The Yanks Are Coming! Ford Mustang Mach-E Heading Down Under

Overpaid, oversexed, and over here was the common complaint made by Australian soldiers about the Yanks during the Second World War. Now, with the coming of the Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUV to the Australian market, the same might be said again. But it won’t be a complaint. There are many Mustangs on the highways of Australasia and they are a beauty to behold. Oversexy, over here, and electric. The Yanks are coming!

CarExpert tells us: “It’s perhaps no surprise the Mustang Mach-E is coming here, considering right-hand drive deliveries began in the UK and Ireland last year and Ford recently confirmed it for an early 2023 launch in New Zealand. It’s unclear what variants will make the trip to Australia, but in the UK it’s offered in RWD, AWD and GT variants.”

Price will be another consideration, as competition is heating up from Chinese imports. Will the Mustang Mach-E give the Tesla Model Y and BYD Atto 3 a run for their money? You bet.

Ford has announced five electrified models due in Australia by 2024. The Escape PHEV was launched this year, the electric E-Transit and E-Transit Custom vans are due in 2023 and 2024, respectively, and we are perhaps even getting a plugin Ranger (PHEV).

Ford Motor Company is currently producing about 2,000 Mach-E electric SUVs per week at its plant in Cuautitlan, Mexico. However, the Australian version may be sourced from Ford production facilities in China — Chang’an Ford. That would alleviate the supply bottleneck limiting sales in the USA. Chang’an Ford in Chongqing has been producing the Mach-E since October 2021.

Ford’s Mustang Mach-E is available in four versions on the Chinese market — the Mustang Mach-E GT First Edition, GT rear-wheel drive and rear-while drive luxury versions (both long range), and Yueshi rear-wheel drive version (standard range).

I asked the Ford Mustang Australia Facebook group what they thought and received a range of reactions. The one I expected: “In my view it is not a Mustang. Doesn’t look like, smell like or sound like a Mustang. Why ruin a brand?” And the ones I didn’t: “Every brand has to be seen to be making an environmentally friendly car. Ticks a box.” And: “I’d buy one. If you look past the ‘mustang’ name which people seem so oddly fixated on, it’s a great performance SUV, of which we have basically no alternative in Australia.”

Of course, it will all come down to supply. Getting a Mustang Mach-E in Australia might be like getting a Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Kia EV6 – which has become almost a lottery due to the short supply. If you send them, they will sell!