Ford to challenge Tesla in China with the Mustang Mach-E!



Ford is set to push its electric vehicle (EV) presence in China by building the Mustang Mach-E there. The electrified crossover will be built by Changan Ford and only for domestic consumption.

The company fondly known as the Blue Oval is also proud to announce that the GT Performance Edition will be manufactured locally in China. This top-of-the-range variant is targeting a century sprint time of 3.5 seconds, all courtesy of a targeted output of 487 hp and 855 Nm of torque through a dual-motor set up.

Ride comfort and cornering abilities will be shouldered by the Magnaride Damping suspension system that uses magnetic forces to change the characteristics of the oil in the shock absorbers.

In the US, the Mustang Mach-E is offered in configurations mixing single or dual motors with two battery capacities. The line-up of the Mustang Mach-E begins with the Select variant with a 266 hp single motor paired with a 68-kWh battery pack, delivering a driving range of 370 kilometres.

For an extended driving range, the Premium variant with an 88-kWh battery offers 483 kilometres of travel under the strict American EPA testing methodology. Ford is expecting to achieve over 600 kilometres of range under the Chinese driving cycle.

The newest generation of Ford Co-Pilot360 suite of advanced driver-assist technologies will offer Level 2+ autonomous driving assistance functions, enabling Mach-E drivers to operate their vehicles hands-free on prequalified sections of divided highways.

In addition, the software in the vehicle can be updated regularly like our smartphones through the firmware-over-the-air (FOTA) updates, including for vehicle controls, to freshen the driving experience with improvements and new features.

Ford also say with the Mustang Mach-E, it is the first automaker in China to offer cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology in mass production vehicles and the feature can help drivers in China anticipate potential driving hazards and improve traffic safety and efficiency.   

At the very tail-end of 2019, Tesla announced the deliveries of the first Chinese-built Model 3 sedan. It is priced at a competitive 250,000 Yuan after local subsidies. Volkswagen China meanwhile just announced prices of its new locally-built ID.4 Crozz that undercuts the Tesla Model 3 sedan.

The larger, fully-imported Tesla Model Y meanwhile is priced from 339,900 Yuan and its size and performance are more comparable to the Mustang Mach-E.

According to news reports, sales of electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen-powered vehicles in China are forecast to rise to 20% of new car sales by 2025 from just 5% last year.


GALLERY