Ford鈥檚 New Mustang-Themed Electric SUV To Be Called The Mach-E

Ford鈥檚 New Mustang-Themed Electric SUV To Be Called The Mach-E

Ford鈥檚 long-rumored SUV with a Mustang-themed name will get exactly that. Witness the Mustang Mach-E, an all-electric SUV that鈥檚 likely to share styling cues but not underlying architecture with the current sports car. That aligns with Ford鈥檚 announcement last year that it would adopt five global platforms moving forward: a truck-based platform, three car-based platforms and a battery-electric platform. In case it wasn鈥檛 already obvious: The Mustang Mach-E employs the last one. It also carries a name, Mach-E, heretofore unused by Ford in relation to any Mustang. The Mustang Mach-E debuts Sunday in Los Angeles, just before things kick off for the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show. At approximately 6:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, Ford will open online reservations for the Mach-E. 500 deposit, and you鈥檒l be able to finalize your configuration when the ordering window opens 鈥渘ext year,鈥?Ford says. 7,500 federal plug-in vehicle tax credit, and Ford has plenty of runway before it reaches the federal cap 鈥?200,000 cumulative sales per automaker for all plug-in cars 鈥?before that credit runs out. Stay tuned for more coverage next week. Cars.com鈥檚 Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com鈥檚 long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don鈥檛 accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com鈥檚 advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.

It's a bold move that could help the automaker catch up with competitors that already have electric vehicles on the road. An EV SUV is always a smart move in the US and calling it a Mustang? Just a bit of icing on the cake. There may be a purist backlash, but for the average person looking for an EV that's from an automaker they trust, the Mach-E will pique their interest. Ford seems to have a version of the Mach-E for every type of driver. 60,500) showing up on the road first. The cars will be available all-wheel or rear-wheel drive depending on the trim level and options available. Rear-wheel-drive versions will have a single electric motor while the all-wheel-drive versions will ship with two power plants. The torque and horsepower will also vary from 255 horsepower and 306 pounds-foot of torque all the way up to 459 horsepower and 612 pounds-foot on the quick GT level that'll do zero to 60 in under four seconds.

The battery packs available on the regular models will be rated for 75.7kWh, with the extended range getting a 98.8kWh pack. In addition to all the tech under the hood, the interior will sport the next-generation Sync 4 infotainment system (which was unveiled a few weeks ago) looks way better than the current generation Sync. It'll include the FordPass charging network feature that shows available chargers in the nav and along a route. In the car, there is a large portrait display, sort of like a Model S. At the bottom of the display is a single knob for control. Of course, it also supports touch and it can answer conversational requests via "OK Ford." The company took a quick swipe at Tesla when it noted that it also has a dash cluster display. The Mach-E supports over-the-air updates and has a phone as a key feature that works via Bluetooth and Ford also announced a future update will bring hands-free driving to the Mach-E. Ford famously announced it would stop selling cars in the United States except for the Mustang which continues to be a hit for the automaker. Instead, it's decided to focus on SUVs and trucks. It's a business decision that mirrors the country's desire to drive larger vehicles. The result is Ford's first big EV -- an SUV with a Mustang badge.

The Mach 1 returned in 2003 as a high performance version of the Mustang. The Mach 1 was discontinued again after the 2004 model year as the SN-95 platform was replaced by the newer S197 platform for the 2005 model year. The name "mach 1" as used by Ford was originally introduced in 1959 on a concept "Levacar" originally shown in the Ford Rotunda. This concept "vehicle" utilized a cushion of air as propulsion on a circular dais. This concept vehicle was orange and white. The Ford Mustang was introduced in 1964 as a sporty "pony car" to attract younger buyers into Ford products. After only a few short years of development, Ford saw the need to create performance Mustangs to compete with GM and their release of the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird. The new Mustang chassis, the last of the 1st generation models, allowed for larger engines than previous generations and could fit even the monstrous 429 for Ford's planned homologation of the engine for NASCAR competition.