The Blue Oval plans to launch an zero-emissions SUV beneath the Mustang Mach-E in Europe in 2023, British magazine Auto Express reported in February. The Ford electric SUV would be the first EV made at the company’s Cologne plant (Germany) which produces the Fiesta. According to a more recent article on Autocar in September, it could get a legacy name like its big brother.
Name
Murat Gueler, design chief of Ford’s European division, told Autocar that the company could use past nameplates for future electric vehicles. By invoking an emotional attachment with the past, Ford can create a successful lineup of electric vehicles consumers want to own. Gueler didn’t say which historic model names are being consideration, though. Many had reservations about Ford using the Mustang name for the model we know as the Mustang Mach-E today. However, the strong demand is a testimony that it was the right business decision.
Ford could revive any one of these names for its electric SUV – Cortina, Probe, Escort, Sierra and Capri.
Production
Ford did a series of announcements in February 2021 about its electrification strategy in Europe. The company plans to transform the Cologne facility into the Ford Cologne Electrification Center to manufacture electric vehicles this decade. It aims to put the first volume Ford electric car into production at this site in 2023. Manufacturing a second EV there is also under consideration, it is reported.
Segment & Platform
The report from Auto Express indicates that the new Ford electric SUV will be a smaller sibling of the Mustang Mach-E electric SUV, which is a mid-size model. It should be a compact electric SUV like the VW ID.4. The plan is reportedly to build the mini Mustang Mach E on the same platform – the MEB. The Blue Oval hasn’t spelled out the strategy to build passenger vehicles on the basis of the MEB platform, but reports are rife that expanding the scope of licensing for the German dedicated EV platform to include multiple PVs is the long-term plan.
Gueler had hinted of a smaller EV with Mustang inspiration previously. “We’re really excited by what this (Mustang inspiration) brings to the electric car, and yes, we have already talked about expansion, to some sort of family,” Gueler had told Auto Express in 2019. He also said that the second EV’s profile would be different from that of the Mustang Mach-E.
Specifications
The Blue Oval could offer the new Ford electric SUV with 58 kWh and 77 kWh battery pack options. The standard-range variant may come in 107 kW (143 hp) FWD and 150 kW (201 hp) FWD configurations. Customers going for the extended range variant may get to select between 150 kW (201 hp) FWD and 150 kW (201 hp) AWD configurations. In Europe, Ford could be aiming for a range of between 250 and 350 miles (WLTP).
It’s also reported that any performance variants, which are twinned with the ID 4 GTX, won’t use Ford’s popular ST or RS monikers, as those are reserved for combustion-engined models.
Ford electric SUV release date
Autocar has reported that the MEB-based Ford SUV will be revealed in the first half of next year, before hitting the dealerships in 2023.
It remains to be seen if the model developed for Europe would come Stateside. If it gets the green light, Ford may launch the mini Mustang Mach-E in the United States a few months after it begins deliveries in Europe, towards the end of 2023.
With a Master’s Degree in Business Management & Administration, I’ve been working as an International Automotive News Editor since 2014, and have gained a wealth of knowledge and insight into hybrid and electric vehicles.
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