New York (AFP)
Delayed in the electric car, Ford is determined to catch up: the automaker hit hard Monday by unveiling the first electric Mustang, a SUV called Mach-E, expected at dealers in late 2020.
By offering a "clean" version of its iconic brand, Ford hopes to find a place in the high-end segment dominated by Tesla, which has taken a step ahead with its Model S and Model X.
Electric and autonomous vehicles are seen as the future of the automobile, because of a tightening of anti-pollution policies around the world and technological advances even if the general public has not yet fully adopted them.
The Mach-E SUV is the first all-electric vehicle sold by Ford. He will keep the slender silhouette and power of the Mustang, says the mark to the blue oval in a statement.
It comes with two types of engine: propulsion or all-wheel drive with two battery sizes (75.7 kWh and 98.9 kWh) for a range of up to 600 kilometers, and will benefit from a network of 12,500 charging stations .
Ford is betting that American consumers, keen on big cars (SUVs and pickups), at a time when gas prices at the pump are low, could convert to the electric if they were offered a vehicle with a rich history like the Mustang, launched 55 years ago in New York.
It is now possible to pre-order a copy in the United States for $ 500 down payment, says Ford, which hopes to nibble a share of the market for electric vehicles. These currently account for 2% of new car sales in the United States, with Tesla taking the lion's share (80%).
The Mach-E SUV is the first vehicle launched by Ford as part of its ambitious $ 11.5 billion investment plan in electric car production in the coming years.
After the United States, the automaker hopes to sell the Mustang Mach-E in Europe and China, two markets where electric vehicles have really made headway thanks to draconian policies on CO2 emissions.
© 2019 AFP