Ford unveils electric SUV, due next year. At launch the range-topping version will produce 332hp, with a full GT model making around 459hp due at a later date.
18 Nov 2019 | 5264 Views | By James Attwood, Autocar UK
The Mustang Mach-E is Ford's first bespoke electrically powered SUV. It is the first production car to emerge from Ford’s Team Edison, a 70-strong Detroit group tasked with designing the firm’s next-generation EVs. At launch the range-topping version will produce 332hp, with a full GT model making around 45hp due ...
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The Mustang Mach-E is Ford's first bespoke electrically powered SUV. It is the first production car to emerge from Ford’s Team Edison, a 70-strong Detroit group tasked with designing the firm’s next-generation EVs. At launch the range-topping version will produce 332hp, with a full GT model making around 45hp due at a later date.
Murat Gueler, Ford’s European design chief, said the aim was to create “something special that stands out from the crowd”, describing the new machine as “an EV with soul”.
The new electric car has taken the Mustang title as the first step in expanding the nameplate into a full model line. The Mach-E moniker is inspired by the Mach 1 variant of the first-gen Mustang.
The styling strongly links the EV to the regular Mustang, reflected in features such as the badge and front and rear lights, as well as several lines along the bodywork. Gueler said: “The approach was to put this car in a unique spot: only Ford can do Mustang. In the next few years there will be hundreds of EV nameplates, but with Mustang we can load up with emotion and drama.”
The car lacks conventional door handles, instead featuring buttons that pop open the doors and small holds protruding from the front doors. Owners can use their smartphones as keys, or use a keypad built into the B-pillar.
The Mustang Mach-E sports a more radical interior, with a wide dashboard featuring a Mustang ‘double cowl’ and built-in soundbar. The dash is dominated by a Tesla-style vertically mounted 15.5in touchscreen with a rotary dial fixed onto it using special glue. Many of the car’s systems are controlled through the screen, which uses a new Sync 4 operating system that can accept over-the-air updates. There is also a 10.2in digital cluster for the driver, while the steering wheel retains a number of physical controls.
The Mustang Mach-E sits on a new Ford EV platform called Global Electrified 2, or GE2 – an extensively reworked version of the C2 architecture used for the latest Focus and Kuga. Gueler said designers had input into setting the platform’s dimensions, both to set the wheelbase and to enable the extended bonnet, which is long for an EV but which was considered an iconic Mustang design feature.
The model will initially be launched with two battery pack sizes and three power outputs. The entry-level version will feature a single motor driving the rear wheels, with either a 75kWh battery and 254bhp motor or a 99kWh battery and 285bhp motor. Both produce 307lb ft, with a claimed 0-62mph time of under eight seconds and WLTP range of around 280 miles (450 km) and 370 miles (595km) respectively.
The twin-motor all-wheel-drive version is offered with a 75kWh battery and 254hp, or 99kWh and 332hp. Both versions provide 429lb ft and a sub-seven-second 0-62mph time, with estimated ranges of 260 and 335 miles. Charging is available through an AC home charger or via DC fast chargers at up to 150kW.
The car is 4712mm long, 1881mm wide and 1597mm high, placing it between the Jaguar I-Pace and Mercedes-Benz EQC. Kerb weights range from 1993kg to more than 2218kg, while all models will have a limited top speed of 111mph. Claimed boot volume is 402 litres, and there’s a 100-litre waterproof front luggage bay.
Ford hasn’t given a full range of performance figures yet, but Team Edison’s Dorit Haas said it was “meant to be like a sports car”. She added: “This is a performance EV. Not just in a straight line, but in terms of handling and agility – the ride is very important.”
The rear-wheel-drive models will sit on 18in wheels, with 19in wheels for all-wheel-drive versions. Twin-motor machines gain adaptive LED headlights and red brake calipers, while limited-edition First Edition models also get a panoramic roof.
The Mustang Mach-E is being built in Mexico and is available to order now and will be sold exclusively online, with first deliveries expected around October next year. Prices are not yet confirmed but will start at around Rs 37 lakh for the First Edition.