New Ford Mustang Mach-E EV makes European debut in London

Mustang-inspired electric crossover is Ford's flagship, steering efforts to electrify the brand's entire fleet
Julian Rendell
13 February 2020

Ford has launched its new Mustang Mach-E electric crossover in London as the spearhead of a drive to electrify its UK fleet and, it claims, save European motorists up to £28m a year in fuel costs.

The Mach-E is Ford’s first volume-production battery electric vehicle and the flagship for the launch of 18 mild- and full-hybrid new models scheduled for launch by the end of 2021.

Under the banner “Go Electric”, the Mach-E is appearing on London’s roads near Marble Arch ahead of first UK customer deliveries late this year. Prices are not yet official, but it's estimated to cost from around £42,000, rising to £60,000. Deliveries are scheduled for the autumn.

London was chosen as the starting point for the "Go Electric" roadshow that will tour European capitals this year because it has led the clean-air debate and introduced environment-friendly regulations, like the ULEZ and Congestion Charge, says Ford.

 

The Tesla Model Y rival is the first production car to emerge from Ford’s Team Edison, a 70-strong Detroit group tasked with designing the firm’s next-generation EVs. At launch the range-topping version will produce 332bhp, with a full GT model making around 459bhp due at a later date.

Murat Gueler, Ford’s European design chief, said the aim was to create “something special that stands out from the crowd”, describing the new machine as “an EV with soul”.

The new electric car has taken the Mustang title as the first step in expanding the nameplate into a full model line. The Mach-E moniker is inspired by the Mach 1 variant of the first-gen Mustang.

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The Mach-E UK order book is understood to be “healthy” and buyers who have expressed an interest will be locked into deals this summer with many expected to be on the list for the high-spec First Edition models, limited to 10k units globally.

These include Fiesta, Puma and Focus EcoBoost Hybrid models, plus Kuga, Transit Custom and Tourneo Custom EcoBlue models. Most efficient is the Kuga Plug-In hybrid, claimed to emit 26g/km of CO2 on the outgoing NEDC cycle.

By electrifying its volume-selling Fiesta, Focus and Kuga models, Ford estimates that it could save European motorists around £28m a year in fuel costs. Ford is also promising to open 1000 charging stations at Ford ‘facilities’ across Europe to speed the introduction of plug-ins and BEVs.

“Infrastructure is critical to helping consumers have the confidence to go electric, but we can’t do it on our own,” said Ford Europe president Stuart Rowley.

Ford Mustang Mach-E: design, platform and powertrain

The styling strongly links the EV to the regular Mustang, reflected in features such as the badge and front and rear lights, as well as several lines along the bodywork. Gueler said: “The approach was to put this car in a unique spot: only Ford can do Mustang. In the next few years there will be hundreds of EV nameplates, but with Mustang we can load up with emotion and drama.”

The car lacks conventional door handles, instead featuring buttons that pop open the doors and small holds protruding from the front doors. Owners can use their smartphones as keys, or use a keypad built into the B-pillar.

The Mustang Mach-E sports a more radical interior, with a wide dashboard featuring a Mustang ‘double cowl’ and built-in soundbar. The dash is dominated by a Tesla-style vertically mounted 15.5in touchscreen with a rotary dial fixed onto it using special glue. Many of the car’s systems are controlled through the screen, which uses a new Sync 4 operating system that can accept over-the-air updates. There is also a 10.2in digital cluster for the driver, while the steering wheel retains a number of physical controls.

The Mustang Mach-E sits on a new Ford EV platform called Global Electrified 2, or GE2 – an extensively reworked version of the C2 architecture used for the latest Focus and Kuga. Gueler said designers had input into setting the platform’s dimensions, both to set the wheelbase and to enable the extended bonnet, which is long for an EV but which was considered an iconic Mustang design feature.

The model will initially be launched with two battery pack sizes and three power outputs. The entry-level version will feature a single motor driving the rear wheels, with either a 75kWh battery and 254bhp motor or a 99kWh battery and 285bhp motor. Both produce 307lb ft, with a claimed 0-62mph time of under eight seconds and WLTP range of around 280 and 370 miles respectively.

The twin-motor all-wheel-drive version is offered with a 75kWh battery and 254bhp, or 99kWh and 332bhp. Both versions provide 429lb ft and a sub-seven-second 0-62mph time, with estimated ranges of 260 and 335 miles. Charging is available through an AC home charger or via DC fast chargers at up to 150kW.

The car is 4712mm long, 1881mm wide and 1597mm high, placing it between the Jaguar I-Pace and Mercedes-Benz EQC. Kerb weights range from 1993kg to more than 2218kg, while all models will have a limited top speed of 111mph.

Claimed boot volume is 402 litres, and there’s a 100-litre waterproof front luggage bay.

Ford hasn’t given a full range of performance figures yet, but Team Edison’s Dorit Haas said it was “meant to be like a sports car”. She added: “This is a performance EV. Not just in a straight line, but in terms of handling and agility – the ride is very important.”

The rear-wheel-drive models will sit on 18in wheels, with 19in wheels for all-wheel-drive versions. Twin-motor machines gain adaptive LED headlights and red brake calipers, while limited-edition First Edition models also get a panoramic roof.

The Mustang Mach-E is being built in Mexico and is available to order now and will be sold exclusively online, with first deliveries expected around October next year.

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Comments
24

Tuatara

18 November 2019

Building the car in Mexico is not helping to make America great again

CarNut170

18 November 2019
Tuatara wrote:

Building the car in Mexico is not helping to make America great again

.....there's simply so much wrong with this statement.

Building cars in Mexico is making Ford money. A US company who pay taxes in the US.

And "Making America great again" ... when was it great? By most metrics the peak of America was under Bush Jr or Obama. So take America back to the 90s?

eseaton

13 February 2020
By what metrics?

ThePanelGap

18 November 2019

Why have Ford built a car with not one but two moustaches? Mexican influence maybe?

SamVimes1972

18 November 2019

Heavy Tesla influences inside and out. Reminds me of when Ford told their engineers to build them a Peugeot 205 and they did.

CarNut170

18 November 2019
SamVimes1972 wrote:

Heavy Tesla influences inside and out. Reminds me of when Ford told their engineers to build them a Peugeot 205 and they did.

A Tesla with Ford's build quality you mean? - A vast improvement!

The naming is unfortunate, and that alone disqualifies it for me - but I don't doubt it will be a decent car.

TStag

18 November 2019

Like: the interior space, the range

Hate: the IPad for a dashboard, styling.

would I buy it? At the entry level price point it’s competing with models from Hyundai and Kia which are cheaper. At the top end it’s up against Audi, Jaguar and to the forthcoming Tesla Model Y.

Personally id either go for a Hyundai Ionique and save myself a wad of cash or I’d go for the Jaguar because I just prefer the looks and interior

Peter Cavellini

18 November 2019

 Yes, I think the Mustang looks better because it has more exterior detail, the Tesla Y' is sadly lacking in this department,and detail matters, it's the first thing you notice when you walk up to a car, how it sits on the ground, the color, the body styling, these three criteria matter, performance alone isn't going to sell it,and that applies for all cars.

superstevie

18 November 2019
There's a lot to like. I think it looks interesting, better than anything Tesla. No sure if the lack of door handles, that will irritate very quickly I would imagine.

Also, performance figures don't seem that wow either.

m2srt

18 November 2019
So Ford is following Volvo in trying to cut the dealer out of the equation. Good luck trying to find a cooperative dealer if something goes wrong with it!

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