Ford to Offer Chinese Version of Mustang Mach-E
Ford announced that a Chinese version of the Mustang Mach-E, also known by some of us cynical scribes as the Mustang Mock-E, will be built in China by Changan Ford.
It had to happen. Demand for EVs in China are reportedly at an all-time high. Time to strike while the iron’s hot, and the pony car EV which we’ve profiled previously, will sell in the PRC just like L.L. Bean, Converse shoes, iPhones, and some Ray-Bans, all iconic American brands made in China. Ford believes the E-Stang will be a home run at the high end of the Chinese EV market, when it hits the streets later this year.
Ford may not be the first carmaker to offer American EVs made in China to the Chinese, but they are the first auto manufacturer to offer cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology in a massed-produced vehicle in China. Using C-V2X in the Mach-E will help Chinese drivers anticipate driving hazards and improve traffic safety, no doubt a problem there as it is here.
The E-Stang is an EV trading on the Mustang’s legendary performance and name. Localizing production of the Mach-E’s performance edition in China is a bold move to boost revenues with a high-performance edition in a foreign country. The GT high-performance edition will be something of an anomaly on the streets of Shanghai sitting alongside Buick Regals and Veranos. Ah, we’re living in a strange world indeed.
[Images: Ford, Buick]
With a father who owned a dealership, I literally grew up in the business. After college, I worked for GM, Nissan and Mazda, writing articles for automotive enthusiast magazines as a side gig. I discovered you could make a living selling ad space at Four Wheeler magazine, before I moved on to selling TV for the National Hot Rod Association. After that, I started Roadhouse, a marketing, advertising and PR firm dedicated to the automotive, outdoor/apparel, and entertainment industries. Through the years, I continued writing, shooting, and editing. It keep things interesting.
More by Jason R. Sakurai
Comments
Join the conversation
I'm not surprised by these statistics. You obviously would like to see more production in the U.S. but when it comes to China, even if you don't give a whit about creating good paying factory jobs in the United States, or think automation would limit actual jobs, fine. This is becoming a strategic issue. If we cannot build things, what will happen if there was a war with China? They will roll over us like a we're a bug that's what. We couldn't even make our own protective equipment against the COVID until the former President essentially forced it. We may not have that kind of time if there's a major military threat. If Ford wants to make cars with robots, then let them make cars with robots, in the U.S. We have to stop rewarding China and giving them so much sway, and industrial capacity, And if you care about the environment that's yet another reason, given China's lax pollution standards and increasing reliance on coal.
So are they sending product from Mexico to PRC or is it being built in country and sold there? I ask because building it in Mexico not only makes more sense but will allow Ford to keep the factory going if (or when) it doesn't fare so well in the US. Though usually PRC forces foreign companies to give them 50% stake in a join venture in order to build it and sell it there without an extraneous tariff. Funny that, either build it in my country and give us 50% stake or pay 25% (15% for non US companies as of 2018). https://www.autonews.com/automakers-suppliers/new-china-tariffs-hit-75b-us-imports-including-extra-25-car-duty https://www.bbc.com/news/business-46531803