Up until now, the Ford Mustang has never been anything but a sports coupé/cabriolet.
Many still don’t want to believe it, but the Mustang has now gone crossover. As if that’s not enough of a shock, this new crossover version of the Mustang is also equipped with an electric powertrain.
“At the first-ever Detroit auto show, Henry Ford said he was working on something that would strike like forked lightning,” said Bill Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company. “That was the Model T. Today, the Ford Motor Company is proud to unveil a car that strikes like forked lightning all over again. The all-new, all-electric, Mustang Mach-E. It’s fast. It’s fun. It’s freedom. For a new generation of Mustang owners.”
The Mustang Mach-E’s design shares a number of design cues with its famous sporty brother, but obviously packaged in a larger, more family friendly body.
It won’t be lacking in the performance stakes. The Mustang Mach-E will be available with standard and extended-range battery options with either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive powered by permanent magnet motors.
Equipped with an extended-range battery and rear-wheel drive, Mustang Mach‑E has a targeted pure-electric driving range of just under 600km, according to the World Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP).
In extended-range all-wheel drive configurations, Mustang Mach-E is targeting 248kW and 565Nm of torque.
Ford also will offer a special performance version. The Mustang Mach-E GT is targeting a 0 to 100km/h acceleration time of less than five seconds, as well as an estimated 342kW and 830Nm of torque.
“The Mustang Mach-E is one of the most exciting vehicles Ford has ever introduced,” said Stuart Rowley, president, Ford of Europe. “This purpose-built all-electric vehicle is unique, but still unmistakably a Mustang, and it’s coming at exactly the right time for customers in Europe.”
Unfortunately, the Mustang Mach-E will not be coming to South Africa.