Mach-E Will Not Migrate to Universal EV Platform

[Kamuelaflyer]

We have known that the Mach-E is dead for 2 years now. Once you get within the window for a redesign and no redesign comes, you know that this product is a dead car walking.

Yes and no. Or "yes, but" if you prefer.

The average time between model generations at Ford since the year 2000 is 5 to 7 years. We're at the 5-year mark with the mach-e.

The but part? The Expedition averages 8 to 10 years, the Explorer averages 6 to 7 years, while the Mustang averages 7 to 9 years. The champion at new generations? The F-150, which gets them every 5 to 6 years on average. More sales? Faster regeneration.

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[Maui]

so maybe they don't move the mach-e over to it, but provide a suitable replacement and maybe call it something else. Maybe just "Mustang"

 

[Mantastic]

Yes and no. Or "yes, but" if you prefer.

The average time between model generations at Ford since the year 2000 is 5 to 7 years. We're at the 5-year mark with the mach-e.

The but part? The Expedition averages 8 to 10 years, the Explorer averages 6 to 7 years, while the Mustang averages 7 to 9 years. The champion at new generations? The F-150, which gets them every 5 to 6 years on average. More sales? Faster regeneration.

I'd actually say it's seven years, if you take into consideration that it came out at the very tail end of 2020, and include some of the later development time prior to release to finalize the tech and build.

It's quite long in the tooth now, especially with how others have leapfrogged it in certain areas like lvl charging speed.

All I know is I really hope this means the Mach-E will stay on it's own platform, and the next one greatly improves on the current one without cheaping out.

 

[phil]

I’m confused as to why anyone cares about the Mach E being discontinued in another 1 to 3 years.

Yeah, I don't care about this. I like the Mach-E, but if I ever need a new car again, I would probably rather get a different make/model, just for variety if nothing else.

Isn’t it waaayyy more important whether Ford continues to support SYNC 4A? BlueCruise 1.x?

I don't understand why this is important either. Sync 4A and BC 1.5 or whatever is already built. What continued "support" is needed?

 

[bearswalker]

Are there really people who buy the same model car every few years? That’s like a thing? Or people who are like “it’s gotta be a Ford”? Why?

My dad was a Ford man until I graduated from college and he graduated to Mercedes. He had '65, '71 and '72 Mustangs, and a whole series of Fords (a couple Lincolns, too) starting in '46. I like Fords because they (the cars, dealers not so much) have generally treated me well.

At this time I have no thoughts to replace my MME. As I drive it more, and become more attuned to its quirks and EVs in general, it's becoming even more fun to drive. Pulled out of the grocery store parking lot ahead of oncoming traffic this afternoon, uhoh, 62 in a 35 before I glanced down, but no one rear-ended me.

When the time comes to shop for another car, Ford will be in the mix, but it's not a shoo-in. And if MMEs are still available, I'll take a look.

 

[0CO2]

I’ve been hating on Ford for years, given all the pains and unreliability issues of having an early Job 1 (‘21 of course) First Edition Mach-e delivered (somehow miraculously) in the depth of the pandemic (January 2021).

I’m in the market for a 4-door offroad capable truck for my business. Currently I lease three Wrangler Rubicons and they have been great, even though I’m going to have to swap one because it keeps throwing codes about power steering overheating. Stellantis! No surprises there.

Anyway my choice for the truck purchase is between another Wrangler (safe bet), full size Bronco body on frame (not the toy unibody “Sport”) or the Rivian R2.

The biggest downside of the R2 is we do a lot of work in the deserts of the Pac NE and in the Southwest where charging infrastructure is still awful - so the two aforementioned fossil trucks have the advantage.

Nevertheless, not wanting to rule out adding another EV to our fleet I test drove an R2 yesterday in PDX. Overall very favorable impression. The use of available space was really excellent, so far more cargo volume then the Wrangler/Bronco. The super aggressive regen available made it the most “1-pedal drive” vehicle I’ve ever driven and I really liked that.

I loaded a sound meter app on my iphone, drove an urban +freeway route in my Mach-e FE and the same route in the R2. I was surprised that the average sound level in the R2 was around 10 dB higher than in the MME. I don’t expect that. Also there were noticeable rattles in the Rivian and none in my 5 ½ year old 61k mile MME.

I really preferred the Bluecruise interface to Rivian Autonomy, but I suppose I could get used to it. R2 nav is basically ABRP since that’s the company Rivian bought, so the UI is a tweaked version of the same product.

No Car Play in the R2 and that sucks.

I might well buy the R2 despite all of that since I need the internal volume and towing capacity. The range and charging curve are excellent for an American made EV, and 1-2 generations behind an Asian one, and the battery chemistry Rivian chose is a concern, trading off high energy density when brand new for higher degradation rates than other chemistries, or so I’m told.

If I decide electric won’t hack it for the wilds of Nevada and end up with a gas truck - Bronco? Not a chance. Yes it’s a more refined design than Wrangler and even has more internal volume, but the only thing less reliable than a Stellantis product is a Ford. Does a week go by when there isn’t at least one or two Ford recalls? I can’t afford truck downtime, we lose money that way… and I don’t relish the prospect of those 120 mile towing bills from out in the desert.

 

[corradoborg]

Tell me that you didn’t pay attention to his methane “turbine” or his quixotic ChatGPT trial without telling me you paid no attention.

Let's not forget his ridiculous and literally impossible "data centers in space" idea, which is a large part of what made the SpaceX IPO go so well and made him the world's first trillionaire. The man will literally say anything - even things that go against the laws of physics and thermodynamics - to manipulate the market. And the SEC just sits on its collective thumbs while the techbros shovel more money into the furnace.

 

[Ford_orr]

I'll say what I tell my paranoid sister all the time: Don't worry about what hasn't happened, or may never happen - just worry about what's happening now.

The Mach E is still in production and still being sold. Until Ford says otherwise, I'm gonna enjoy the crap out of my Mach until the wheels fall off and not worry about any "what ifs".

 

[SonicBlue]

I don't understand why this is important either. Sync 4A and BC 1.5 or whatever is already built. What continued "support" is needed?

Well, it’d be a nice plus to still get new enhancements to the SYNC system over time… (instead of the update they just released).

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

I'd actually say it's seven years, if you take into consideration that it came out at the very tail end of 2020, and include some of the later development time prior to release to finalize the tech and build.

It's quite long in the tooth now, especially with how others have leapfrogged it in certain areas like lvl charging speed.

All I know is I really hope this means the Mach-E will stay on it's own platform, and the next one greatly improves on the current one without cheaping out.

Thats not how car generations are normally measured, but I understand your point. As for the rest, who knows? We’ll find out — sooner or later. I’m actually not particularly pessimistic about the mach-e’s future.

What I find disconcerting about this article isn’t that the Mach-E isn’t migrating to the UEV platform. While that certainly says something about the Mach-E’s future. The problem is that we don’t know exactly what.

One interpretation is pessimistic: Ford has decided the Mach-E is not a long-term proposition and doesn’t want to spend the money to move it onto the new architecture.

Another interpretation is much less dramatic. The current Mach-E platform is already developed, paid for, and well understood. If Ford believes it can continue improving the vehicle without spending millions on a migration, then staying put may simply be the better business decision. I’m personally more inclined towards this viewpoint.

The reality is that both explanations can fit the facts we currently have.

What I don’t automatically buy is the implication that “no migration plan” means “end of the line.” Ford has already invested a ton of money in the Mach-E program. Most of the major development costs were incurred and accounted for years ago. Whether the vehicle is currently profitable, marginally profitable, or losing some money, is a very different question from whether it makes financial sense to launch an all-new version on a new platform.

The bigger question is whether Ford still sees the Mach-E as strategically important enough to continue investing in it.

That’s where I find the current situation murky. Some of Ford’s recent actions can be interpreted as a company refining and improving a successful product. Other actions can be interpreted as a company increasingly focused on reducing costs. Depending on which signals you choose to emphasize, you can reach very different conclusions.

Long-term is also a slippery concept in corporate culture. To an owner planning to keep a vehicle for ten years, “long-term” means a decade or more. To a publicly traded company, long-term can sometimes mean the next product cycle, or even the next quarterly earnings call. Those are very different timelines.

For me, the article raises questions more than it answers them. It doesn’t convince me that the mach-e is going away, but it also doesn’t provide much reassurance about where the nameplate fits into Ford’s plans five or ten years from now.

As someone whose next EV purchase is probably several years away, I find that uncertainty worth paying attention to, but not yet a reason to assume the worst.

 

[Jimrpa]

Yes and no. Or "yes, but" if you prefer.

The average time between model generations at Ford since the year 2000 is 5 to 7 years. We're at the 5-year mark with the mach-e.

The but part? The Expedition averages 8 to 10 years, the Explorer averages 6 to 7 years, while the Mustang averages 7 to 9 years. The champion at new generations? The F-150, which gets them every 5 to 6 years on average. More sales? Faster regeneration.

I remember back when product cycles were 3-4 years

 

[Jimrpa]

Let's not forget his ridiculous and literally impossible "data centers in space" idea, which is a large part of what made the SpaceX IPO go so well and made him the world's first trillionaire. The man will literally say anything - even things that go against the laws of physics and thermodynamics - to manipulate the market. And the SEC just sits on its collective thumbs while the techbros shovel more money into the furnace.

Heat dissipation. Those “space data centers” will have radiator panels that will dwarf their solar arrays

 

[celestial_knight]

Mach E successor will be several years out

Ford and Hyundai make the most fun EVs available in the US; maybe Porsche if you don't care about one pedal or ADAS. I think you can see where this is going

Tesla FSD is fantastic - a time and energy saver, but Juniper Performance is still very "digital" and even a bit mushy. Maybe I'll get a Model 3 Performance but will lose spaceship looks

BMW EVs try to be like their gas cars, but then you just have a heavy gas car. Still, the i4 in its m50/m60 trim is smoother and more EV like and might be 3rd or 4th most fun after Ford Porsche Hyundai

Maybe I'll go for so called mild hybrid performance cars. Tiny battery that assists with torque. M340i was pretty boring though, so perhaps I'll be a big spender and get a new Porsche mild hybrid. It's going to have to be pretty special to be worth the trade off of not having one pedal

 

[phil]

Tesla FSD is fantastic - a time and energy saver,

How does it save time? I have no experience with their FSD, but based on reviews and videos, I always thought FSD would take longer to get from Point A to Point B than a capable human driver would take. Is that no longer true?

 

[phil]

Well, it’d be a nice plus to still get new enhancements to the SYNC system over time… (instead of the update they just released).

Yes, that would be nice. But after 5 years of minimal enhancements, I've abandoned all hope of that. I actually think that Mach-E SYNC has gotten slightly worse over the past 4 years.

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