The Plug-In Pony Has Arrived

The Plug-In Pony Has Arrived

When I first heard that Ford was going to give their new electric crossover a Mustang nameplate, I admit I was a little concerned. Not because I didn't think traditional Mustang fans would embrace an electric car, because they will, even if many of them don't believe they will just yet. My concern was that Ford would produce a bit of a half-baked attempt at an EV, then figure the Mustang badge would give it credibility. I guess I should have had more faith, but honestly, from what I've seen from many of the OEMs in regards to electrification, I guess I've just become a little jaded. Well, it turns out my fears were unwarranted. After attending Ford's "Deep Dive" technical workshop, followed by a short but inspiring test ride (nobody was able to actually drive the Mach E as these were pre-production prototypes) I feel comfortable saying that Ford really did their homework.

This isn't version 2 of the Focus Electric, although it almost was. One of the most interesting things I learned at the media event came from Christopher Walter, Exterior Design Manager for the Mustang Mach E. Walter said the Mach E started out as a completely different vehicle. It was originally going to be a compliance EV, built to satisfy corporate fuel standards and ZEV requirements. While it was going to be a crossover that was basically the same size as the Mach E, the shape was different, and so would be the driving dynamics. Then, sometime in the summer of 2017, Ford realized the industry winds were changing, and they really had to get serious with their electrification program. So, Walter said they completely tore up what they were working on and begin an entirely new vehicle, starting with the architecture. Walter said his team quickly came up with three different design themes and presented to management. The theme that was chosen was called "The Future of Emotive Power".

That theme was meant to take the current Mustang, and create what it might look like sometime in the future. The Mustang Mach E was born. Unfortunately, Ford wasn't allowing anyone to drive the Mach-E, we'll have to wait till sometime in 2020 for that experience. There are three driving modes; Whisper, Engage, and Unbridled. As one might expect, Whisper is the most tame mode, Engage offers a little more sportiness to the driving experience, and Unbridled will give the most spirited throttle response and steering feel. We didn't get too much information on exactly what changes in each mode, and I'll follow up with Ford after the launch event to try to get more details. Whisper mode also shuts off the artificial electric motor sound that's pumped into the cabin. The driver can also disable this simulated motor sound from the infotainment system if they prefer not to hear it. One thing I did notice as I scrolled through the driving modes was "Unbridled Mode" wasn't called that on this prototype, it was called "Stampede Mode".

The mists of time seem to have shrouded original price, but Ford built about 11,000 of these Replicas, unusually high for the genre. Mustang was chosen pace car for the 1979 Indy 500. Ford celebrated the honor by running off some 11,000 replica hatchbacks like this. The replicas looked much like the actual pace car but had a flip-up sunroof instead of a T-top. In June 1978, as the 1979 model year was in full swing, Ford set industry tongues a-wagging with word that Lee Iacocca was out of a job after 32 years. Officially, he was taking early retirement (on October 15, his 54th birthday). Ironically, and as Iacocca was careful to note, June 1978 was the biggest single sales month in Ford history, capping a first half that netted the company its largest six-month profit on record. As we know, Iacocca rode off to Chrysler, which he eventually saved from extinction.

Iacocca's successor, Philip Caldwell, was happy to count a strong 369,936 sales for the redesigned Mustang. Though that was slightly less than the Mustang II's first-year total, it bested the company's forecast of 330,000, and represented a startling 92.2-percent jump from model-year '78. Buyers must have liked the new models, because Ford charged a lot more for them. 4824 for the Ghia hatch. For the 1980 Mustang, designers were still concerned with fuel economy. Fuel economy it was still very much a factor when the 1980 Ford Mustang was introduced. Indeed, Ford replaced the Mustang's hallowed 302 V-8 option with a debored 4.2-liter/255-cubic-inch version. Though this seemed an amazingly quick and prescient response to "Energy Crisis II," it had been planned well before. Ford claimed an average 1.2-mpg improvement over the "five-point-oh," but speed freaks groaned at losing 10 horsepower and being forced to take automatic transmission. As usual, there were other sophomore-year tweaks.