Why Ford Needed the GT Power for Mustang Mach-E

Ordering opens this week for the 2021 Mustang Mach-E GT, a high-performance, 480 horsepower option Ford once hesitated on including. 

News broke recently that ordering for the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT variants will start this week. In a letter to dealers, Ford announced that price guides on will be announced on April 26; and reservation-holding customers will be able to place their orders on April 28. It was no surprise that the GT package is arriving a little ahead of schedule. As we have learned, when it comes to the 2021 Mustang Mach-E, Ford was driven. They needed to deliver an EV that felt like a natural extension of the Mustang. So with that lofty goal, the Mustang Mach-E crew had to make and break the rules along the way.

For the Mustang Mach-E to connect with drivers Ford needed to go all in on power regardless of its source was gasoline or electricity. And certainly the GT badge is synonymous with Mustang performance at its most stellar and extreme.

For 2021, the Mach-E will have two GT badges in the line-up, the GT and the GT Performance Edition, which will come out this summer. Both run on a dual motor and eAWD, and a host impressive upgrades. The GT lays down 480 horsepower and 600 lb.-ft. of torque, while the Performance Edition GT ups that to 634 lb.-ft. of torque. Both get an impressive 250 miles of range. Mach-E’s base GT rips through 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds, and the GT Performance Edition in just 3.5 seconds.

Although, we learned this week that Ford hadn’t intended to include the big, bad GT from the start. But the team behind the Mach-E knew that this car needed to earn its nameplate with performance.

“We knew we needed to go further, so that’s why we went for the GT,” says Darren Palmer. Palmer, global director of Battery Electric Vehicles Product Development for Ford, recently told Muscle Cars and Trucks. Palmer was well aware that an electric Mustang was going to be polarizing, and they anticipated it would require patience. He thinks if drivers get behind the wheel, they’ll get behind the Mach-E, so to speak.

And if you want the best Mustang performance, you want a GT. Rather than wait a few years to include the GT options, Ford decided to take the risk.

“So GT wasn’t originally in the plans, but when we saw what it could be we added it,” he says. “And so the GT is launching soon and that brings it to another level. The performance on that thing, the acceleration, it’s like almost nothing we’ve ever sold. It’s going to really change people’s impression.”

Of course, one question that has been asked through the entire process is: Can an EV ever meet Mustang levels of performance? We’ve road tested the Mach-E; we think Palmer is correct on some aspects, and less so in others. We definitely agree that the best way to decide is to test it out. Will the GT option change your mind on the Mustang Mach-E?

Photos: Ford; Derin Richardson for The Mustang Source 

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S.J. Bryan

Longtime automotive journalist S.J. Bryan has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is an editor with Ford Truck Enthusiasts and regular contributor to F-150 Online, Harley-Davidson Forums, and The Mustang Source, among other popular auto sites.

Bryan first discovered her passion for all things automotive while riding in her parent's 1968 Ford Mustang. The automotive expert cut her teeth growing up riding on Harleys, and her first car was a Chevy Nova. Despite her lead foot, Bryan has yet to receive a speeding ticket.

The award-winning former playwright was first published at age 18. She has worked extensively as a writer and editor for a number of lifestyle and pop culture publications. The diehard gearhead is a big fan of American muscle cars, sixth-gen Ford trucks, and Oxford commas.

S.J. can be reached at sherryjbry@gmail.com.