Ford unveiled its Mustang SUV just last month at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show. Already it has announced a smaller Mustang is on the way. Ford said it wasn’t done sprinkling the Mustang name around to other new products. Man, it wasted no time in doing it. So, another, different Ford Mustang is coming soon.

The big shift at Ford to electrification and SUV/truck product lineups is happening now. Most all of its sedans and hatchbacks will be gone in the next couple of years. While Ford developed the Mustang Mach E exclusively for this new small electric SUV it will be collaborating with Volkswagen. 

Is Ford diluting the Mustang brand naming SUVs after the iconic muscle car?

We don’t know whether this was in the works before Ford started taking Mach E reservations or not. If it is a result of robust Mach E reservations then Ford made the right decision to create this new type of Mustang. Some felt it was diluting the Mustang brand by creating this electric SUV in its name. If this is the case then Ford clearly made the right decision.

There are rumors that Ford wants to make the Mustang E an entire EV line, not just one or two vehicles. To do it quickly it will rely on sharing platforms with Volkswagen. The VW platform being discussed is the MEB platform currently used on the VW ID.3. Volkswagen built-in versatility into the MEB so that varying wheelbases, engine locations, and overhangs can all be configured. 

Besides the size and proportion flexibility the MEB platform also allows for rear- or all-wheel-drive. Electric motors can be placed both in the front and back to accomplish this. 

Will the MEB platform be able to accommodate a Mustang design?

Key to Ford’s Mustang DNA applied to other types of vehicles is the dash-to-axle ratio being as long as is reasonable. This is the measurement taken from the base of the windshield to the front wheel centerline. The longer it is proportionally the more of a Mustang look can be achieved. 

One of the few hardpoints for the MEB platform is this distance. It was designed so that the dash-to-axle ratio is shorter than Ford designers would like. There have been negotiations with the two companies to accommodate Ford’s wants and needs. 

When this new Mustang EV will debut is not known. The general consensus is that it will be a crossover, so there are many configurations that must be worked out before development can begin. Since Ford is idling most of its sedans and other cars there could be an existing chassis that would work as a small crossover. Or Ford may choose to develop a whole new platform.

In any case, Ford is on the move with its application of the Mustang brand anointing many an SUV and crossover.