Ford will soon be cornering the market on V8-powered pony cars, and it looks to still be a pretty big one.
The Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro are set to be discontinued in December and January, respectively, leaving the Mustang as the last in the segment with a V8.
Ford told the Associated Press that it has 13,000 orders for the 2024 Mustang that’s heading to dealers in the coming weeks, and 67% of them are for V8 models.
The updated Mustang comes standard with a 315 hp EcoBost turbocharged four-cylinder engine, but the Mustang GT gets a 480 hp 5.0-liter V8, while the Mustang Dark Horse is powered by a 500 hp 5.0-liter V8.
Ford is also continuing to offer a six-speed manual transmission, which has accounted for 25% of the orders across the three engine options, so far.
However, the motor mix may change in the coming months.
“We tend to see more demand from enthusiasts for the V8 whenever an all-new Mustang is introduced,†Jim Owens, Mustang brand manager, told the AP.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE AMERICAN CARS AND RACING YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Challenger sales have continued to be strong this year as it approaches the end of production with a series of “Last Call” V8-powered models, while Camaro sales more than doubled in the second quarter following the March announcement of its discontinuation.
Chevy will continue to offer V8 sports cars, however, with the growing lineup of Corvette variants that are only available with eight-cylinder engines and had been outselling the Camaro for the past couple of years.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE NEWS FROM AMERICAN CARS AND RACING