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By Kamil Kaluski
Nov 18, 2019
The new Ford EV is four-door hatch that’s slightly jacked-up. Like many in this class, it’s kind of a modern CUV thing but really a car, except it isn’t. Think Jaguar I-Pace or Audi E-Tron. Ford chose to call this vehicle Mustang Mach-E.
Understandably many people have blown a gasket over the use of the Mustang name for this. What do you think of it?
East Coast Editor. Races crappy cars and has an unhealthy obsession with Eastern Bloc cars. Current fleet: Ford Bronco, Lexus GX 470, and a Buick Regal crapcan racecar.
Jeff Glucker
In this post-factual world they could name it
428 Cobra Torino Mustang GT350 T6 Cosworth Sierra Hotel India Tango
and I wouldn’t blink.
Mustang III, now with more E!
*acid house intensifies* …though the kids don’t call it E anymore apparently.
It doesn’t change how I feel about the proper Mustang (pro), and it doesn’t really affect how I feel about the Mach-E (whatever you want to call it). I think it’s sort of ugly, too chunky, too thick around the body thanks to the decision to make it an SUV (which I’m sure hurts range a little too), but it’s good enough on paper that I’m curious to start reading proper road tests.
Although, I don’t think it’d the worst thing to dust off the Probe name to slap on something else that was meant to be a Mustang.
Agree on most all points, but given the quickness with which juvenile humor can spread these days, “Ford reintroducing the Probe” is something of a guaranteed meme, at least in auto circles.
“Probe” was a poor choice in 1988, and it’s no better now.
Telling people that you plug in your Probe every night might be embarrassing…
Doesn’t bother me, and I’ve owned a lot of Mustangs. I’m no less likely to buy a Mustang now (re: the whole “brand equity” argument). I might, however, be interested in this Mach-E thing. With three kids and a pretty short commute, it would be a nice addition to the driveway.
Much less than GM’s use of Blazer.
It certainly doesn’t bother me, but it does confuse me. Is the potential customer of this Mach-E needing the name Mustang to sell it? It really has nothing to do with the pony car, so why use the Mustang nomenclature? Why not just go with Mach-E. You know what, now I’ve talked myself into being angry about it. Thanks Kamil.
I’m not really fussed by names, so I’m left trying to figure out what people that are fussed bynames will make of it, and if Ford might have figured out a good angle.
Near as I can guess, they did it to mentally tie the product to performance and not the usual moralizing EV smugness, not a bad move given that Ford probably has a few billion in investment it still wants to earn out on IC vehicles.
I could see myself in one of these in a few years. The CUV body style is practical, and this one is relatively low to the ground with what ought to be an even lower center of gravity. I’ll be following closely for sure.
If it looks like this, but with more ground clearance, I have no issues.
Otherwise, call it the Electrical Probe, to keep the purists happy.
http://www.amcarguide.com/wp-content/gallery/mustang-wagon-jeff/5-ford-shelby-gt350-station-wagon.jpg
No comment about the ground clearance?
https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/uploads/thumbnails/Davis__ground_featured1.jpg
It’s all been downhill since the introduction of a rear seat anyway, but at least they didn’t stick with the name Mustanq.
https://silodrome.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/1962-Ford-Mustang-I-Concept-Engineering-Team.jpg
“Nothin’ makes your feet STANQ like the mid-engine Mustanq I sports roadster!”
Clearly that’s a mistake THIS is a Mustang:
https://bangshift.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/krupp_mustang_1954_photos_1-685×514.jpg
That other thing is a T-5. https://bangshift.com/bangshiftapex/dont-call-mustang-check-cool-1966-german-ford-t-5-project/
Dropping the V4 for a V8 might have been a wise move though.
I understand the need for an electric Mustang. I understand the need for electric crossovers. I don’t understand the need for an electric crossover Mustang.
If that’s a Ford Mustang then this must be a Chevy Nova
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9b6ba3b44c554e10d849bd4cb7a095eadbd409476fce23f55fe05da813dc826b.jpg
Which makes me the Sultan of Brunei.
Well, this is a GM Nova.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Opel_Corsa_A_front_20080131.jpg
Something tickles me about the fact that this post would be utterly non-sequitur just about anywhere except among this crowd…where it is instead only logical.
Well, this is a GM Nova.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Opel_Corsa_A_front_20080131.jpg
Look, it’s a Pontiac LeMans! https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/90/Pontiac_LeMans_Sedan.jpg/1024px-Pontiac_LeMans_Sedan.jpg By Mark Brown – Flickr, CC BY 2.0, Link
Well, this is a Ford Maverick.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/115573a8724fd3fde78c494d191159a3fa33ee0c9751a1f66d312e54d06162a9.jpg
And so is this Nissan. So Maverick is a name they could have re-used as well.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81iJN2o52YL._SX679_.jpg
I think it was a great marketing move, because there are countless articles online about it and anyone who even slightly pays attention to automotive news has heard about it.
On the other hand, if they had named it some other random name, no one would care much or talk about it.
So well done Ford for getting your new car noticed, even if you had to stoop to bastardizing the name of your most popular car ever.
Excellent summary, really. What is missing is that everytime someone dilludes a valuable brand name, they piss in their own well. As number_six has pointed out, people will eventually tire of this move.
I await the Model T, which would actually suit a crossover, and annoy Tesla without them being able to do anything about it. Win win.
Wouldn’t the “all-new Ford Model E” have been great?
If they build a bigger one, will it be the Twin Mustang Mach-E?
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/North_American_XP-82_Twin_Mustang_44-83887.Color.jpg/300px-North_American_XP-82_Twin_Mustang_44-83887.Color.jpg
One word…
https://live.staticflickr.com/5337/8999524840_7467079c11_b.jpg
And, if I’m not mistaken, that’s a Mitsubishi Starion or Chrysler Conquest, completely unrelated to any of those cars.
https://www.allpar.com/photos/chrysler/conquest/conquest-tail.jpg
I’m just sad that they missed a trick in not calling it the Mustang Ferguson and maybe throwing a few dollars Harrys familys way…
You know what kind of guy drives an electric Mustang?
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/da334ab9797c5c7decd1340345f80432b1ada00d23a7fc51000d2322a20a481b.jpg
Mach-e? Silly Ford. http://old.daps.tv/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/you-dont-win-friends-with.gif
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https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Kli-_eFotKs/T25p6R8cLII/AAAAAAAABzw/HMY62N16V0A/s1600/DSC_0039.JPG
I still have to think about it for a while but my first impression is slightly negative. Porsche didn’t call their 4 door the 911 Panamera.
Also, fast forward 5-10 years from now and I see problems. Is Mustang really going to be a sub-brand with incremental totally distinct models? I don’t see that as being viable if you’re really focusing on One Ford. Also, Mach-E. E for electric, fine, we get it. But that will seem silly when there’s a half dozen electric Fords. Bronco Mach-E? Explorer Mach-E? What do you call the traditional Coupe and Convertible Mustang with an electric powertrain? Mustang Classic Mach-E? I just don’t see it playing out well.
I personally can’t wait for the Mustang minivan!
Dust off that corporate partnership, and call the SUV’s the E-ddie Bauer edition?
(Porsche didn’t call the car ‘911 Panamera’, but they did go to extreme lengths to make the first generation look as much like a 911 as possible… so they were very keen that their customers made the connection. Same with the first gen Cayenne.)
I see that as an excellent long term strategy. Most of the successful brands have a strong resemblance between different models. Be it BMW’s twin kidney grille or Lexus’ “Predator face”. It sets a good tone for the brand and creates cohesion that customers can pick up on.
It’s a good looking SUV and I see the Mustang cues, but I think it dilutes the Mustang brand. Probably won’t matter at all, but I’m not a fan of the naming.
Remember when Oldsmobile stuck Cutlass on everything? How did that turn out for them? 😀
Dilution of the Mustang brand is my concern as well. No one is going to buy the Mach-E because its name or visual cues suggest the pony car. In fact, there is probably very little overlap between the market audience of the two vehicles.
If anything, tagging it with the Mustang name suggests that it needs such an association to warrant attention. If it’s a great car in its own right, it should have a new name. That way, if it’s a hit, then Ford has gained yet another valuable moniker in its portfolio to leverage. If instead it’s a flop, then they will have at least avoided tarnishing the Mustang name (again).
With Ford’s tendency towards “F” names, I’m surprised they didn’t call it the Ford Farad.
They could save that for a version with supercapacitors instead of batteries.
To be perfectly honest, I’m so disfranchised with the automotive industry as a whole and the direction it seems to be heading in that I’ve largely stopped caring about anything they’re doing.
You said it. I feel a need to make snarky jokes but I really felt exactly what you said at first blush. Mustang. Jaguar. Whatever.
Mach-e? Silly Ford. http://old.daps.tv/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/you-dont-win-friends-with.gif
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https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Kli-_eFotKs/T25p6R8cLII/AAAAAAAABzw/HMY62N16V0A/s1600/DSC_0039.JPG
Mustang is one of the most iconic names in the automotive world. This vehicle is EXACTLY NOT A MUSTANG. This is akin to Porsche putting the 911 name on a Macan, or Ferrari building a 1.5 L FWD hatch and slapping GTO on it, or Chevrolet building something akin to a Tahoe and slapping Corvette flags on it. This is marketing suicide.
It’s going to do two things. One, no matter how good this thing is, it now has to stand up to that badge, which it can’t, because (putting aside the electric bit which many of us consider inevitable if depressing) it’s a four door SUV that looks mostly like a Kia Sorento, not a two door sports car. Two, having a Mustang, from the lowliest base model right to the top, used to mean something to people. They have essentially rendered all of that meaningless. Having a Mustang now means “I have a car.” This is not going to go over well. People who might have been interested will actually be put off by the badge, people who want a sports coupe aren’t buying this.
Eh yeah, slapping an Italian exotic badge on a small hatch would be tragic wouldn’t it..
https://s31.wheelsage.org/format/picture/picture-preview-large/d/daihatsu/charade_detomaso_turbo/daihatsu_charade_detomaso_turbo.jpg
..still less embarrasing than the Fiat 595 Abarth “Ferrari Tributo” or the Seicento “Schumacher Edition” 😉
Eh yeah, slapping an Italian exotic badge on a small hatch would be tragic wouldn’t it..
https://s31.wheelsage.org/format/picture/picture-preview-large/d/daihatsu/charade_detomaso_turbo/daihatsu_charade_detomaso_turbo.jpg
..still less embarrasing than the Fiat 595 Abarth “Ferrari Tributo” or the Seicento “Schumacher Edition” 😉
This move suggests how few nameplates Ford has (at least in the US) which still hold positive brand equity. The F-series has it in spades and the Escape/Excursion/Expedition seems to have enough to get by. But in terms of car names, is there anything in their recent history other than Mustang which is a name people want to buy into? They notably didn’t call it Fusion or Five Hundred or Mondeo — which is presumably where this is going to sit in their range. Names like Galaxie, LTD or even Crown Vic probably don’t register with their present day customers.
It is a shame they didn’t think of a new name; but — once they were committed to levering the success of one of their current or recent model names– I’m not sure they had much choice other than Mustang.
I’ll call it “Mustang II Electric Boogaloo”
You can put lipstick on a pig….it’s still a pig.