Ford Amps Up the Starpower for EV Crossover Launch
Two weeks from its global debut, there’s still no confirmation of the name adorning Ford’s upcoming “Mustang-inspired” EV, though we’ve been calling it Mach E for some time. Prove us wrong. What is known at this time is what actor will be alongside it for part of its journey: Idris Elba, former star of The Wire, though perhaps even more famous for a character he hasn’t played (James Bond).
Ford’s no stranger to tapping Hollywood to hawk its products, with the automaker recently choosing Breaking Bad‘s Bryan Cranston after spending years using a comic/actor whose early-90s stand-up routines taught everyone the dangers of wearing a leather jacket in a warm indoor space. Elba seems to be on the hook for more than just promotion, however. The fashionable actor/singer/etc once worked in a Ford plant, so you know there’s going to be an autobiographical angle.
The UK actor worked nights in the early 90s in Ford’s Dagenham assembly plant, cranking out Fiestas for a hungry populace.
“My dad also worked at Ford. It’s practically in my blood. So working on this project and getting behind the wheel of a car that takes us all towards the future feels like things are coming full circle, but with more exhilaration and tech,” Elba said, via Ford.
The automaker’s marketing agency, BBDO, has the actor geared up to appear at both the launch activities and in a global marketing campaign for the crossover, AdAge reports. The big reveal comes Nov. 17th at an off-site locale near the L.A. Auto Show.
Riding atop a dedicated platform, the EV remains shrouded in secrecy, though not as much as before. The automaker teased the new product in a sketch, and we’ve learned it will boast a choice of three battery packs, with at least one rear-drive variant. Other variants will make use of a motor front and aft for all-wheel grip. Maximum driving range is said to be just over 300 miles with the largest battery and rear-drive.
Built in Mexico, the crossover will rely heavily on its yet-to-be-revealed performance specs and Mustang-adjacent styling to get noticed, as there’s few things less sexy than a gas-free crossover. The addition of Elba to the Mach E’s entourage is the latest gambit to draw eyes.
[Image: Ford]
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This seems like an appropriate time to introduce some hard realities in place of the childhood fantasies that one might still harbor: - James Bond movies are unrealistic. - New cars are not immune to entropy. - The person in the White House is not going to solve all your problems.
Ford is all talk with this EV stuff, I’ll believe it when I see it. Rumors of a BEV F150 are just that and their F150 EV stunt pulling a train is not a production vehicle or even a prototype. I think Ford will be much better at manufacturing excuses than actual BEV’s, for which there is very little business case to justify the needed investment.