Ford Hears Your Gripes About Calling Mach-E a Mustang
Ford execs explain why they decided to bestow Mach-E with a Mustang badge, and what makes it worthy of the iconic nameplate.
It’s only been days since Ford pulled the covers off its all-electric Mustang Mach-E. And yet, enthusiasts wasted no time expressing their hatred of the fact that the Blue Oval “desecrated” the Mustang name by placing it on a crossover. In fact, things have gotten so bad that there’s actually a petition with thousands of signatures demanding that Ford change its name and remove the pony badge from the grille. So now, Ford is attempting to explain their reasoning behind the controversial move.
As we learn from the video above, the Mach-E wasn’t originally going to be called a Mustang at all. It was only after Jim Hackett took over as CEO in 2017 that things began to shift that way. Hackett created a dedicated electric vehicle team, dubbed Ford Team Edison, that then began to move in that direction. They spent a great deal of time studying the Mustang’s half-century of heritage and working to craft a vehicle capable of taking it into the next half-century.
Apparently, Ford’s early attempts at building an electric vehicle left a lot to be desired within the ranks. “When I came into the role as CEO, the electrification had stalled in the company,” Hackett said. “We tore up the existing prototype. We said we wanna start over. The best way of increasing electric car take-up in the world is to make things that people really want. Then we started to ask ourselves — what would get people excited about electric product? And it was actually Jim Farley that suggested – what if we made it a Mustang?”
Ford struggled a great deal with exactly how far they should go with the project. “How close to a Mustang should it be?” asked Farley. “Do we put a pony on it? Do we call it a Mustang? Is it a close cousin? Is it a sibling?” In the end, they chose to simply add a “horse to the stable.” Mainly, of course, because of brand recognition. “You could put the Mustang emblem on anything, and people will know what it is,” Farley said.
YouTuber Stangmode was also able to gain some additional insight from Farley in this video. Here, Farley pleads with unhappy Mustang fans to simply give the Mach-E a try. Sit in it, drive it. “Initial uptake is panic-inducing,” he says. It’s crazy, and it’s instant. It’s faster than a twin-turbo V8 because there’s zero delay. So just reserve judgement slightly until you give it a try.”
Clearly, Ford is listening to what we enthusiasts have to say. But they’re also quite confident that the Mach-E is capable of wearing its pony badge proudly. We hardcore, old school fans of the iconic model may not exactly be happy with it, no matter what. But we can’t bash Ford for recognizing that the future is coming, and building an exciting product that helps keep the Mustang legend alive for another 50+ years.
If you’re in the Los Angeles area and want to see a Mustang Mach-E in person, head over to the 2019 L.A. Auto Show where Ford has two versions on display!
Photos: Ford Motor Company
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