Ford's E-SUV will be called Mustang Mach E

Friday, 15 November 2019

Ford's new 'Mustang-inspired' electric SUV will actually be called 'Mustang' - the Ford Mustang Mach E.

Prepare to be outraged diehard Mustang traditionalists: it's official, Ford's 'Mustang-inspired' all-electric SUV crossover will carry the Mustang name as well.

Ford has announced that its upcoming EV will be called the Mustang Mach E when it is introduced by actor Idris Alba next week at a lavish event in Los Angeles.

The reveal will be live streamed on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and orders for the Mustang Mach E will open immediately after the event.

It's official: Ford's EV crossover will be called the Mustang Mach E.

Ford has made no secret of the fact that its upcoming electric vehicle will sport Mustang-inspired styling, but the company kept very quiet about the model's name after a backlash from fans over the initial decision to call it the Mach 1.

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Mach 1 was originally the name of a performance package option offered on the Mustang between 1969 and 1978, with Mustang Mach 1s going on to become highly-prized collector's classics in the decades since. So the idea of an EV - and even more upsetting, an SUV - carrying the hallowed name associated with V8 performance didn't go down well.

We don't expect the decision to actually name it a Mustang to go down much better with the traditionalists either…

But it could pay to get used to the idea, because the Mustang Mach-E could well be the first step in an expansion of the Mustang name to alternate vehicle body styles - after all, it is the only traditional 'car' that Ford is selling in the USA following its decision to can all of its sedans and wagons in favour SUVs and crossovers.

It is also all but confirmed that the traditional two-door Mustang will adopt some sort of electrified powertrain, as a petrol hybrid model is expected to arrive sometime around 2021.

The Mustang Mach E is yet to be confirmed for sale in New Zealand, with the local arm saying 'details for New Zealand, including arrival, spec, pricing and reservations are still to be confirmed.'