As 2026 attracts close to, Ford Australia has rolled out its up to date MY2025 Mustang Mach-E SUV with styling and drivetrain tweaks at barely greater costs, however regardless of being the model’s slowest-selling automotive, the Blue Oval maintains it’s proper the place it ought to be.
With 389 gross sales this yr, the electrical Mustang Mach-E is down from the 612 it recorded at the moment final yr. New electrical autos (EVs) have continued to reach right here in droves, saturating the Australian market, whereas rivals just like the Tesla Mannequin Y are nonetheless steaming forward sales-wise.
When CarExpert requested whether or not Mustang Mach-E uptake has met the model’s expectations, Ford Australia advertising and marketing director Ambrose Henderson mentioned there have been “a pair issues to notice”.
“The primary one is the market’s immensely aggressive. Arguably, the Australian automotive market is essentially the most aggressive on the earth by way of the variety of entries and the fierceness of the competitors right here,” he mentioned on the up to date mannequin’s launch.
“For us, we predict with the updates that we’ve made by way of design, the expertise, the drive really feel, and dynamics will resonate with prospects. We’re actually enthusiastic about what that can do going ahead.”
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Mr Henderson wouldn’t disclose Ford’s gross sales targets for the Mach-E, however reiterated that the model believes it’s “positioned accurately from a value perspective to match … gross sales expectations”.
The up to date three-member Mach-E vary is as much as $1000 costlier than earlier than. The bottom Mach-E Choose now begins at $65,990 earlier than on-roads (up from $64,990 earlier than on-roads), whereas the Premium and GT are each up by $500 at $80,490 and $98,490 earlier than on-roads respectively.
That’s regardless of a number of rivals remaining comfortably under $60,000 earlier than on-roads. This contains the segment-dominating Mannequin Y, which begins at $58,900 earlier than on-roads, whereas a number of Chinese language choices are cheaper nonetheless.
Additional, beforehand dismissed contenders just like the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra are due for substantial updates (the latter dropping costs by as much as $7000 within the course of). On the similar time, current updates to the Skoda Enyaq have brought vital all-around enhancements.
This might all be dangerous information for Ford, as a result of whereas the Mach-E has outsold all of these bar the bZ4X up to now this yr, its worth proposition is changing into much less engaging as beforehand EV-averse manufacturers step up their recreation.
Regardless of that, Mr Henderson outlined that the Mach-E wasn’t constructed to compete with in any other case bland, mainstream EVs; as a substitute, Ford believes it cast its personal stylistic id whereas remaining “genuine” to the model and the remainder of its portfolio – previous and current.
“The very last thing I’d say is … it’s actually about us being genuine to what we’re sturdy in and what we signify,” he advised CarExpert.
“There are a whole lot of aerodynamically designed white bins on the street which can be EVs, and that’s not us. That isn’t what we needed to ship.
“We needed to ship one thing that was authentically Ford, and actually leverage off what’s a worldwide icon with the Mustang.”
In fact, the Mustang Mach-E seems to contradict Ford CEO Jim Farley’s declaration that his model would “by no means make an all-electric Mustang“. Granted, he made that remark lengthy after the Mustang Mach-E entered manufacturing, however there’s little doubt the ‘Mustang’ branding has helped increase mannequin consciousness of this mid-size electrical SUV.
“[Mustang] celebrated its sixtieth yr this yr, and we needed to supply prospects with an alternative choice to that ‘conventional’ Mustang, which is able to all the time have a spot, and provides them an electrical model that delivers the identical pleasure, the identical emotion, the identical thrill of the drive, and the identical form of design, which you’ll be able to’t get on just about every other mainstream EV available on the market,” Mr Henderson mentioned.
“We’re enthusiastic about what that represents and the way it hyperlinks with our model, and we’ll see what prospects say as these go on sale.”
Fashions just like the Mustang Mach-E shall be vital for Ford as world emissions rules tighten, significantly in Australia, the place manufacturers shall be penalised for exceeding carbon dioxide targets underneath the federal government’s New Automobile Effectivity Commonplace (NVES).
The Mach-E has lengthy been Ford’s solely totally electrical mannequin in Australia aimed toward non-public consumers, with the E-Transit and not too long ago launched E-Transit Customized vans naturally being focused at fleets.
The Blue Oval additionally gives a pair of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) with its Ranger ute and Transit Customized van, although its gross sales are nonetheless dominated by diesel and petrol fashions.
Ford Australia scuttled plans to launch the Puma Gen-E electrical SUV again in 2024 because the model shifted focus to electrified utes and vans.
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