Ford had two high-profile electric vehicle reveals set to follow the F-150 Lightning’s splash, but Explorer and Aviator EVs aren’t coming for a little while longer. According to an Automotive News report on Friday, the automaker delayed both vehicles by roughly 18 months to focus on the Mustang Mach-E instead.
Citing a leaked supplier memo, the two new SUVs were meant to begin production at the same Mexico-based production facility as the Mustang Mach-E. However, delaying the pair of vehicles gives the Mustang-badged EV far more room to expand production. In an interview with the publication, Ford Chief Operating Officer Lisa Drake said the entire plant will be dedicated to the Mustang Mach-E. That’ll give the carmaker up to 200,000 units of production annually without an Explorer EV or Aviator EV taking up space.
© Ford
Ford declined to comment on the future vehicles named, but said in a statement, “We have unprecedented demand for Mustang Mach-E and we are going to scale production quickly to meet demand. We are now planning to utilize the entire Cuautitlan plant for production of Mach-E. We will increase production starting in 2022 and expect to reach 200,000-plus units per year by 2023.”
The decision means a forthcoming Explorer and Aviator EV duo will likely find a home for production in the US or Canada. Automotive News rightly categorizes the decision as a possible flashpoint for the United Auto Workers and Canada’s Unifor union when labor contract negotiations begin in late 2023. According to the memo, both of the electric SUVs will enter production in late 2024, a delay from a previous mid-2023 timeline.
2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT and Performance Edition are wild electric horses
1/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow The Mustang Mach-E is one of our favorite electric SUVs, but it always felt like it could use some more excitement to deserve that pony badge. 2/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow That’s where the GT and Performance Edition models come in. 3/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow With 480 horsepower and either 600 or 634 pound-feet of torque on tap, there’s plenty of excitement to go around. 4/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow Of course, it’s not all about the power. 5/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow Ford also tweaked the brakes, suspension and electronics to make for a more engaging ride. 6/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow The GT, for example, gets bespoke Continental all-season tires and the Performance Edition gets summer-only Pirellis. 7/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow The brakes are bigger and come from Brembo, along with new pedal calibration. 8/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow There is a new drive mode called Unbridled Extend which offers longer-lasting and more consistent performance for track use. 9/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow Traction control and stability control are now user-defeatable. 10/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow These changes on top of the Mach-E’s good looks and reasonable price make it one hell of a performance EV option. 11/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 12/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 13/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 14/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 15/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 16/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 17/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 18/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 19/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 20/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 21/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 22/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 23/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 24/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 25/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 26/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 27/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 28/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 29/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 30/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 31/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow 32/32 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow
This was originally published on Roadshow.
Keyword: Ford Explorer, Lincoln Aviator EVs coming, report says, but delayed to focus on Mustang Mach-E