Though production was pushed back slightly due to the coronavirus pandemic, Ford still expects to start rolling the first Mustang Mach-E battery-electric SUVs into showrooms before the end of the year. The Detroit automaker is not only opening up the order banks but has announced that all versions of the Mach-E will get a boost in performance from what it had originally announced.
The extended-range all-wheel-drive model, for example, will now be rated at 346 horsepower and 428 pound-feet of torque, up from the previously announced figures of 332 hp and 417 lb-ft. It is now expected to be able to hit 60 in the mid-5-second range.
“We remain dedicated to delivering on the promise of the Mustang name,” Ron Heiser, the Mustang Mach-E chief program engineer, said in a statement. “These better-than-estimated performance figures show that our team is squeezing every last bit of performance out of this vehicle so that it not only delivers Mustang style but Mustang soul as well.”
(Ford Mustang Mach-E first edition sold out.)
Unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show last November, the Ford Mustang Mach-E is set to become the automaker’s first long-range battery-electric vehicle. It will be offered in a number of different configurations, Ford lifting a page from the Tesla playbook. These will include front- and all-wheel-drive models, the high-performance Mach-E GT, and various battery-pack options.
While range has not officially been rated by the EPA, Ford last autumn indicated it expected the base model to deliver about 210 miles per charge, with the longest-range, rear-drive version reaching and, perhaps, exceeding 300 miles.
While final EPA numbers won’t be available until closer to the Mach-E’s first deliveries, the latest update from Ford appears to formalize performance numbers which, as TheDetroitBureau.com previously reported, were expected to rise from the figures first released last November.
(Reservations for Mach-E reach into every state.)
The extended-range AWD model gets the biggest bump, but all versions of the Mach-E score some increase in performance, according to Ford:
- The extended-range rear-wheel-drive package now is rated at 290 hp and 317 lb-ft, up from 282 and 306, respectively;
- The standard-range AWD model will now make 266 hp and 428 lb-ft, up from 255 and 417;
- The standard-range RWD model will make 266 hp and 317 lb-ft, up from 255 and 306.
Ford did not release performance details on the Mustang Mach-E GT, something that likely reflects the fact that this version won’t be released until late next summer. It was initially rated at 459 hp and 612 lb-ft of torque and, even if those numbers hold, is expected to yield 0-60 times in the mid-3-second range, while delivering an estimated 250 miles per charge.
(Ford reduces charging time for Mustang Mach-E by as much as 30 percent.)
For now, potential buyers can configure and order the Select, Premium and California Route 1 trim levels of the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E. Pricing is set to start at $44,995 – including $1,100 for delivery – for the Select standard-range model in RWD configuration. That doesn’t include the $7,500 federal tax credit the Mach-E will qualify for.
