Ford Mustang Mach-E coming to Oz

Aussies keen to get their hands on the first electric Ford Mustang rejoice!

Revealed at the Los Angeles motor show yesterday, the ground-breaking new Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUV has been confirmed for Australia – by the bloke who engineered it.

The chief engineer on the project, Ron Heiser, told carsales in LA that the new model will join the Mustang Fastback and Convertible in Australia as soon as late next year.

Asked specifically if the battery-powered Mustang-badged SUV will be made in right-hand drive for Australia, Heister said:

"Yes, we will be launching Mach-E in left-hand drive and right-hand drive. It will be available late next year [2020] in right-hand drive."

The news might come as a surprise to Ford Australia, which remains tight-lipped on the prospects of the Blue Oval’s rival for the Tesla Model X being sold Down Under.

Officially, Ford Australia will launch its first electrified model -- a plug-in hybrid version of the new fourth-generation Escape mid-size SUV – around mid-2020.

So far the Mach-E – which is the same width but 140mm longer and 80mm lower than the new Escape – has only been confirmed for release in the US and Europe in 2020, with China to follow.

Ford Mustang Mach-E revealed

"We have no specific Australia/New Zealand news with regards to Mach-E," said a Ford Australia spokesman this week.

“We do, however, look forward to starting our electrification journey with the Escape PHEV next year.”

While there was plenty of eye-candy at the 2019 LA show, the Mach-E was unquestionably the star of the show. But the all-electric SUV’s use of the Mustang badge has raised some eyebrows – including those of Ford Motor Company executive chairman Bill Ford Jr.

According to Automotive news, the great grandson of Henry Ford had initial reservations about using the Mustang name for the all-new SUV, even if it will be quicker than a V8 muscle car.

“I certainly wasn't sold at the beginning -- far from it,” Ford told AN. “They came to me and said ‘We really think we can make this Mustang-inspired, really Mustang-like’. I said ‘You guys aren't telling me you want to call this a Mustang?’.

“No one would say yes, but nobody would say no, either. I said ‘No, I'm sorry, I don’t want to hurt the brand. This is not going to be a Mustang’.

“[But] When I drove it, I knew it had to be a Mustang. Frankly, I was getting there before because I believed the team when they were laying all the specs out. As it evolved and I started to see the performance characteristics… at some point I realised ‘Yeah, this is a Mustang. The pony could go on the grille’.”

After its reveal at the show, Bill Ford likening the Ford Mustang Mach-E's significance to that of Model-T Ford.

“At the first-ever Detroit auto show, Henry Ford said he was working on something that would strike like forked lightning. That was the Model-T,” he said.

“Today, the Ford Motor Company is proud to unveil a car that strikes like forked lightning all over again. The all-new, all-electric, Mustang Mach-E.”

Likewise, Heiser said the battery-powered Mach-E SUV was worthy of the Mustang badge.

“The majority of the market has moved toward [sports] utility vehicles. We have a strength in utility vehicles and we wanted to show our commitment to electrification” he told carsales.

“We're starting by electrifying our most iconic brands, and obviously one of those iconic brands is Mustang.”

The Ford Mustang Mach-E engineering chief said that although EV uptake was still low, combining Ford’s latest battery tech with “the magic of Mustang” was a unique opportunity and the right decision.

Heiser said the EV platform that sits underneath the Mustang Mach-E will give the Blue Oval company plenty of scope to expand its EV product portfolio.

“It's our new EV architecture, it's scalable,” he said.

To be available in both twin-motor all-wheel drive and single-motor rear-drive layouts with standard 75.7kWh or extended-range 98.8kWh lithium-ion battery packs, the Mach E will offer a range of between 480km and 600km (WLTP).

The entry-level Mustang Mach-E will offer 190kW/415Nm and hit 100km/h in about six seconds, while the AWD twin-motor GT Performance Edition will produce 342kW/830Nm – enough to 100km/h in close to 3.5 seconds.

"It's going to be a screamer," laughed Heiser.

It's not clear which model grades will be offered in Australia and how much the potent Mustang GT will cost if it’s made available here.

But given the range-topping Mustang GT Fastback is the most popular version of Australia’s top-selling sports car, the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT is odds-on to be sold here.

However, all Mach E models are certain to eclipse the V8 Mustang coupe’s $63,690 price tag here.

In North America, the Mach-E’s starting price is $US43,895 ($A64,376), excluding a $7500 ($A10,999) tax credit. The GT starts at $US60,500 or $A88,787.

Read more 2019 LA motor show news