Putting a Mustang badge on a new electric utility vehicle has dealers in Canada wondering how far down that road Ford should go with other models in the future.
The Mustang Mach-E name has been given to Ford’s first exclusively electric vehicle (the company had previously built the Focus Electric), a midsize crossover with coupe-like styling that will be offered in rear- and all-wheel-drive. Two battery sizes provide up to 475 kilometres of range and up to 459 horsepower. The Mach-E goes on sale in early 2021. But Ford Canada on Dec. 31 confirmed to Automotive News Canada that "all First Edition are sold out in Canada."
“Ford is expanding the Mustang family, bringing the famous pony into the electric age,” is the automaker’s official spin.
“In today’s world it’s not unreasonable,” said Dave Wilkins, dealer principal of Avalon Ford in St. John’s, Nfld. In 1964, the dealership was called George Parsons Ford, which sold the first Mustang (chassis No. 1) to a retail customer.
“Some of the more purist people say, ‘Why not just leave it alone?’ But I think Mustang is beyond just a model; it has developed into a brand on its own and I think Ford is going to start taking full advantage of that.
“It’s the same with Bronco,” he said, referring to Ford’s revival of that storied name for an upcoming new off road-oriented utility vehicle.
“There will be two models at first, and at some point, I think we’ll see a Bronco pickup.”
‘EXCITED ABOUT DRIVING’
According to Chief Program Engineer Ron Heiser, badging the Mach-E as a Mustang was justified because, like the two-door model, it’s “the kind of car that gets people excited about driving, with a sporty, beautiful silhouette that delivers an incredible shape rarely seen in SUVs.”