Long gone are the days of on-road performance vehicles shipping out from Ford, save for the iconic Mustang muscle car, that is, with the automaker shifting focus to off-roading SUVs and trucks. Even the Mustang coupe and convertible is struggling to move units these days, so Ford has a solid argument for retreating from the sporty segment.
Meanwhile, the Mustang-branded SUV, the Mach-E, has been a strong sales success for the brand, including its hotter Rally trim. Now, Ford could complement its gas off-road performance branding and replace its old street-smart vehicles with tuned BEVs in the near future.
Ford
Ford is one of America’s oldest automakers and one of the oldest in the world, popularized for being the first to effectively mass produce the automobile under Henry Ford with the Ford Model T. In over 120 years, Ford has become a sales leader in a variety of segments, with popular nameplates like the Ford F-150, Transit, and Mustang.
- Founded
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June 16, 1903
- Founder
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Henry Ford
- Headquarters
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Dearborn, Michigan, USA
- Owned By
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Publicly Traded
- Current CEO
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Jim Farley
Eager Ford Employees Want Fun
Ford reportedly wants it to happen, with Ford’s European Product Marketing Chief, Jan Herzog, telling AutoExpress that the automaker “would love an ST or RS variant” of its electric vehicles. AutoExpress also reports company insiders are pushing to get the ST and RS performance branding back on its vehicles. Currently, only the Ford Puma ST will be on sale going forward in European markets, with no ST or RS models in the U.S., and with the Euro Focus ST dying this year.
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The Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally is by far the hottest EV the automaker has produced for regular sale, and one of the most capable electric SUVs available on the market, with an output of 480 horsepower and 700 lb-ft of torque through its all-wheel drive system.
It also boasts a lifted suspension, a special sporting drive mode, integrated rally lights, and a Focus RS-inspired rear wing, so we’re already a few steps on our way to a Mach-E RS that could come in the future, since the Rally is more overlanding-focused.
What A Ford Mustang Mach-E RS Could Offer
If Ford were to build a Mach-E RS for the U.S. market right now, we’d guess it would get similar upgrades to the Rally, just without the raised suspension and rally bits. Keep the RS spoiler, tack on a big front splitter that is all the rage these days, maybe widen the track and arches a bit, put on some bigger wheels, brakes, and stickier rubber, and then price an absurd premium for it.
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Herzog also promised AutoExpress “a sportier version” of the Puma EV was already in the cards, just possibly not for a few more years. For those of us on American soil, there’s little to look forward to at this point, but once more affordable EVs become commonplace, Ford will no doubt start looking for ways to tinker.
Source: AutoExpress
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