Yesterday, the Blue Oval revealed a new vehicle to the world, that has since received seemingly complex reactions, mostly of amazement and shock. This new model, the Ford Mustang Mach-E, is the company's first mass-produced electric vehicle.
I am hopeful, yet I harbour some fears about Ford's use of the Mustang brand, and the direction that they've chosen, which may set a precedent for how their future stable may look like.
From a business/marketing standpoint, it's practical for Ford to utilise a strong brand name for its foundation, and it may very well drive as a Mustang should.
If you're interested to read the details, then pray skip ahead to the next section. But first, allow an old sailor to tell his tales…
An old tale of two marques.
When I think of the Mach-E, and Ford's approach for the Mustang nameplate, I am reminded of the divergences that Porsche and Mitsubishi once took, and how those paths ended.
Both companies are known amongst petrolheads for their performance cars. Porsche's 911 was, and remains to this day, arguably the world's most popular sports car. It was conceived in the grey industrial heartlands of Germany, still nursing its wounds from the second world war.
Nevertheless, in the early 2000s, Porsche was in dire financial strait, and had spent much of its time, energy, and money to develop a mass-market vehicle, thus being able to sustain its sports car business. The result was the Cayenne, Porsche's first production SUV.
While many enthusiasts were concerned then towards the fate of the venerable 911, these concerns were soon proven unfounded. Porsche's Cayenne saved their business (and created much more), and realised the trend for performance SUVs, far ahead of its competitors.
But most importantly, Porsche had not forsaken their roots. While they've grown since towards creating more utilitarian vehicles, such as SUVs and station wagons, they still manufacture the world's greatest sports cars, and it was the Cayenne's profits that had allowed for it.
Every vehicle that was stamped with the Porsche family emblem needed to drive with performance, and athleticism in mind, as any Porsche would, regardless of its size or shape.
On the contrary, the same success could not be had with Mitsubishi. Their catalogue of excellence is far more varied than Porsche, with Mitsubishi as a brand, making everything from fighter plans to microwave ovens, and banking as well.
Yet, most people remember Mitsubishi for another reason, and that is their prowess towards engineering some of the best performance cars to grace the roads. Most recognizably, was Mitsubishi's three-diamond emblem on the bonnet of their Lancers, racing across the world's roughest and toughest roads.
Their sports cars were innovative and quirky, with some models having reached cult status. Amongst the tuner community, Mitsubishis such as the Starion, Eclipse, and 3000GT (GTO) were famously known, if not for their appearances in video games.
But the peak of their performance cars, was the Lancer, a car so popular there's a chance your grandmother knows of it. Forged on dirt backroads, the Lancer was not a concourse beauty, but was designed to drive through any obstacle as fast as possible. In the world of rallying, it became an icon.
However, even that iconic status seemed apparently unsustainable. The true Lancer ended production years ago, with a successor in sight, albeit in a different form. There have been rumours which indicates a future Lancer to be conceived as a high-riding crossover.
Unlike Porsche, Mitsubishi has managed to cannibalise its heritage in performance and motorsports. Storied names, such as the Eclipse, and soon the Lancer, have become stamped onto bland, uninspiring crossovers.
Ford have stated their intentions for creating Mustang as a separate brand for performance cars (think of Mercedes' AMG, BMW's M Division, and Audi's RS), with the Mach-E as a member of that extended family. Regardless, I am concerned that soon, the Mustang name could be diluted with SUVs and the like.
Sports cars are expensive to manufacture, with a small customer base, and even smaller margins. With a crossover/SUV to take the Mustang nameplate, what's to say that Ford could stop making two-door sports coupes?
A thoroughbred Pony?
Personally, I would be happier if Ford had excluded the Mustang nameplate, and simply referred to it as the Mach-E, maybe even considering the possibility of creating a new model line for its future electric vehicles, as Volkswagen had done with the I.D.
Looking aside the naming, the Mach-E appears to have the characteristics of a good car. While being a practical people-mover, it remains performance oriented, as per the Mustang name. It has rear-, and all-wheel drive, with the latter having a rear-ward balance.
As is the common weakness with electrified powertrains, the Mach-E aims to calm range anxiety by providing a reasonably high driving range of up to 300 miles, higher than most of its competitors, but just shy of a Tesla.
Depending on the model, it ought to have between 255-459 hp, and 306-612 lb-ft of torque.
The exterior design is a peek at the future, and a nod to the past. The sloping fast-back roofline adds sportiness, while keeping head- and luggage-room in check. The front is adorned with a faux grille, proudly showing the famous pony, and the taillights show the Mustang's signature three-vertical bars.
Moving inside, the Mach-E is very contemporary. On the dashboard sits two separate screens - a horizontal 10.2-inch digital cluster, and a 15.5-inch monitor for additional instrumentations. The two screens are soon-to-be powered by Ford's newest Sync system with new programming, to create a smooth and intuitive interface.
The interior's layout is a smart balance between the integration of touch screens, and hard buttons, which would hopefully bring the best of both worlds. Meanwhile, the materials used within the Mach-E have been chosen with sustainability in mind, with vegan leather as an option.
While it may be too early to say, as the Mach-E will not launch until late-2020 (with some models arriving only in 2021), the various aspects of the car as shown, shows good promise.
The most important question for me: is whether the Mach-E will drive like a Mustang should. This is the biggest gamble that Ford has made, as even the (relatively) cheapest and lumpiest Cayenne drives with the balanced posture that is the hallmark of a Porsche 911.
Only time will tell. However, I remain optimistic that Ford has picked their cards right, and the Mach-E will be a smashing success. With that in mind, I dearly hope that Ford would keep the Mustang name, and its legacy alive.
Images sourced from NetCarShow, Giphy, and Ford
Very interesting post about this new car... Ford who uses Mustang to present a new electric VUS, it's a bold move. When you said Mustang, it's the sound of powerful engines that comes first. But with the energy transition, it may be a winning move... wait and see.
@tipu curate
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 10/15 - need recharge?)
I'm glad that you find it interesting :-)
It is indeed a significant gamble on Ford's part, as the Mustang name is one of their most prestigious and recognisable trademarks.
An electric Mustang is the only practical move forward to keep the name alive, but I'm concerned that Ford's decided to put the nameplate on a more mainstream segment of vehicles.
Still, its a wait and see game for now, and hopefully the Mach-E drives and feels as a Mustang should...a hoonigan.
I have no idea why you would want to put the Mustang badge on a SUV, they did the same thing with the Mitsubishi Eclipse, just give it a different name and keep the fast cars in the Mustang box and slow cars in the Ford box, they are confusing people into thinking that this will be a sporty car, very confusing.
I've been geeking out about the Mustang Mach-E. I just wish "SUV" meant it held more than 5 people. I so want to be able to get something like this but with 3 dogs and 2 kids they just need to make something a smidgen longer.
I think we'll have to wait and see for reviews until we decide if it's big enough :-)
I do think that the sloping roofline could make fitting dogs harder in the back, especially if they're of a larger breed.
Agreed, I think I'm just fighting the sad truth that my family is heading towards a minivan future, and that is a future that I'm not prepared for. :)
Anything but a minivan :(
But no worries, there are plenty of good SUVs that can fit up to 7 people... or 5 people and many dogs :-)
The Rivian R1S is the electric SUV that I'm very excited for, coming soon!
Source: CAR Magazine
Hello Hello!
Excellent post, I liked how you made the explanation ♡
Greetings from Venezuela
Thanks for reading, @iamsaray :-)
This was a bit of a difficult one for me to draft, since I had too much to say about it, and the the first version was quite messy. I'm glad it turned out rather well, and I'm happy that you liked the explanation.
Greetings from Malaysia! \ (•◡•) /
Hi zacknorman97,
Visit curiesteem.com or join the Curie Discord community to learn more.
Thank you so much, @curie. Your support and upvotes mean a lot, and further encourages me to write more :-)
Great post !! Especially for those who love the automotive world.
Mustang was a much appreciated model in Venezuela ... even today.
I see it important to visualize the future but in the era in which we live the future can be altered with any economic, political, world event, etc.
I think it's a great bet for Ford and that they will do very well with Mach-E.
A big hello @zacknorman97
And a big hello to you too, @marcybetancourt :-)
The Mach-E is indeed a crucial car for Ford, and the rest of the automotive industry, as we transition to electrified powertrains.
It's definitely a big bet as well, since Ford decided to use the Mustang name. I personally don't have much concerns with Ford using that particular name for other segment of cars, but it's important that the Mach-E pays tribute to the traditional legacy of the Mustang, without being too stuck to the past.
Ford will have to tight rope that balance.
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