Ford reveals details of its Australian electric vehicle plans

I recently attended the local media launch of the Ford Mustang Mach-E on the Gold Coast and spoke with several Ford Australia employees about the company’s electrification plans during the event.

The Mach-E is Ford’s first passenger electric vehicle for the Australian market, with deliveries beginning in December this year for those customers who have placed orders already.

Australian pricing and specifications for the Mustang Mach-E were well known before the launch, and details can be found in previous articles published back in July and September 2023. My driving impressions and opinions on the Mach-E from the launch event will also be published on October 24 after the media embargo lifts.

Key points for the Mach-E are a starting price of $79,990 before on-road costs for the rear-wheel drive Select model, which offers up to 470 km of WLTP driving range from its 71 kWh LFP battery. Next in the line-up is the RWD Premium at $91,665 before on-roads, with 600 km WLTP range from its larger 91 kWh NCM battery. 

The range topping GT variant utilises the same 91 kWh NCM battery and adds a second motor for the front axle for AWD grip and a 0-100 km/h time of 3.7 seconds, with 1-foot rollout subtracted.

WLTP driving range is reduced to 490 km for the GT due to the increased power and larger 20” wheels. The Mustang Mach-E GT is $107,665 before on-road costs and is currently Ford’s quickest vehicle on sale.

Ford Australia appears to be following a similar electrification strategy to other legacy automakers such as Peugeot, first introducing their light commercial E-Transit van which Bryce test drove back in May.

Unlike other legacy automakers however, the Mustang Mach-E is built on a dedicated EV platform and features a flat floor in the rear and large 139 L frunk with drainage holes.

During the product presentation, Product Marketing Manager Myles Hartley confirmed several details of the order pipeline for the Mustang Mach-E.

Hartley said Ford has hundreds of Mach-E orders and 40% of these are for the GT initially. Ford Australia has secured good supply for our market with thousands of Mach-Es available, so there will be no need for auction style limited releases like people were subjected to for the Hyundai IONIQ 5. 

Hartley also mentioned that in overseas markets, 65% of Mustang Mach-E customers were new to the Ford brand. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues in Australia where we still have limited supply of EVs compared to overseas markets.

Four shipments of Mach-E vehicles are due to arrive in Australia before the end of the year. These will initially be used to fulfil customer orders before being allocated to Ford dealerships.

Ford will be using a hybrid sales approach for the Mach-E, so customers can either place an order online or purchase through a dealership if they prefer the experience of haggling with a salesperson.

In terms of Ford’s future EV models, Product Communications Manager Ben Nightingale confirmed the next passenger EV from Ford will be the Puma BEV arriving during the second half of 2024.

Details for the Puma BEV are currently unknown, but it’s a small SUV compared to the Mustang Mach-E. On the light commercial side, the smaller E-Transit Custom will also be coming in the second half of next year. 

Ford is taking a wait and see approach for the Mustang Mach-E Rally in Australia. Hartley and Nightingale confirmed that Ford will focus on initial orders for the Mach-E first and then continue to see what their customers want. 

When asked about the possibility of the F-150 Lightning coming to Australia, Communications Director Matt Moran was tight lipped. “We love the F-150 Lightning, but there’s nothing we can say about it coming to Australia.” Moran also confirmed that the first F-150 Lightning spotted in Australia was a private import and has nothing to do with Ford Australia.

Stay tuned for more details on the Mustang Mach-E when our test drive article is published on October 24.