Mustang Coupe

Make
Ford
Segment
Coupe

At this year's Detroit Auto Show, Ford announced a new high-performance electric SUV that would revive the famous Mach 1 moniker. Unsurprisingly, applying the name of a legendary Mustang trim to an electric SUV didn't go down well with fans. Following strong negative reactions, Ford has had to go back to the drawing board. A new name hasn't been confirmed, but it's probably safe to assume Ford won't be calling it the Mach 1.

"We put that out there to evaluate it," Jim Farley, Ford's president of global markets, told Automotive News. "There are pros and cons. I don't want to handicap it at this point, but we got a very strong reaction from people."

Due to arrive in 2020, the electric SUV's design will still be heavily inspired by the Mustang even if it doesn't get named after the Mach 1, combining aggressive styling with EV performance and SUV practicality. "Mustang has a soul. It's a balance of performance and design," the Mustang's chief designer, Darrell Behmer, said. "If you can capitalize on the cachet and let that rub off on the rest of the portfolio, it's a good thing."

So far, Ford has confirmed the battery-electric SUV will have a range of 300 miles and be sold globally. It will likely be based on Ford's new modular electric platform, one of five architectures Ford will use in the future, and is one of 16 electric cars Ford plans to launch by the end of 2022. At least fans can now breath a sigh of relief knowing the fabled Mach 1 name won't be tarnished.