the name use of mustang is confusing. It doesn't look like a mustang and a suv rather than a pony car? Who came up with this product pitch?
Equally noted by others is the price point of the original mustang (20k in today's dollars versus $47k for this version?)
Lastly to others ' points, why buy Mexican made with polish batteries when you can buy Tesla American made.
Was hoping for the big blue oval to raise my interest, but it's a fail on multiple levels. Ford is in for a rough ride. Hopefully a F-150 version is executed better.
13
I love my electric Ford focus. The pickup is amazing, the cost is about $11 in electricity every two weeks commuting 40 miles every weekday. In the HOV lane. I put a 240 volt charger in the garage and said goodbye to the gas station and oil changes. We have a BMW as our 2nd car and my husband regularly chooses to drive the focus, it is a pleasure to drive. Cost, $15000 used for a 2016. Test drive an electric car, it can't hurt.
41
Why aren't oil companies putting charging stations in their existing gas stations. That way the business won't be diverted to other companies and they will sell more Cheetos, cigarettes and donuts.
Oh, silly me. When did oil companies ever realise that the world is changing and they aren't part of it. Drill, baby, drill.
43
I have a Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. I can easily get 40-50 mpg's. I can refuel anywhere in a few minutes.
7
I absolutely love and support the New York Times... but how can your automotive writer and photographer address this sort of Quantum leap of the vehicle bearing the Mustang name without including a photograph of its new iteration of the 3 - segment tail light?! That's really the first thing I want to see (and I grew up a Chevy-girl!
8
@David Chan H - Third slide here:
https://www.caranddriver.com/photos/g29814630/2021-ford-mustang-mach-e-photos-info-gallery/
4
No real SUV, which stands for Sports Utility Vehicle, can have the sloping roofline that this car has. That takes the Utility out of the equation.
And no Mustang should ever be marketed as an SUV to begin with. (Nor are Mustang sports cars. They're pony cars.)
14
@Sneeral
It's a Mustang in name only. I just hope it doesn't cheapen the real deal.
8
No wonder that 1964 Mustang sold so many units. The price point was astonishing. The question is what kind of profit did Ford make?
I bought one of Ford's last "electric" experiments, a plug-in Ford Fusion. That was a mistake--Ford abandoned it after three years. Ford is planning on building these in Cuautitlán, Mexico. Using Polish batteries. Why not buy a Tesla made in California, using batteries made in Reno? I wish Ford's Mach E success for converting gas customers to electric, but as far as my own dollars go, my next car is going to be American-made---a Tesla Model 3.
14
Love my electric Ford Focus!
4
Name is BIG MISTAKE!
10
Only way to make it at that price is in Mexico. Ford has to be paying top dollar to LG Chem for chemistry which is in great demand. More margins are given away to the battery packer.
Tesla advantages:
First to market
Battery supply locked
Software
Charging
Retention of value
9
Absolutely a step in the right direction no matter the name. There needs to be a concerted effort by the Federal government and the states as well as the automakers to build ample charging stations and to increase the mileage ability of EV's; that is the next step.
7
This is actually less heretical than using the name on the Mustang II!
9
It's only a mustang if you call it that in reverse.
It's a Gnats-Um l
And an ugly gnats - um to boot.
2
The problem is that there is a large Mustang subculture out there, and those purist fans will NOT like this SUV being called a Mustang. Ford marketing made a huge mistake.
15
Tesla has sold cars and an SUV superior to this in range and acceleration for over 5 years. And they have established a supercharger network that makes long trips easy. The cars are also made in the USA. Most important, Tesla really believes in electric cars and is driven by the vision of a pollution-free future.
Until the other car companies acquire such vision and belief, they will not convince buyers to trust them
18
@Eric and yet, Tesla Supercharging Stations are not compatible with other electric vehicles, so one would question whether Tesla is dedicated to electric vehicles — or to Tesla.
16
@Eric - from another article about this new car:
"Ford has deal with Electrify America and others for a national network that includes over 12,000 charging stations and 35,000 plugs, so EV owners can go on longer trips.
The company also will have 2,100 of its U.S. dealerships certified to service electric vehicles."
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-ford-mustang-mach-e-suv-20191118-ar7k2ckmkbaoffjf4f5wrr22n4-story.html
The article also mentions Ford plans 6 battery-powered cars by 2022. Seeing's believing, but too many EVs are being sold for any serious car company to not see the writing on the wall.
8
EVs are here but states have been slow to add charging stations near every gas station. What are they waiting for?
6
Much as I think that we need to get away from big SUVs, I have to admit that I'd like a compact hybrid one, but only if it gets mileage comparable to my 2016 Corolla, which averages 43 mph on the highway and 34+ around town. I haven't seen any gas-powered SUVs that get that kind of mileage.
4
@Barbara Kia Niro?
3
I remember the dismay from sports car purists when Porsche introduced its first SUV model. Now its TWO best selling models in the U.S. are four-door SUVs.
15
How can they call this an SUV? It's a large sedan. With such a sloped back, you are subtracting one of the most important "utility" characteristics of an SUV - cargo space. Sport, yes. Vehicle, yes. Utility, no.
8
@Mike
250 miles is quickly becoming the new standard, even for the less expensive EVs.
I hear there are electric cars that can go 200 miles on a full charge. For most people that works. Now we just need charging stations with more availabilty for drivers.
2
@frank monaco
250 miles is quickly becoming the new standard, even for the less expensive EVs.
2
This is a very small step in the right direction. We must realize however that unless we completely overhaul how we live on Earth and how many of us do it our civilization will come to an end. We need to stop building roads and high rise buildings. We need to quit driving day in and day out. We need to stop spending vast amounts of the wealth of Earth on military and other means of killing. We must learn to see where we are headed and how to turn away from our foolish pursuits toward real life on real Earth.
We must develop the humility to recognize that Earth created us and therefore we belong to Earth and not the other way around.
28
I realize I am in the minority, but what I want in a car is
1 Fewer cars, more mass transit
2 if a car is really needed, my priorities are MPG and reliability
3 as someone who likes his reliable, cheap camry, I am sick and tired of know it alls who say the camry is boring
who made these "experts" god to say what I and many many others should or should not like ?
the gall
5
They have the data that tells them what sells. They aren't telling you what you like; consumers are telling them. In contrast, you have a single anecdotal data point...
10
I'm 100% behind Ford's effort to make an affordable e-car. It has some interesting lines, and kind of a bumblebee look about it. But, as a car guy, I have to say - this is not a Mustang. Ford is using a valuable brand and slapping it on a car that does not match the image. This car looks like an SUV from the back, and is overly rounded in the front. It barely shares any design cues from a current Mustang. Good idea. wrong brand.
15
@Steve
They have a history of taking a popular name and badging anything in hopes it will carry in some additional sales.
They did this in the 80's when they took their T-Birds & Cougars and rebranded the names of the LTD II's and Montegos.
Then the cancelled the popular Taurus in favor of the "Five-Hundred". Two years later the Taurus was back in the Five-Hundred's skin.
Again when they tried relaunching the Cougar & T'Birds in the later 2000's with small, trouble prone and poorly designed models.
They all went under with hardly a fight and in "fishing" for clients by expanding the model line in spite of the new model flying in the face (and concept) of the original line.
Not sure how a true Mustang fan (even of the recent high performance Bullitt promotion) will appreciate this SUV version.
6
Maybe I'm missing something but it looks like a super-sized Tesla. Oh, and it's ugly to boot. But as they say, imitation is the best form of flattery. Tesla has finally entered the mainstream.
11
Purchasing a gas car now is like buying a CRT television after the year 2000. You'll just be back in a year or two to get the obviously superior technology, which you failed to see the first time around.
12
@Frank Scully
Except that 200 mile range is a deal breaker if it's your only car. When they get to 500 miles and 30 minute charging things will change rapidly. Battery technology is headed that way but it's not there yet.
12
If it takes selling small SUVs to get the carmakers excited about selling electric cars, I'm for small SUVs that are electric.
If it takes pickups and SUVs to attract American buyers to electric vehicles, three cheers for electric F-150s, three cheers for an EV pickup truck company (Workhorse) buying GM's Lordstown, Ohio plant, three cheers for another EV pickup/SUV maker (Rivian) buying a closed Mitsubishi plant in Normal, IL. Trump likes pretending he's creating jobs. These companies are creating jobs where skilled workers were let go.
The article says it's a time of cheap gas, but note that in every state in the country, you would still be spending far less if you were filling up on electrons rather than flammable liquids. Here's a page from the Department of Energy, with prices updated today, showing that the national average for gallon of gas vs "gallon" of volts:
$2.62 gallon
$1.21 equivalent charge in an electric vehicle
https://www.energy.gov/articles/egallon-how-much-cheaper-it-drive-electricity
The link above also lets you compare in your own state. Electric is cheaper everywhere, now.
Koch-funded groups will also pretend there's more pollution, because they hate what EVs will do to their tar-sands investment. Also not true. Again, check your own state here:
https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/electric_emissions.html
9
THAT is NOT a Mustang!
This reminds me of the mess Ford made of the Mustang in the 1980s.
17
HaHa. This bloated "Mustang" SUV bears no relation to the original car except the name badge. You really think you can fool the buying public with this plan Ford? Just retire the name, along with your misguided strategy to abandon building automobiles.
4
As a former Mustang GT owner and a current Tesla Model S owner, this is great to see! Going from an internal combustion, 6 speed manual transmission V8 to an electric (with AutoPilot!) made me realize how...superior....EVs are at delivering immediate, exciting acceleration, interior space utilization, innovative features, and cool, futuristic instrument panels. Coupled with zero tailpipe emissions, and this is the future. The 'car guy' in me is giddy every time I go for a drive, and I'm glad to see Ford move in this direction. Oh, and it's nice to see another sexy looking EV in the market!
22
An Electric, SUV Mustang? The Apocalypse is upon us.
7
@michaelscody -- Electric Ford F-150 is around the corner. Then the Apocalypse can power a winch without having to buy more battery.
2
@b fagan The Mach E, however, is the fifth horseman.
1
The world needs another boring SUV like it needs another asteroid smashing into it.
At least Corvette's chief engineer said on Jay Leno's Garage last night (11-17-2019) that a SUV Corvette is not in the cards.
6
Hey Ford, Mazda called. They want their hatch back.
12
Wow, that is a really ugly car. It looks like a Mazda crossed with a Pacer
4
Please call this abomination something else. To call it a "Mustang" is tantamount to blasphemy. How about evoking that most horrible Mustang II and call this a Mustang III?
4
Some people are thinking that electric cars will somehow save us from spoiling the environment.
We'll, where is the electricity for these cars coming from? From inefficient power plants that burn mostly fossil fuels.
So what's the difference between the pollutants emitted by us personally and those emitted by power plants. In regard to efficiency, our own Con Ed loses 60% of the electricity which it generates before it is delivered to the customer. Gas cars do better than that.
5
@MIKEinNYC Electricity generation is regionalized.
If you live near NYC, sure, it can be dirty. In Washington, most of our power is generated by dams. Those have their own environmental concerns but emissions aren't one of them!
There are other places than New York ;)
11
@MIKEinNYC - this is the second time you've lied about efficiency in gas cars.
Where the Energy Goes: Gasoline Vehicles. Only about 12%–30% of the energy from the fuel you put in a conventional vehicle is used to move it down the road, depending on the drive cycle. The rest of the energy is lost to engine and driveline inefficiencies or used to power accessories.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/atv.shtml
That doesn't include the energy needed to drill wells, make cement and steel pipe for wells, transport same, mine sand if fracking, transport sand, process produced water and fracking fluids, build pipeline to connect to refineries, refine gasoline, transport to retail locations, allow for evaporation.
Koch Industries is funding a lot of misinformation about EVs. Probably because they don't want people buying simpler vehicles, that cost less to own, are more efficient and pollute less.
And I'll post it again - comparison of fueled car emissions to those from fully-electric, plug-in hybrids and hybrids. Any car that isn't gas powered has lower total emissions, and that's in every state in the nation.
https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/electric_emissions.html
Most states don't use nearly as much coal as you imply, either. Don't take my word for it, the link above details the mix for electricity for each state.
32
People are complaining about price. It's very likely the electric car will cost much less long term, like your fridge. Minimal maintenance, and a very long life.
11
Ford, please call it something else.
8
Dumb move to stop offering smaller cars
8
I'll consider this.
Ford sided with California, not the current Administration*, on mpg targets.
Toyota sided with Trump. I will not consider another Toyota.
I live in a rural, remote place where Teslas are not sold or serviced. Ford is, though, and this may be the perfect time for this car.
56
Car companies, especially American at companies are not serious about addressing climate change. They just meet minimum standards while the world burns.
Governments need to get serious and just flat out ban internal combustion engines. We’re in a crisis here- and it’s ALREADY too late. But we have to do something to minimize the fall out. Don’t these car company executives have children and/or grandchildren?
6
The features of the Tesla models put them light years ahead of the others. The infrastructure of charging stations cements that lead. When I buy another car, it will be a Tesla.
7
Why? Is nothing sacred? The namesake should only be associated with the sports car...
14
I once heard a Ford exec say that to them, Mustang is its own car line, like Lincoln, like Buick, like Dodge. Notice how the Mustang does not wear any blue oval Ford badges.
So it seems to me now that what we have here is Mustang the car line and the Mach E, a car offered in the Mustang car line. In effect, Mustang is the new Mercury.
6
@MIKEinNYC, too bad all Ford execs are not together on that idea. I remember the first Mustangs, as I also remember the first Thunderbirds. The company was unable to maintain purity with either.
The T-bird morphed into a four door sedan before it was finally killed. The Mustang name became a reference point for futility - remember the "Mustang II? - and was nearly applied to the Japanese-made Probe model. Fortunately Iacocca prevented this stupidity and brought the Mustang back from the dead.
Seems to me that Ford's biggest enemy has always been its own marketing group.
6
It looks about as much like a Mustang as does, ah lets see . . . my coffee mug.
It looks a bit like a cross between a Model X and a Model Y. But that might be better than trying to make an SUV actually look like a Mustang.
But I shouldn't carp. Any move Ford makes towards battery electrics and getting away from their total reliance on always-bigger gas burning SUVs and pickups should be encouraged.
27
Congratulations for Ford for providing an electric SUV under teh Mutang brand. I hope this move expands the appeal of electric vehicles. Even with the tax breaks, it's still too expensive for many middle class families to afford.
Personally, I like the hybrid models (Prius Prime ) as they are more reassuring to drivers that they won't run out of "fuel".
Still, bravo and thank you.
9
...the price points are unrealistically prohibitive even with the $7500 tax credit...where is the affordable practical ev?...the leaf & the Hyundai kona are still out of reach for many many people who would like to consider an ev but just cant afford one...the world appears to have gone suv crazy yet when that's the only "choice" lack-luster sales should not be a surprise...an ev with an out-the-door price of $25000 would rock the marketplace...
5
@elliott - I never bought a new car in the years I owned cars. My second car was a used Chevy with the 350 engine - I bought it just before the second oil embargo when gas prices shot up. Never bought a big car again.
But people lease cars, people who are frugal buy used rather than take the day 1 hit when the car rolls off the lot. So look online for prices on 2018 EVs. I looked and saw them for prices starting a bit below $20K and ranging up.
So get a one-year-old car and smile every time you drive past a gas station. Even with gas prices fairly low today, you'll be spending less for an electricity fill up in any state in the country. Also no emissions checks, no catalytic converter to get stolen, no oil change, far less worries about power train issues.....
5
Hmmm...
An SUV? We used to call cars like that hatchbacks. And that tablet stuck on the dashboard? A design disaster. Maybe there’s still time to fix that.
4
@Granny Franny Tesla model 3 goes even further. Once you get used to it, it works. (Change is always resisted, even when it is beneficial.)
6
@Granny Franny
Agreed! Also, I know N. America luvs their trucks/SUV's, but.....pls, pls, this is NOT a Mustang!! Surprised they hijacked their own brand. Mustang owners of the past and current, I feel your pain.....
5
Too late. I mean too late to stop anything. The worst parts of climate change are coming and nothing will stop it. The car companies have collectively worked to limit the success of electric vehicles. Everything they have done in that respect is just a PR program. They will never produce enough to make a difference, only enough so they can pretend they tried.
With the low production numbers they will keep the price high and they can pretend that the technology is just too expensive.
If the high price doesn't stop you, the ugly looks will.
1
While I applaud Ford's foray into electric automotive transportation, I have to question its choice of branding. Mustang? That's not a Mustang.
19
I have newfound respect for Ford and Honda after hearing they chose to uphold California’s tailpipe emissions standards, unlike their competitors GM, Toyota, and Fiat-Chrysler who shortsightedly supported the Trump Administration’s opposition to the standards. This is another pleasant demonstration of Ford’s commitment to bring an environmentally ethical automaker.
103
I was seriously to purchase a Toyota 3 weeks back. then Suburu. put a stop on each because of their stance.
waiting for Ford's 2020 Escape.
12
All the automakers need to work on an a smaller version of electric pickups. Not a $70,000 version. An all electric delivery/work van. Probably be out very soon. From a foreign owned if not produced company.
7
@Just Me - Rivian, which will be starting with luxury electric SUVs and pickups in the former Mitsubishi plant they bought here in Illinois, has picked up a $500 million investment from Ford.
Ford's interested in what's being called the skateboard - essentially all the powertrain, chassis, steering, wheels etc. upon which a variety of bodies can be fitted for different markets. Note that Ford made that investment around the same time they cut staff in their middle-level ranks, in areas related to gas-car power trains.
Amazon invested $750 million and has placed an order for 100,000 all-electric delivery vehicles. I didn't mess up the zeroes, they want one hundred thousand electric delivery vehicles from Rivian.
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/amazon-rivian-electric-van-delivery-bezos-2021/
Good news for the skilled autoworkers in Normal, IL, who'd lost jobs when Mitsubishi closed the plant.
4
I'm an early adopter of electric cars having bought one of the first Nissan Leafs in 2011 and driving EVs for over eight years. My experience with the Leaf has been superb, I've never had a problem. The technologies for EVs are easily accessible to Ford and the specifications announced yesterday were quite impressive. The Mach-E looks very competitive against the model 3. There are many exciting electric vehicles coming in the next few years from the German manufacturers, good for Ford in taking an aggressive step into this market!
59
@Steve Morris
The problem is that the old batteries in the Leaf - pre-lithium - lose power over time. That's why their resale value is so cheap.
1
When PG&E shuts off electric power for up to six days in Northern California because of wildfires, where do Tesla drivers charge up? If there was an emergency evacuation and their Tesla needed a full charge, how do they evacuate?
4
@Sal gas station pumps also run on electricity.
38
@Sal
I have solar panels and a large battery to charge mine.
33
@Sal - a hundred years ago, you could have said the same about those newfangled horseless carriages.
Except for the strawman argument "an emergency evacuation and their Telsa needed a full charge". Which wildfires have been hundreds of miles in diameter, with people trying to drive their way out?
PS - anyone living in wildfire areas, in wildfire season, regardless of how they power their vehicle, should make it a point to stay topped up.
10
Ford needs to work harder on it's price points. When you can buy a Chevy Corvette cheaper than a Ford Explorer ST, there seems to be an off-tilt reality somehow....
5
Sad to see a car company abandon practical cars like the Focus. Mine fits like a glove, has no major problems in 78,000 miles and gets 34 miles to the gallon. I was looking forward to an electric model but will now have to look somewhere other than at my Ford dealer. Are there any single person commuter cars being produced?
6
@Folksy
It's really a case of buyers abandoning sedans which sell so poorly that auto makers are phasing them out.
Sedans have little utility beyond moving people, but when you add in all the things people haul around with them these days then SUVs are the best choice. At the parking lot in our 55+ community SUVs massively predominate as the new "station wagon" for suburban life.
3
@Folksy Always looked at the Focus with envy. Nicest small car design of the last couple decades IMO. Just wish they had made a great hybrid version and then a battery EV.
2
@Mike I see many sedans on the road created by Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mazda, Hyundai, etc. Why is it only American companies are abandoning that part of the market? I suspect “higher profit margins on trucks and SUVs” is a major factor.
7