"Mustang Mach E" Confirmed, Reservations Begin Immediately After Nov 17 Live-Streamed Reveal

[Norm Peterson]

Poll at the top of this thread. 52% answer "no change" when asked if this would make them more or less likely to buy a Mustang coupe. And the people that answered "less likely" are straight up brain dead.

The poll options do not reflect the full variety of possible opinions, and for many "no change" was probably the closest choice.

I don't mind revealing that my choice as "no change", though that was with some explanation. Not being in new car shopping mode at the moment means that I can take a more neutral "wait and see" attitude than if I was starting to look with any seriousness and putting together a short list.

Basically, if the Mustang as a ponycar stays about where it is today, I'd be no more and no less likely to buy one. But if it starts to pick up SUV/CUV cues/attributes you can count me out right now.

The ponycar Mustang would probably have to morph more toward the character of my S197 GT the way that car is being developed - perhaps think GT/PP2 with early-S197 technology content here - to make me extremely likely to buy another one. Unfortunately, I don't expect that to happen.


Norm

Sponsored

 

[OX1]

Mach E is AN EXTENSION of the Mustang name.

The people who by far have the most emotion about it, are the one's that HATE it. So the few that would buy this thing
ONLY because it is now named Mustang are way down there in number and probably last in true motivation
(I guarantee you they are not as happy about it, as I am pissed).

You can't buy this high emotion at any price. Mach-E "people" won't have ANY skin in the game of buying overpriced mustangs
(at least not due to an emotional pruchase), spending a zillion on parts, making clubs/boards, having meets, buying other mundane
Fords after loving uniqueness mustang, and generally going way above the norm to support Ford (even when they don't deserve it).

They will go buy a Yenko-E next week and not care one way or the other that it's not a Ford or "Mustang". NASCAR tried this and was
initially successful, now they might as well close up shop because they lost that super passionate loyal fan base, for the fly-by-nighters.

 

[shogun32]

Mach E is AN EXTENSION of the Mustang name.

which properly belongs assigned to the S550 with electric motor that they showed off as a demo in white+blue trim.

Fiesta, Explorer and Focus all come in various drivelines, be it gas, hybrid or EV. Line the sisters up side by side and you can't tell the difference. THAT is the point of a model line. Ditto Honda with it's Civic or Accord or RAV4. The sisters all look identical no matter the drive line and can properly be called Civic-E or -EV or whatever tag you want to put on it.

Would BMW be so STUPID as to make a raised M3 that has the roofline of an X3, but cribbed the M3 grill and tail lights and an electric driveline and still call it an M3-E? Of course not. They'd call it an X3-something.

This sport(y) electric CUV was ABSOLUTELY a good idea (props to Hackett for tearing the EV group a new arsehole) as opposed to the utterly lazy crap they had been wasting time on. But it doesn't the least bit resemble a Mustang silhouette. You can say it was 'Mustang inspired' (driving fun, performance inclined) and I have no beef. You can maybe do a riff on the triple tail lights and headlights too if you want must.

But pick a different horsey name at minimum.

 

[Norm Peterson]

The difference between the Probe debacle and the Mach E skirmish is that the Probe was going to be THE Mustang. Mach E is AN EXTENSION of the Mustang name. With the Probe scenario, people would not have been able to buy a Fox body. Under the Mach E scenario you can still get a GT / GT350 / GT500. That's a pretty big distinction in my book.

Understood. But I'm looking longer term than the first year or two of Mach E. I don't see much happening to the S550 over that time span.

One thing that I'm a bit uneasy about is the possibility that the Mach E might start influencing the ponycar toward being a CUV and gradually inching the ponycar to what the Probe debacle was trying to accomplish in one fell swoop.


With the last car of ours that became something of a toy in mind (a 1979 Malibu that we bought new and kept until 2012), I need to be looking at least 5 or 6, maybe 10 years out at this point for my next "for me" car purchase, as I can see having my '08 GT for at least that long, absent anything unforeseen. Overall since 1970, our car buying cycle has averaged out to about 7 years, and we just bought the WRX in my sig early this year. Although that was unexpected (not involving a crash of any sort), 7 years would put our next purchase out to at least 2026.


Norm

 

[Norm Peterson]

If I'm in the market for a 2-door V-8 powered pony car, why does the existence of an electric SUV make me more or less likely to buy the car? Because it has a badge and a name that are the same?

Today it doesn't matter.

Try looking further into the future. Say, 5 years or so.


Norm

 

[Norm Peterson]

You don't like this direction? Mustang is too good to be an SUV?

It's not that. It's that an SUV is too different to be a Mustang. Kind of like how cricket is different from baseball.

Well, ok, perhaps you're the type that would think Mustang is also above the Bentley, RR, and Lamborghini brands.

Without Urus you can't have the likes of the hypercars that Lamborghini want to make. They need it to succeed, just like Porsche needed the Cayenne to succeed.

As has been mentioned several times already, SUVs from those brands did not trade on the names of their respective company's sportier and/or more traditional models for their success. Ford should have taken the same approach. Being different here doesn't mean better.


Norm

 

[noac]

I blame John Clor. He is supposed to be the liaison between the enthusiast and FoMoCo. Either FoMoCo doesn't listen when he speaks, or he failed to do his job. Either way he should resign.

 

[nrc]

They will sell every one they make.

Don't like it... don't buy one.

Here, on a MUSTANG board, the poll results show that a majority of the voters don't care either way. Guess what... the general public cares even less.

Ford exists to sell cars to the masses, not appease a tiny demographic of angry Mustang coupe owners.

You realize that's what auto makers do, right? They sell every car they make. They don't just abandon unwanted vehicles in a field somewhere.

You're misrepresenting the poll. The poll doesn't ask whether people care. It asks whether they care enough for it to impact their buying decision. 34% say that it does. While that's a minority that's a much higher bar than "do you care". It's suggesting a direct impact on sales. How much impact is hard to say. But if 50% of strongest opinions are swayed and 10% of weaker opinions are swayed then you're looking at an additional 5% drop in real Mustang sales every year going forward.

Make no mistake, Ford is only willing to burn this brand because they consider the traditional Mustang dead. This year the relentless decline of Mustang sales (in a boom economy, no less) will put it where Taurus sales were five years ago, and on roughly the same trend. The poll suggests that this move will accelerate that trend. Instead of positioning the Mustang to win market share in a declining segment (which is why the Accord still outsells Ford's top SUV) they've put it up on blocks and have started stripping it for parts.

Part of the reason that Ford is struggling to sell cars to the masses is that their cars don't mean anything to wider public. Everytime someone comes in and makes progress on building brand loyalty some moron like Hacket takes over and trashes it. There were two exceptions. Mustang and F150. Now there's one.

 

[shogun32]

Without Urus you can't have the likes of the hypercars that Lamborghini want to make.

Had Lambo named the Urus the Huracan-E instead, you'd see the utter stupidity of it. That is precisely what Ford just did.

Oddly enough I wouldn't have any great animus if Ford had come out with a Mustang E-Wagon. Use the S550 and bodywork as is (or an inch longer, no more than 2 inches higher off the ground) and extend the roofline straight back ala Dodge Magnum. See even Dodge had the sense not to name it the 300-Wagon or Charger-Wagon though that is basically what it was.

 

[Cobra Jet]

I don’t know who created that one -

 

[Topnotch]

https://timedm.com/2019/11/auto-ford-mustang-mach-e-gt-vehicule-eawd/

 

[speedfrk]

It can't be a Lincoln as the interior wouldn't meet the Lincoln requirements. Cost cutting is in abundance in Battery vehicles due to the costs with the electrification. Can't put in a very nice interior without also driving up the price even higher.

Like it or not, utilizing the Mustang nameplate was a good idea. It certainly has created a buzz, partial controversy and partial excitement.

The Venn diagram between traditional Mustang owners and people who would buy an electric vehicle are virtually completely separate circles, so whether or not traditional mustang fans like this vehicle in the end doesn't really matter as they weren't going to buy it anyways.

I think judging the vehicle on its own, it's great. I would've preferred it simply being called "Mach E" but I don't really care in the end. I'll be looking at this and a Bronco in a year or so.

The Venn diagram is completely separate if you assume people are only buying 1 car for 1 purpose. But that is not most of America. I can easily see a garage with a GT350 or 5.0 on one side and the MachE on the other. That is what Ford is shooting for. And maybe a F150 sitting in the driveway.

 

[zackmd1]

he has is trusty bong at his side and seemingly endless Wall St money and generous gov't indulgences to sell. IF Ford can actually produce a vehicle with *good* quality, Tesla is toast even if the Ford doesn't have the 0-60 or max range.

Have you ever actually seen a Tesla in person and sat in one before? I have had 2 S550s that had worse panel alignment and quality issues then my current Tesla.

Wall Street overwhelmingly wants Tesla to fail as evidence by shorts...

To what government indulgences are you referring to? The tax credit that every EV qualifies for including the Mach E and then one Teslas will not be eligible for at the end of the year???

Tesla still has the lead here but I don't doubt that they will not be able to keep up with automakers in the future if they can't figure out how to make a vehicle assembly line more efficient. That's where selling their battery and drivetrain tech will come in handy. Tesla could and likely will become the number 1 manufacturer for EV batteries and drivetrains using their gigafactories.

 

[Hayburner]

The Venn diagram is completely separate if you assume people are only buying 1 car for 1 purpose. But that is not most of America. I can easily see a garage with a GT350 or 5.0 on one side and the MachE on the other. That is what Ford is shooting for. And maybe a F150 sitting in the driveway.

Except that’s not how it will go, no one I know wants their high performance mustang sitting next to a little suv , with the same name. Yuck

 

[speedfrk]

https://timedm.com/2019/11/auto-ford-mustang-mach-e-gt-vehicule-eawd/

The all-new, all-electric Mustang Mach-E. It’s fast. It’s fun. It’s freedom. For a new generation of Mustang owners.” Bill Ford

This is what it's all about- new generation. I'm sure they did a lot of consumer studies and found out that the next generation of car buyers are not going to buy 5.0 Mustang coupes in any significant volume and they didn't want to let an iconic badge die like the GTO or 442.

Sponsored