Ford Is Finally Getting Serious About Making Electric Cars

Ford Is Finally Getting Serious About Making Electric Cars

A Mustang and an Explorer wheel into a Detroit factory. This is not, tragically, the beginning of a joke. Rather, it鈥檚 a new (and weirdly 鈥?0s themed?) Ford promo video. The name is borrowed from the performance-oriented Mustang Mach 1, which hit the road five decades ago. Now the carmaker will trade on that name to launch itself deep in the 21st century, and challenge crosstown rival General Motors on an emerging frontline: electric driving. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the beginning of a whole new world for our customers, and electrifying the best of Ford,鈥?Jim Farley, who heads up the carmaker鈥檚 global markets effort, said on stage at the North American International Auto Show. The Detroit car caucus, the biggest of its kind in the country, is the place where the big US automakers like to trumpet their big plans and ambitions. 4.5 billion on EVs by 2020; now it鈥檚 nearly doubling that commitment. When it comes to electrifying announcements, Ford is playing catchup. In October, GM announced it would roll out 20 fully electric models by 2023, and eventually ditch fossil fuels altogether.

Volvo will debut five battery electrics between 2019 and 2021, and stop designing cars without batteries next year. Jaguar Land Rover makes zero electric cars right now, but says every new model it produces from 2020 onward will come in an electric or hybrid variety. Nissan, one of the earliest electric proponents, just announced Infiniti will launch its first EV in 2021, and says half of the luxury brand's 2025 global sales will be electrified. Right now, Ford makes a grand total of one fully electric car, a variant of the Focus that offers just over 100 miles of range鈥攆ar short of the long-legged models from GM and Tesla. And while it has done plenty of talking about the future, this is the first time Ford has made a detailed public commitment to building EVs. It鈥檚 no mistake that Farley, Ford鈥檚 global head, presided over the Mach 1鈥檚 "debut" this week. The gold rush on electric is all about the international market.

Meanwhile, the European Union will implement more aggressive CO2 emissions limits in 2020. France and the UK plan to ban the sale of nonelectric cars by 2040. On the domestic front, California is mulling the same move. Whatever the Left Coast does, US customer enthusiasm definitely is not powering these electric dreams. According to the website InsideEVs, Americans bought just under 200,000 plug-in electric vehicles in 2017. That鈥檚 up 25 percent over 2016, but still a pittance in a market that moves 17 million cars a year. So no wonder that, in Detroit, Ford also showed off a restocked stable of musclebound steeds. The limited-edition Mustang Bullitt will emerge this summer with a 5.0-liter V8 engine, good for 475 horsepower and a top speed of 163 mph. And the carmaker introduced the 2019 Ford Ranger, a midsize truck for the off-roading set. Electric is coming, but in the meantime: Fill 鈥檈r up, 鈥楳erica!

One of these modifications results in a model known as the Shelby GT/SC (Supercharged). A large number of add-ons could be had including the "Super Snake" brakes, as well as larger wheels and tires which were necessary to accommodate these brakes. H.P.. These include the Ford Racing Whipple and the rare Paxton superchargers. Superchargers were limited because the 4.6 engine did not have forged internal crankshaft and pistons. The Terlingua is a V6 Ford Mustang fitted with a Racing Team package that includes performance enhancements and modified cosmetic details by Shelby. The package is applied by Shelby Automobiles in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Terlingua features improvements to the handling with Ford Racing components, and improved braking capabilities that included Baer brakes. The optional supercharger was a Paxton/Vortech blower in either polished or raw. Cragar wheels, and more. For the exterior, Shelby installed a new front fascia, front splitter, functional hood scoop, functional brake cooling ducts, tail light trim, rear deck lid filler panel, and a rear fascia with center exhaust exit.