The Ford Mustang didn't go electric - and that's great! Why the V8 'lone survivor' is worth celebrating | Opinion

And then there was one.

The Ford Mustang is the final remaining affordable V8-powered coupe in the world. Sure, you can get a V8 powered Aston Martin Vantage and Ferrari Roma or even a BMW 8-Series, but in terms of the Mustang and its peers this is the last one.

Chevrolet has axed the Camaro and hinted at an electric return, while Dodge has fully committed to swapping a V8 for electric motors in the Challenger replacement. And it's not just its American peers too, with the Audi RS5, BMW M3 and Mercedes-AMG C63 also dropping the V8 over recent years in search of a more efficient powertrain.

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Having driven the new seventh-generation model this week in the USA, it gave me pause for thought. When I first saw this ‘new' model revealed in Detroit last September I was initially disappointed. After years of rumours that the Mustang coupe and convertible would switch to a new platform with electrified powertrain options to futureproof the pony car, the reality is this new model is not much more than a reskin of the sixth-generation with a fancy new dashboard.

At least, that was my initial impression. In large part because it's true, this isn't much more than a redesigned exterior, refreshed interior and some tweaks to the powertrain. The new hero model Dark Horse is mostly just a new name for the Mach 1. Heck, driving the car this week I was struck by the fact the interior door panels are carried over from the old car seemingly unchanged.

But the longer I spent behind the wheel the more I came to realise it just doesn't matter.

The new hero model Dark Horse is mostly just a new name for the Mach 1.

Who cares if it's just a major update rather than a ground-up, clean-sheet design? Of course Ford is not going to spend billions of dollars developing an all-new Mustang at a time when it needs to invest even more money into securing its electric future.

As I've written before, the reality of the world we live in today means sports cars are a pure luxury for any car maker, even one as iconic as the Mustang. Car makers need to share platforms (Toyota Supra/BMW Z4 and Toyota GR86/Subaru BRZ) or just keep updating underpinnings (Nissan Z) in order to make affordable sports cars financially viable.

Ford can't share the Mustang underpinnings with anyone else, so it's even less surprising they've had to stick to the existing platform and powertrains. But when you look around the current automotive landscape the fact a car like this exists at all is something to celebrate.

Everything is telling Ford to stop making V8-powered sports cars - emissions regulations, consumer interests in SUVs and the preference for more fuel efficient cars - but the Blue Oval is pushing on regardless. That's great because it means more choice for consumers and that's worthy of celebration.

Of course Ford is not going to spend billions of dollars developing an all-new Mustang at a time when it needs to invest even more money into securing its electric future.

Not everyone has to drive an electric car. Or an SUV. Or a ute. Or whatever is popular. Free will and choice is one of the things that makes Australia a great country to live in and the world a more interesting place.

As Ford's Jim Owens, Brand Manager for the Mustang, admitted himself to this author, the fact the V8 Mustang remains is unlikely to woo too many disgruntled Chevrolet and Dodge fanatics, but for the rest of us without such die-hard brand loyalty the continuation of the Mustang is its current form is worthy of celebration.

Who knows what happens for the eighth-generation, it's likely the world will be a very different place by the end of this current product lifecycle in 2030 or ‘31. Ford may be left with no option but to go hybrid or even all-electric by then, so for the next seven years we should appreciate what we have while we have it.