When the Ford Mustang Mach-E was first introduced, it seemed people were either very excited about it, or very upset. This is because Ford chose to put the iconic Mustang name on a four-door SUV, not to mention the fact that the pony crossover wouldn't be available with a throaty gas engine. Can you imagine how folks would have reacted if the Mach-E even slightly resembled a Toyota Prius?
Regardless of the early criticism, people have seemingly warmed up to the idea of a fully electric Mustang crossover. However, had the people at Ford – and more specifically, Jim Farley – not been very particular about the Mustang Mach-E's overall design, we could be telling a very different story today.
According to a recent story by Drive Tesla Canada, Jim Farley got to see an early design sketch of the Mustang Mach-E back in 2017, before has was Ford's CEO. At the time, Farley was responsible for the automaker's global markets.
When Farley was shown a sketch of the Mustang Mach-E, he wasn't happy with it at all. In fact, he told The Wall Street Journal in a recent interview that the early sketch reminded him of a Toyota Prius. Farley said:
“It looks like a Prius. That’s a joke. What are we doing?”
Clearly, the Mach-E sketch couldn't have looked anything like the production car, since it would be hard to argue that today's Mach-E bears any resemblance to the subcompact Toyota hybrid hatchback.
Needless to say, Farley made it clear that Ford shouldn't be putting the Mustang name on a car that looks like a Prius. The designers had to throw out the early sketches and start fresh. While it was likely the best thing that could have happened to the Mustang Mach-E, it also caused production delays. After Ford's designers started over, the Mach-E's release had to be pushed back by many months.
What's your take on the design of the Ford Mustang Mach-E? How do you feel about Ford using the Mustang name? Leave us your thoughts in the comment section below.
