Ford Mach 1 New Era For Ford

[AVANTI R5]

Ford Mach 1 EV crossover to spearhead new era for car maker
We have more details on Ford's first purpose-built EV which will hit the UK in early 2020

Ford is pressing ahead with its first all-new battery electric vehicle, a front-drive crossover – and it is committed to the Mondeo in Europe until the mid-2020s, despite last month's announcement that it is pulling out of the saloon and hatchback market in the US.

The all-electric crossover, dubbed Mach 1 in reference to its Mustang-derived styling features, has been confirmed as a globally engineered model to be revealed next year, with UK deliveries starting in 2020.

The crossover, codenamed CX430, will be built on the C2 platform used for the new Focus and has been in Ford’s product plan for several years.

Opinion: why Ford needs more crossovers

The CX430 will be additional to the Kuga and, since it is based on the front-wheel-drive C2 platform, it is expected to be conventional hatchback-like, with a slightly raised driving position.

Ford has identified ‘white paper’ models like the CX430 to replace saloons and hatches in its US line-up. Further crossovers with Mustang design cues and front-drive chassis are a strong possibility because they combine “the best attributes of cars and utilities, such as high ride height, space and versatility”.

Ford to ditch Fiesta and saloons from US line-up by 2020

If the vehicles are sized appropriately, European sales are likely.

Last month's news that Ford is dropping the Fiesta (below), Focus, Fusion and Taurus from its North American line-up came as a surprise.

The end of the Fiesta had been rumoured for some time, because fuel prices have dropped and the economy recovered, allowing US buyers to return to their preferred larger vehicles.

Decisions on the replacements for the Fusion and Taurus have been pending for a couple of years too. Ford’s new CEO, Jim Hackett, has acted decisively and made the announcement at a financial conference in the US, momentously ending Ford’s 110-year presence in the US passenger saloon market.

“We are committed to taking the appropriate actions to drive profitable growth and maximise the returns of our business over the long term,” said Hackett.

Analysts said Ford had previously signalled that the mix of car models in its range was forecast to drop to just 10% in the US, leaving 90% of its sales as SUVs and trucks.

“This pull back is really just an admission of the stark North American market reality, especially for American brands,” said IHS Markit analyst Colin Couchman. “Buyers keep shifting to SUVs and crossovers. Big Three sedan [saloon] sales have been very dependent on poor-quality fleet sales.”

Ford US rivals Chrysler and Dodge have taken similar action under Fiat ownership, killing the mid-sized 200 and Dart saloons and instead investing in Jeep SUVs and RAM pick-ups. Between them, Chrysler and Dodge sell just two saloons – full-sized rear- wheel-drive platform twins, the 300 and Charger.

Ford will retain only the Mustang (below) and Focus Active passenger cars on sale after 2020, although its bread and butter SUVs and trucks such as the Explorer and F-Series pick-up continue.

The end of the Fusion and Taurus can also be seen in the context of a drive to simplify and reduce Ford’s global platforms to just five. Currently, it has 11. When Alan Mulally took over as CEO in 2006, it was 17.

In future, Ford strategy will revolve around an emerging-markets small car platform (Ka), the C2 (Focus), a mid-sized SUV platform (Explorer), an electric car platform (Mach 1) and full-sized truck platform (F-Series).

The loss of production volume of the Fusion raises a question over the future of the Mondeo in Europe, because they share the same platform.

In the short to medium term, Ford Europe is understood to have mapped the future of the Mondeo to the mid-2020s, although the picture after that remains fluid.

“The Ford Mondeo remains a core part of our product line-up in Europe. We have upgrades coming for Mondeo later this year and Mondeo continues to deliver on its promise of great driving dynamics, leading technologies and competitive pricing,” Ford said in a statement.

Details of the autumn upgrade are understood to include a new 2.0-litre diesel engine, codenamed Panther, which will be EU6d-compliant for the new WLTP driving cycle, with its real-world emissions and fuel economy testing, plus a new interior and tweaks to the exterior styling.

The interior changes are tipped to include a new dashboard moulding incorporating the Fiesta/Focus-style infotainment system with a high-set tablet-style touchscreen.

However, to keep the Mondeo in production to the mid-2020s, Ford Europe will have to fund developments to keep up with legislation without the volume of the US Fusion to offset costs.

Analysts believe Ford Europe is prepared to do this for the next five to seven years, helped by a reasonable degree of financial stability, since it has been reliably profitable for the past two years and has had a strong start to 2018.

But the crunch will come around 2020-2022 when Ford Europe will have to decide whether to go it alone with its own Mondeo replacement.

At the Geneva motor show in March, Ford Europe boss Steve Armstrong told Autocar it was too early to consider the future of the Mondeo, although he conceded that the large saloon sector continues to shrink.

“We are constantly updating the car, from new transmission and engine options to a hybrid version and the Vignale trim. The interest is strong and we are a way off having to consider replacing it,” he said.

A lifeline for any new Mondeo is the Focus’s new C2 architecture, which is understood to be sufficiently flexible to allow multiple track widths, wheelbases and firewall heights. This allows a large variety of vehicles to be spun off a single component set, like Volkswagen’s adaptable front-wheel-drive MQB set-up.

High-cost items such as the electrical system and powertrains can be carried over from the Focus to the Mondeo. But justifying the unique development and tooling costs for a new body and interior and chassis tuning and certification costs will be a bigger challenge, as sales will be small. A planning volume of around 60,000 a year could be expected.

Ford’s component costs won’t be able to take advantage of the huge volume that rivals such as the VW Group can.

Ford’s sales volume in Europe of all hatchback models – the Ka, Fiesta, Focus and Mondeo – is forecast to be 520,000 units this year, plus a further 36,000 saloons. By the time Ford needs to make key investment decisions about the Mondeo, Ford’s hatchback volume is forecast to fall by another 40,000 units.

When the first Mondeo was launched in 1992, it contributed 350,000 units alone but was already on the slide to 250,000 for the Mk2 Mondeo in 2000.

At the key decision-making moment in 2021, Ford’s SUV sales are forecast by IHS Markit to have risen to nearly 400,000 units. That is key production volume for overall planning purposes but, in the decade from 2011 to 2021, Ford Europe’s ratio of hatchback to SUV sales will have moved from 10:1 in favour of hatchbacks to just about an equal split of 1:1, reflecting the huge increase in popularity of SUVs.

Given the continuing slide in sales of volume-brand large saloons and hatchbacks, and the rise in popularity of SUVs, it is hard to see market demand for the Mondeo providing sufficient volume to keep the nameplate alive.

One possible conclusion is that Ford Europe ideally needs to find a partner to share volume on future hatchback developments to maintain a presence with all nameplates in the European market.

While Ford is betting on its upcoming electric car, it’s also bringing back a famous name, the Bronco, to reinvigorate its SUV line-up.

The original Bronco arrived in 1966 and become an iconic model for Ford but was withdrawn in 1996. The last we saw of the Bronco was a concept shown in 2004.

But last year, Ford said the name would return on a global SUV in 2020. It will take on the Jeep Compass and be more rugged than Ford’s current mainstream SUVs as the firm bids to reclaim the off-road market.

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[Scooby-Doode]

I am not even going to bother reading, all I can say is that this new CEO needs to go.

[SCRAPPYDO]

I totally agree. He is committed to profits and profitability. This short sighted moron will be the death of Ford. But he will not give a ****. After he runs it to the ground, he will get replaced with his golden parachute and move on to ruin another company. He will make short term profits, but car markets are NOT stagnant.

One final note: Calling an EV crossover a mach 1 is pure freaking blasphemy. I hope this guy gets a kidney stone the size of a ford pinto.

[mhoward1]

Originally Posted by SCRAPPYDO

I totally agree. He is committed to profits and profitability. This short sighted moron will be the death of Ford. But he will not give a ****. After he runs it to the ground, he will get replaced with his golden parachute and move on to ruin another company. He will make short term profits, but car markets are NOT stagnant.

One final note: Calling an EV crossover a mach 1 is pure freaking blasphemy. I hope this guy gets a kidney stone the size of a ford pinto.

I had the same thought. Build the car, but give it a new name.

[Keshav]

Since customers aren't buying enough EVs we'll just make one that is a Crossover and they'll have to buy it.

I've just given up at this point. *starts handing out black pills*

[dwf137]

Error 404: SUV not found.

[FaastLegacy]

Originally Posted by SCRAPPYDO

I totally agree. He is committed to profits and profitability. This short sighted moron will be the death of Ford. But he will not give a ****. After he runs it to the ground, he will get replaced with his golden parachute and move on to ruin another company. He will make short term profits, but car markets are NOT stagnant.

I pulled up the sales of just about every popular car I could think of and the only two cars that seem to conclusively buck the trend of stagnant sales is the Civic and the Golf. Accord, Camry, Corolla, Charger, Focus, Malibu, etc. All down year over year. Additionally, I think low margin fleet sales are propping up some of those sales numbers making them look better than they really should be.

Cars are dead here in the states. We've got too many stupid Americans that want SUVs and crossovers.

[SCRAPPYDO]

nothing stupid about increased ride height and more room if the penalties like poor fuel economy can be minimized if not eliminated. I get sedan sales are slow, but they will make a come back like all things, the automotive trends are cyclical. Guess they are counting on the CUV thing running strong for at least 15 more years.... Still think they are messing up.

[JustyWRC]

Originally Posted by SCRAPPYDO

nothing stupid about increased ride height and more room if the penalties like poor fuel economy can be minimized if not eliminated. I get sedan sales are slow, but they will make a come back like all things, the automotive trends are cyclical. Guess they are counting on the CUV thing running strong for at least 15 more years.... Still think they are messing up.

Well, maybe with these global platforms, then when a sedan is sought after again, it wouldn't take much to have a return of one.

[car_freak85]

And to think the FoRS had me thinking a Ford was in my future. No longer...

[TDagen]

Mach 1? What the?

[hi5.0]

Thread title should be "Ford Mach 1 New Error For Ford" Ha ha ha... Ford has the same sense of humor as Mitsubishi and Nissan now?

[godfather2112]

Originally Posted by SCRAPPYDO

nothing stupid about increased ride height and more room if the penalties like poor fuel economy can be minimized if not eliminated. I get sedan sales are slow, but they will make a come back like all things, the automotive trends are cyclical. Guess they are counting on the CUV thing running strong for at least 15 more years.... Still think they are messing up.

The problem is that Ford moves low volume of cars even during times of high gas prices. People flock to Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Kia and arguably get a better vehicle. Don’t forget that the escape and edge get damn near same mpg numbers as a fusion and Taurus. I think sinking money into suv, cuv, and trucks to increase fuel economy could really land them a nice foothold on the market while others are focusing on cars.

[AVANTI R5]

Earlier this month, British auto publication Autocar reported some details on Ford’s future performance-oriented battery-electric crossover – a model originally announced under the pseudonym “Mach 1”. The outlet alleged that the new BEV, which will borrow styling cues from the iconic Ford Mustang pony car, will ride on the same “C2” platform as the all-new, fourth-generation Focus compact car, the same as the next iteration of the Kuga (née “Escape”) petrol CUV.

Yet according to one Ford spokesperson, that’s inaccurate; Ford’s forthcoming performance electric crossover won’t be underpinned by any of the automaker’s front-wheel-drive petrol car platforms at all. Rather, as it announced back in March, the automaker is working on a new, clean-sheet architecture to support its future battery-electric offerings, and the 300-mile Mustang-inspired BEV will be the first to adopt it. This makes sense as the structural and packaging requirements of a purely-electric powertrain are entirely different from those of an ICE powertrain, and due to the relatively small size of electric drive motors, such an architecture could likely be designed to support front-, rear-, and all-wheel-drive with ease.

Additionally, we’ve learned that the unnamed performance electric CUV is the very model Ford referred to in January of last year when it announced plans to introduce a battery-powered crossover with 300 or more miles of driving range. In other words: the “Mach 1” won’t be the performance edition of a more basic, less-sporty electric CUV. At launch, at least, it will be the only edition.

The vehicle’s official name has yet to be announced, but Ford maintains that it never intended to sell the CUV as the “Mach 1”. Rather, the automaker says it used that moniker as a placeholder, selecting the name for its ability to communicate the intended “spirit” of the product. As the crossover isn’t due until 2020, we expect we’ll have to wait a bit before we learn what its actual production name will be.

[Genericuser1]

At least they are smart enough to not actually call it a Mach 1.

[AVANTI R5]

Ford 'Mach-E' electric crossover takes aim for Tesla Model Y
The only technical detail Ford has officially revealed is the car’s range: it will be capable of 370 miles of WLTP-certified range on a single charge, beating the Tesla Model X (351 miles) and Jaguar I-Pace (292 miles). A less expensive version with less battery capacity and range is also expected.

Ford claims charging will be “effortless” and it is “redesigning the ownership experience to ensure it addresses customer pain points that currently hold back broad [electric car] adoption”. The car’s performance remains undisclosed, although chairman Bill Ford has previously claimed it “is going to go like hell”.

At a Bank of America summit last month, a Ford presentation showed that it would offer a higher-performance variant of the electric crossover, targeting the more accelerative versions of Tesla’s EVs. Although it is not officially confirmed, reports suggest Ford will reveal the car’s name along with the concept before the year is out.



Like many of Ford’s recent models, it’ll be a globally engineered vehicle with few changes between regions. UK deliveries are tipped to start in late-2020. It’s not the only EV in Ford’s product plan, because the Michigan-based maker is also working on a more affordable electric crossover. Codenamed CX430, it will be based on the latest Focus platform and be similar to the Kuga. The CX430 has been in Ford’s product plan for several years.

The long-awaited push into electrification comes after news that Ford will be dropping former best-sellers from its US line-up: the Taurus, Fusion and Focus, alongside the Fiesta. Ford’s supermini never found huge popularity in the US, but the momentous decision to end Ford’s 110-year presence in the US passenger saloon market sent a clear signal that profitability, not diversity, is the new focus for the brand.

[godfather2112]

Ford just keeps increasing the gap between them and the other two American Autos.

[mhoward1]

How about calling it the Torino GT-E

[Masterauto]

crushed Focus and will even look worse when produced. Will Ford be around in future if gas pops up and F150 sales stop.

[Sid03SVT]

Originally Posted by Masterauto

crushed Focus and will even look worse when produced. Will Ford be around in future if gas pops up and F150 sales stop.

Doesn't look like the price of fuel has much of a lasting impact on F-series sales, you can see the dip in the 11th & 12th gen when gas went up and stayed there for a while, but high fuel costs became normalized, and people still need to move stuff in the bed of a tuck; not to mention that fuel economy continues to eek up each generation, especially when people are mostly "hauling air".

I thought about including average vehicle price, average income, fuel economy, adjusted for inflation prices, and dumping the data into a spreadsheet and making some pretty graphs, but I'm not getting paid for this.

F-series sales per year (in thousands) vs. average US gas price, note: this is f150-f350, not the commercial stuff.

thirteenth gen (2015-current)
2018 - 909.330 gas: $2.79
2017 - 896.764 gas: $2.47
2016 - 820.799 gas: $2.20
2015 - 780.354 gas: $2.45

twelfth gen (2009-2014)
2014 - 753.851 gas: $3.37
2013 - 763.402 gas: $3.55
2012 - 645.316 gas: $3.64
2011 - 584.917 gas: $3.53
2010 - 528.349 gas: $2.79
2009 - 413.625 gas: $2.35

eleventh gen (2004-2008)
2008 - 515.513 gas: $3.27
2007 - 690.589 gas: $2.80
2006 - 796.039 gas: $2.59
2005 - 901.463 gas: $2.30
2004 - 939.511 gas: $1.88

tenth gen (1998-2003)
2003 - 845.586 gas: $1.59
2002 - 813.701 gas: $1.36
2001 - 911.597 gas: $1.46
2000 - 876.716 gas: $1.51
1999 - 869.001 gas: $1.17
1998 - 836.629 gas: $1.06

ninth gen (1992-1997)
1997 - 746.111 gas: $1.23
1996 - 780.838 gas: $1.23
1995 - 691.452 gas: $1.15
1994 - 646.039 gas: $1.11
1993 - 544.396 gas: $1.11
1992 - 472.475 gas: $1.13

eighth gen (1987-1991)
1991 - 432.644 gas: $1.14
1990 - 495.977 gas: $1.15
1989 - 540.739 gas: $1.00
1988 - 564.471 gas: $0.90
1987 - 550.125 gas: $0.90

seventh gen (1980-1986)
1986 - 544.969 gas: $0.86
1985 - 562.507 gas: $1.12

As to the mach 1 concept here, I'm not a fan of the name, but I'd like to judge it on it's merits as an EV, not what the marketing team came up with in an attempt to induce nostalgia/boomer appeal. When an actual vehicle lands we will see how it is.

[godfather2112]

Originally Posted by Masterauto

crushed Focus and will even look worse when produced. Will Ford be around in future if gas pops up and F150 sales stop.

Are you a mentally dense person who completely ignored that Ford is working on EV development for the F150 and is also invested in that EV truck company (can’t remember the name).

I swear, you’re either trolling or just spewing out bull****. It’s one or the other.

[dwf137]

Honestly, that's not terrible looking. I'm wondering if this will be a ford body on top of the VW MEB EV chassis (given the development of the VW ID Crozz, another small crossover, and the ford/vw team).

If this thing came in a "performance" variant (IE sub 4 second 0-60 with good handling), this could very well be my next car.

But I'm not a fan of the mustang and mach labeling on anything CUV. Maybe bring it under the Taurus name? Since they decided sedans are a losing battle. CUV's are the new sedans.

[Keshav]

the images from today have the mustang pony in the "grill" and the mustang tail lights.

are we getting an electric pony of some kind?

[KC]

Yeah, that's not bad at all. I wonder if ford is moving to a new logo away from the blue oval with that too.... I don't think they can call it a mustang EV.

--kC

[n2oiroc]

Originally Posted by godfather2112

Are you a mentally dense person who completely ignored that Ford is working on EV development for the F150 and is also invested in that EV truck company (can’t remember the name).

I swear, you’re either trolling or just spewing out bull****. It’s one or the other.

every single person i know with a truck thinks electric vehicles are the dumbest thing on the planet. they would never consider an electric truck for many reasons, many of those reasons are ignorant and stupid, but its how the majority of truck owners feel. electric f-150 sales are going to be terrible.