas-snorting version of the pony car, but the fact it's purely gas-snorting at all is something of a surprise. Chevrolet is rumored to sunset the Camaro as we know it ahead of an electric replacement in 2024; Dodge has confirmed its Challenger and Charger will offer fully electric propulsion around the same time. The 2024 Mustang team needed to justify its rationale for an internal-combustion-only muscle car, truly a passion project, at every turn, even with management ultimately supporting its moves. After all, Ford is in the throes of embracing electric trucks and SUVs.

Mustang enthusiasts-who've purchased about 10 million of the cars since production began in 1964-should rejoice that Ford is even doing this at a time when electrification is all the rage. Sales of coupes and convertibles continue to decline generally while cars (not SUVs and trucks) themselves are an endangered species boxed out by insanely popular high-riding vehicles. Think about it: The Mustang, even today, is the only car Ford sells in North America. The Mustang Mach-E, an electric crossover, already outsells the two-door for which it's named.

Executive chairman Bill Ford says he knows the last gas-powered, stick-shift Mustang will roll off the line in Flat Rock, Michigan, in his lifetime, and he'll have a tear in his eye when it does-but we're not there yet. Regardless of what the future holds, the new Mustang, revealed in Detroit at the 2022 North American International Auto Show, is a commitment to many more years of traditional pony car sales. There will still be a '23 model year for the existing generation to bridge the gap.

And then the new-for-2024 model rides in, a de facto victory lap for the car with its taut new looks, modern interior, electrohydraulic drift brake, and the ability to rev the engine via the key fob.