Ford begins manufacturing the Mach-E in China
Ford has started production of the all-electric Mustang Mach-E in China and opened the order books there at the same time. The Mustang Mach-E, produced at Changan Ford’s plant in Chongqing, is scheduled for delivery to customers later this year.
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Pre-orders for the Mustang Mach-E built at Changan have been available since April 2021, but now the first vehicle has rolled off the line, according to Ford. Binding orders are now being accepted in parallel with the start of production. Ford emphasises that sales of the E-SUV in China will take place through direct sales in special “Electric Vehicle City Stores”. Ford plans to open 25 of these outlets in major metropolitan areas by the end of the year, and 100 shops within five years.
Ford states in the announcement that orders are available for the Mustang Mach-E RWD (Long Range), RWD Premium (Long Range), RWD (Standard Range) and GT First Edition. The top model GT is thus currently the only all-wheel drive version available for order – in April the Extended Range AWD was also announced.
Ford seems to have adjusted the model range of the Mustang Mach-E in China somewhat since the summer. In July, the American company had announced a fifth variant of the electric SUV for China, the “Edition SE”. In China, only vehicles that cost less than 300,000 yuan are currently promoted. Therefore, until now only the standard Range RWD with a price of 265,000 yuan was eligible, even the Extended Range RWD was above this limit.
This variant with a large battery and rear-wheel drive is now likely to be the RWD Premium (Long Range). The “Edition SE” with the same powertrain but reduced equipment was announced in the summer at an eligible 282,000 yuan and should now be offered as the Mustang Mach-E RWD (Long Range). It is not clear from Ford’s announcement whether the all-wheel-drive variant with a large battery was later added to the range or dropped without replacement.
While the Mustang Mach-E for North America and Europe will be built in Mexico (with battery cells from LG Energy Solution’s Wroclaw plant in Poland), the electric SUV for China will be manufactured locally by Ford with its joint venture partner Changan. Ford does not specify from which supplier the battery cells of the Mustang Mach-E built in China come.
Update 03 January 2022
Ford started customer deliveries of the Mustang Mach-E in China at the end of the year. The first vehicle was handed over to a customer on 26 December by Mark Kaufman, General Manager Ford China BEV Division.
Unlike the examples for the world market, which are built in Mexico, the production of the Mustang Mach-E for China takes place at Changan Ford in Chongqing.
Update 01 November 2022
Ford Mustang Mach-E prices in China have been cut by as much as RMB 28,000 in response to the recent price cuts by Tesla in China. Before the price cuts, the Mach-E was available in four different trim variants, with prices ranging from RMB 275,900 ($37,990) to RMB 389,900 ($53,600). This would be an issue for sales, as the newer Chinese subsidies for electric vehicles stop at RMB 300,000, meaning that three of the four variants would not comply.
The newly adjusted prices of these four versions now stand at RMB 249,900 ($34,400), RMB 288,900 ($39,770), RMB 349,900 ($48,170), and RMB 369,900 ($50,920), meaning that two of the variants will now qualify. China recently announced the extension of their NEV subsidies, which had been extended on a yearly basis from 2020, when they were originally set to expire.
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