Ford is gearing up to open orders for its first fully-electric SUV in Australia, the Mustang Mach-E.
Potential buyers will be able to get in the queue to reserve a Mustang Mach-E “very shortly”, according to Ford Australia marketing manager Danni Winter.
Buyers will need to register online with Ford Australia to secure a spot in the queue.
Once they’ve been allocated a car and selected their preferred dealership, customers will be free to negotiate with that dealer (or dealers with customers) regarding the final purchase price.
Ford hasn’t confirmed how many vehicles it’ll have to sell at launch in the fourth quarter, but local boss Andrew Birkic said recent changes to global production will allow the Blue Oval to bring the car “not only in sufficient quantities, but with a sufficient mix”.
Currently, there are 26 dealers set up to sell electric cars in the Ford network, but that figure will grow to 71 before the Mach-E arrives in the fourth quarter of 2023.
“We’ll be supporting our dealers in partnership to manage that pipeline,” Ms Winter confirmed, “particularly because we expect to see significant demand across the three variants.”
“We want to make sure we get the customer in as quickly as we can,” she said.
Carmakers have taken a range of approaches to selling their in-demand electric cars locally.
Tesla sells direct to customers online, Hyundai head office is using a direct-to-consumer model with fixed prices for the Ioniq range of electric vehicles at launch, while Kia Australia has left allocating the in-demand EV6 to each dealer.
The Blue Oval has confirmed the Mustang Mach-E will touch down in Australia in the fourth quarter of 2023, with three trim levels and two battery options.
As CarExpert reported last August, the electric SUV will join the Ford e-Transit in the brand’s electric car range, and forms part of a broader plan to bring five EVs to Australia by the end of 2024.
The shorter range option will be the entry-level Select, with a 71kWh (usable) lithium-ion battery pack mated with a 198kW and 430Nm electric motor on the rear axle. Expect a range of around 470km.
Moving up to the Mach-E Premium brings a 91kWh (usable) battery pack, mated with a 216kW and 430Nm battery pack on the rear axle for a claimed range nudging 600km. That makes it one of the longest-range cars in Australia, at least based on manufacturer claims.
Powering the range-topping GT are two motors making a combined 358kW and 860Nm. Claimed range is 490km, and thanks to that healthy torque figures and all-wheel drive traction, it’ll hit 100km/h in 3.7 seconds… with a one-foot rollout.
Maximum DC charge power is 115kW on models with the smaller battery and 150kW on those with the larger battery.
Daniel Ricciardo at the reveal of the Mach-E in Melbourne
Pricing and final specifications haven’t been confirmed.
The range opens at US$45,995 (~$68,800) for the rear-wheel drive Select with the standard range battery, and tops out at $63,995 (~$95,750) for the GT which comes only with the larger battery in North America.
You can, however, spend an extra $6000 (~$9200) on a special GT Performance Pack in the car’s home market.
The car’s biggest rival will likely be the Tesla Model Y, which kicks off at $69,300 and extends to $95,300 before on-roads.
