Ford Mach E prototype spotted for the first time

[BroncoMike]

The Maverick was a horrible car. The Chevy Cavalier sold a shit ton too.

In your opinion, perhaps. But wait - that wasn't the point. Did Mustang survive?

It went through a few ugly years a bit later, but there weren't many "sweet" cars during that time period.

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[vr00m_vr00m]

Pics and Specs leaked.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/discovered-2021-mustang-mach-e-official-page-w-pricing-models-specs-video-etc.49/

 

[Tslater1989]

Let us not forget. Ford almost replaced the mustang with the probe. I think an EV the distinguishes itself from the pony car enough, but still share the spirit. Is just fine. Mustang was a shot in the dark for ford. So is the Mach E. Kinda fitting in my opinion. Think of this as ford future. Branding will be more distinctive, the bronco nameplate will be shared on 2 maybe 3(bronco pickup please), the mustang moniker will grace two different halo vehicles. The f-series is going to expand even further in the future. Just food for thought. Keep am oen mind. I dont think ford is going all-in without having something up their sleeve.

 

[OX1]

1. we aren’t talking tire wear, we’re talking tire heat management. As a tire gets beyond its heat threshold, it loses grip. Additional weight pushes it beyond that threshold faster. I’ve been wanting a smaller, lighter Mustang since S197 for this very reason

2. talking about 70% of Mustangs out there. It won’t be faster in every metric than a standard GT with either PP, a GT350, or a GT500. I’d guess it’ll be worse in most performance metrics than even the Ecoboost performance packs. The ONLY thing it MIGHT have going for it is acceleration, and that’s yet to be seen. Even at that, it simply won’t compete over 60mph unless they’re giving it multiple gears (which I highly doubt)



If the Bronco is good, that’s the last vehicle I’ll ever give Ford money for... and even at that, I’m considering buying used (and in turn, not giving Ford any money directly). The only way I’ll buy new at this point is if Ford will give me the TTV6 as a manual, and that’ll only be to voice my support for manual transmissions in a statistical sense



this has been exactly my issue the whole time. I knew if there was going to be a badge, it wouldn’t be a badge alone. This is just going to push away ex-Ford faithfuls while not boosting sales over simply calling it “Mach 1”. Ford isn’t dumb, they HAD to have known that would be the outcome. Why else would they do it then? Because there needs to be a replacement for S550, and it’s not looking like it’s going to be a passenger car

WOW!!, I agree on most of this LOL!! My buddy just picked up an 09 Z06. It pisses me to high hell that Chevy made a 3140 lb
super high perf car with 505 HP 7L, 10 years ago (even had alum frame for 2 years) and Ford can't seem to even get under 4000 lbs
for 100 grand in 2020??

In your opinion, perhaps. But wait - that wasn't the point. Did Mustang survive?

It went through a few ugly years a bit later, but there weren't many "sweet" cars during that time period.

And Ford wasn't dumb enough to name it Mustang were they? At least when they stole the mustang for a Mercury, it was
named along the same lineage, Capri...........

 

[BroncoMike]

This is just going to push away ex-Ford faithfuls while not boosting sales over simply calling it “Mach 1”. Ford isn’t dumb, they HAD to have known that would be the outcome. Why else would they do it then? Because there needs to be a replacement for S550, and it’s not looking like it’s going to be a passenger car

I see it a little differently - sure, it will piss off some of the faithful, that part has already proven itself on these pages. They'll get over it soon enough if Mustang continues to produce capable enthusiast cars (or they could run out and buy Camaros - which do you think will leave a more bitter taste in their mouths?). If Ford doesn't produce a next-gen performance Mustang when it's due, then they aren't worth the brand loyalty, at least for their poor model years. How many "loyal" Mustang fans skipped the mid-1970's models? Can you describe yourself as a Mustang fan if you sat out that period?

As for the new consumers of the Mach-E, I don't think any of them will be fooled into thinking they are buying a 4-door GT500 hatchback. The Mustang has some pleasing visual cues that Mach-E will share, translating into commercial appeal. Very few people are going to mistake one for the other, at rest or in motion. It will succeed or fail on its own merits, not because it has a pony or the Mustang name on it. It's a shame that Ford didn't feel confident enough of their product to let it stand on its own.

As for replacing the passenger car... that's a tough one. Trucks, SUVs, CUVs are taking over the market. Will there one day be an insufficient number of gearheads to support performance models? I think the "retro" designs seen by the Big 3 is a clue - they're appealing to the GenX people who loved those cars and can now afford a second "toy" car, or with an empty nest, can go back to a 2-door. Our younger generations are less and less automotive enthusiasts, more and more Uber, public trans, and Hybrid buyers. Think about this: with Moore's law, how long before we expect to see totally autonomous vehicles on the road? How long before they're the majority of vehicles? There is no need for a high level of acceleration or cornering performance in an autonomous vehicle, they'll be part of a mobile borg moving at exactly the correct speed for any given situation.

A child born today may never learn to "drive" in the way that we know it. By the time they reach the age of maturity, a carbureted, gas-powered, human-guided muscle car may very well be as rare a sight as a Model T on the highway. Relegated to museums, collector garages, and specially-permitted private track events, controlled heavily by EPA, safety, and nuisance noise regulations. It isn't a pretty future in that respect, but any car company that hopes to survive needs to have a plan for it. Perhaps Mach 1 is an attempt at cultivating enthusiasm in the next generation of drivers, making an EV that still manages to stir some level of passion in the owner as opposed to where the rest of the industry seems to want to go - forcing people into a toaster-shaped commuter cube.

 

[Carolina Jim]

there weren't many "sweet" cars during that time period

Henry Ford might have started the ball rolling (or the Wheel as it were)...but we have the Europeans to thank for style...and the Asians to thank for quality/reliability

part of a mobile borg moving at exactly the correct speed for any given situation.

The most well-defined megatrend globally is 'urbanization'. City living, as a percentage of overall population, has doubled in the past century. Cities now account for more than 80% of GDP. It won't be too long before that "borg" description is a perfect fit. And it won't be long before personally-owned vehicle mobility, aside from that 'toaster-shaped commuter tube', applies mostly to rural living.

 

[Stampede.Offroad]

. . . Think about this: with Moore's law, how long before we expect to see totally autonomous vehicles on the road? How long before they're the majority of vehicles? . ..

50+ years

We'll all be dead before then.

Most people don't understand enough neurobiology or computer science to realize the vast difference between what even a mediocre human driver can do and what a computer can. The number of variables of driving in the natural environment is enormous. While a computer can do a small number of precision tasks much faster than a human, we're extremely good at approximating a wide variety very quickly.

The only "realistic" way of accelerating that change is to outlaw human vehicle operation. I have no doubt that will be implemented in a variety of small scale testbeds in the not so distant future, for idealogical and political reasons, not practical ones.

 

[BroncoMike]

50+ years

We'll all be dead before then.

Most people don't understand enough neurobiology or computer science to realize the vast difference between what even a mediocre human driver can do and what a computer can. The number of variables of driving in the natural environment is enormous. While a computer can do a small number of precision tasks much faster than a human, we're extremely good at approximating a wide variety very quickly.

The only "realistic" way of accelerating that change is to outlaw human vehicle operation. I have no doubt that will be implemented in a variety of small scale testbeds in the not so distant future, for idealogical and political reasons, not practical ones.

I'd like to go with your timeline, but I fear we'll see it sooner than that. I'll either be dead, or at least not driving, by the time they get too far along. There is a pure joy in driving that future generations may miss out on, and that would be a shame.

 

[Jalisurr]

50+ years

We'll all be dead before then.

Most people don't understand enough neurobiology or computer science to realize the vast difference between what even a mediocre human driver can do and what a computer can. The number of variables of driving in the natural environment is enormous. While a computer can do a small number of precision tasks much faster than a human, we're extremely good at approximating a wide variety very quickly.

The only "realistic" way of accelerating that change is to outlaw human vehicle operation. I have no doubt that will be implemented in a variety of small scale testbeds in the not so distant future, for idealogical and political reasons, not practical ones.

It may be sooner than that but only in designated car-free zones as you mentioned. Large urban centers will likely be the first targets. We won't see the complete removal of human drivers in rural or even suburban areas for a very very long time.

 

[Carolina Jim]

I always thought you were a little suspect anyway

 

[Carolina Jim]

WOW...I hope Bronco has a HUGE screen like that for start-up animation!!!

 

[Carolina Jim]

Maybe a hologram that pops up when you turn off ignition to remind you to check the back seat for a baby!

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