It is, without a doubt, one of the worst-kept secrets in recent times, but just in case you hadn’t heard the news, Ford plans to call the long-range, “Mustang-inspired,” all-electric SUV set to debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show next week the … wait for it … Mustang Mach-E. And, if sources are accurate, a Mustang Mach-E GT just might be coming, as well.
Ford has been giving the battery-ute quite a build-up ahead of its official debut next week, and for good reason. The automaker plans to invest about $11.5 billion in its EV program through 2022, and the Mach-E will be its first serious entry, a big jump from the first-generation battery-electric vehicles, like the Ford Focus EV. It’s betting that the SUV will pose a serious threat to Tesla’s upcoming Model Y, in fact.
The Detroit automaker wants to get a jump on the California-based rival, with a special reservation site it plans to open on Nov. 17, the same day it plans to formally debut the Mustang Mach-E. The special Sunday event, if anything, will come days ahead of a blitz of new products scheduled for the annual L.A. Auto Show.
(Ford teases coming Mustang-inspired SUV with video)
Those in the U.S., Canada and Europe interested in getting on line will be able to plunk down a $500 refundable reservation, says Ford, for a limited-volume First Edition Mach-E, details to come at next Sunday’s news event. The reservation website for China, according to Ford, “will be announced at a later date.”
While we won’t get much more out of the Detroit carmaker until then, a number of other details have begun leaking out.
Among other things, it appears, there will be more than one battery pack available for the new battery-SUV, including an “extended” range version that can deliver more than 300 miles. It also appears that the new crossover will be available with both rear- and all-wheel-drive options. One of the AWD drive models is expected to be the high-performance GT.
Some of that came out inadvertently when Electrify America, the public charging company that is partnering with Ford to offer access to more than 10,000 chargers across the U.S., apparently added some material to a news release that wasn’t supposed to go out.
(Key Details About Ford’s “Mustang-Inspired” SUV Leak Out)
“Ford will be releasing it’s all-new, Mustang-inspired electric SUV, that has a targeted EPA-estimated range of 300 miles with an extended battery and real-wheel-drive, in late 2020,” the release noted, adding that, “The vehicle’s 150kW charging ability will allow very quick charging speeds on Electrify America’s 150 to 350 kW network. Ford estimates that it’s all-new, all-electric Mustang-inspired SUV will be capable to charge up to 47 miles in 10 minutes using Electrify America’s DC fast chargers, providing peace of mind for customers to be able to charge in minutes, not hours.”
The fact that Ford was aiming for something north of 300 miles is not a surprise. A company official earlier this year had hinted at a number as high as 315 miles per charge during an industry conference, noted Anton Wahlman, an analyst specializing in the electric vehicle market.
But this marks the first time that it has been revealed Ford will pick up a page from the Tesla playbook, offering both a standard battery pack and, at the least, an extended-range option, as well. We’ll likely have to wait until the L.A. unveiling to hear what the base version of the electric ute will offer.
As for performance, with the Ford entry soon to be challenged by the upcoming Tesla Model Y, it will need to be quick to be taken seriously, something that is expected to mean a 0-60 sprint in the low to mid-3 second range.
When it comes to pricing, it likely also will target the Model Y, so that base version could come in somewhere in the very low $40,000 range, though the long-range, high-performance package would run somewhere up into $60,000 territory.
(Ford Releases First Images of “Mustang-Inspired” All-Electric SUV)
We won’t have to wait long to fill in the gaps. So, check back with TheDetroitBureau.com on Sunday evening.
