Ford’s EV Concept with Mustang Roots to Debut This Year

All-electric crossover will draw inspiration from the Mustang to battle the Tesla Model Y in 2020.

Ford Motor Company has made it clear that they are working on an all-electric crossover that will be inspired in some way by the Mustang. We have gotten a few teaser images over the past year, we have gotten some vague hints from FoMoCo executives including a range of 370 miles and there have been talks of the vehicle being called the Mach 1 or Mach E, but for the most part, there haven’t been any details on this upcoming vehicle.

Fortunately, Autocar has reported that this new electric vehicle will be introduced in concept form later this year before coming to market in 2020. There are no other details as to when this Mustang-inspired EV concept will debut, but the Los Angeles International Auto Show is later this year. The state of California is the largest EV market in the United States, so the debut of a highly-anticipated electric crossover in L.A. makes perfect sense.

The Mach E

When Ford first started talking about this Mustang-inspired electric vehicle, the company loosely used the name Mach 1, but the muscle car community was quick to crush that dream. Mach 1 is a legendary trim of the Mustang and even in a Mustang-inspired vehicle, using that name on an EV was quickly labeled as blasphemy, so Ford quickly got away from that.

A while later, it was discovered that the company had moved to trademark the name Mach E, which has become the name by which this vehicle is commonly discussed. If it is a Mustang-inspired electric vehicle that is fun to drive, working the “Mach” portion in while replacing the “1” with “E” makes far more sense without upsetting the traditionalists.

More recently, Bill Ford has stated that this Mustang-inspired EV will “go like hell”, which is a pretty serious series of words within the Motor Company. Back in the 1960s, Henry Ford told the company racers heading to LeMans to battle Ferrari to “go like hell” and they did, so in using that phrase for this new electric vehicle, Ford is subtly promising solid performance.

Coming in 2020

If the Ford Mach E is set to arrive during the 2020 calendar year, a grand debut in Los Angeles in concept form would make perfect sense. The automaker could use that concept debut to get input from the automotive world, using that input to make tweaks ahead of the production debut. That production debut could come in April at the New York show, in another market where EVs are hot sellers, leaving plenty of time for a “normal” model year rollout for 2021.

More importantly, it seems that this upcoming electric crossover will be designed to battle the Tesla Model Y. At first, it seemed likely that the Mach E would compete with the Model X, but the Autocar report claims that the electric Ford will take aim at the upcoming Model Y. The Y is expected to be smaller than the X, so perhaps the Mach E will be a bit smaller than we expected as well.

With any luck, Ford Motor Company will offer up more information before the Los Angeles Auto Show, but for now, we know that there is a fun-to-drive, all-electric crossover that will be smaller than the Tesla Model X coming to market within the next year and it will draw its inspiration from the mighty Mustang.

Photos: Screenshots

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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