Ford is making a hybrid Mustang

Fan of old-school muscle cars? Well, it might be time to pick up a new hobby – perhaps crying into your pillow and pining for the good ol' days – because the Mustang is going hybrid.

Ford's announced that by 2020, the Mustang will be available with the dual-power setup, able to deliver "V8 power and even more low-end torque". We suspect this won't be entirely popular news. It'll be more along the lines of 'WTF why r u ruining the Mustang' et cetera. 

It's hardly the first time that the iconic pony car has had its legacy tainted – let's not forget the Series II Mustang, the third-gen 'Fox-body' Mustang (which nearly went front-wheel-drive, save for the vehement protests from a downtrodden fanbase) and a fourth-generation that could have been a return to form. Instead it was offered with a 3.8-litre V6 with 145bhp, or a massive 4.6-litre V8 with just 215bhp. 

Now, with the sixth-generation version, there's finally a Mustang with modern suspension, V8 power and right-hand-drive. It's rather good, too. And hybrid power isn't necessarily a bad thing for performance cars these days anyway...

In other news, Ford's electric programme is extending beyond the poster cars of your youth. Sooty diesel-powered Transits from 1998 will probably still be at the local markets until they expire, but a plug-in hybrid version, available in 2019, will be a much more lung-friendly alternative. Even the gargantuan F-150 hasn't escaped the electric revolution. That said, the hybrid system has a fantastic bit of kit involved – using the F-series truck as a V8-powered mobile generator. Probably overkill for a spot of camping, but just the thing if you're at Glastonbury and the power goes out in the middle of Radiohead's set. 

The company also announced an all-new fully electric small SUV (arriving 2020) with an estimated range of at least 300 miles, and a hybrid, autonomous cab (or 'ride hailing/ride sharing' thing in modern parlance), set to debut in 2021.

Oh, and a pair of "pursuit-rated" hybrid police vehicles. Let us know your thoughts below...