Ford Explains Why The Mustang High Performance Package Isn’t Called ‘SVO’

In the lead-up to the new 2020 Ford Mustang EcoBoost High Performance Package launch, there had been talk about it being dubbed the ‘SVO’. That wasn’t meant to be.

The guys over at Muscle Cars and Trucks recently had the opportunity to interview Ford Mustang director Jim Owens and asked him why the new pony car isn’t the ‘SVO.’

“SVO was an engineering organization… SVE, SVO, SVT – those were all engineering entities that actually did the work,” Owens said. “The High Performance Package was the base Mustang team working weekends at the Arizona Proving Grounds, taking the engine out of a Ford Focus RS and putting it into a Mustang.”

Also Read: 2020 Ford Mustang EcoBoost High Performance Eyes Camaro 1LE With Focus RS Engine, GT Upgrades

Ford’s reorganization of the SVT led to the creation of Ford Performance and because the ‘SVO’ organization no longer exists, it wouldn’t have made sense for the carmaker to label a new Mustang model the ‘SVO’.

The Ford Mustang EcoBoost High Performance Package was introduced at the New York Auto Show earlier this year. The car uses a de-tuned version of the Focus RS’s 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and pumps out a total of 330 hp and 350 lb-ft (475 Nm) of torque, an impressive 20 hp jump on the standard Mustang EcoBoost. Ford says the car accelerates to 60 mph (96 km/h) in the mid-four-second range while the top speed sits at 155 mph (250 km/h).

The original Mustang SVO is fondly remembered for out-powering the V8-powered Mustang models of the day, despite only using a 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. Watering down the ‘SVO’ badge for use on a new EcoBoost variant well down on the current Mustang GT’s performance could have been rather short-sighted of Ford.