Ford's been teasing a Mustang-inspired electric crossover for quite a while now, first with the "Mach 1" teaser in Detroit in 2018 that caused people to take to the internet with pitchforks and torches.
We've seen other teasers for the new model since that time, and now according to a report Tuesday by Autocar.co.uk, we can expect to see a lot more than that before the end of the year. Autocar says Ford's electric crossover will debut to the public in concept form sometime this year, with a production version expected to see the light sometime in 2020.
Those are pretty bold statements, and it's not entirely clear where Autocar is getting its information, but let's take a look at what Ford has confirmed about this new EV. We know it's not going to be called the Mach 1 and that Ford is targeting a 300 mile maximum range on the EPA cycle.
That's it. That's all we know for sure, though it's safe to guess that this new model would almost certainly have to be built on a new platform. It will also likely be marketed as a more performance-oriented competitor for Tesla's Model Y and as perhaps a more affordable alternative to Jaguar's I-Pace.
When asked for confirmation on Autocar's speculation, Emma Bergg, communications manager for Ford's EV program, responded, "We do not comment on speculation related to our future products."
We'd be excited to see Ford get fully into the EV game and offer real (affordable) competition to brands like Tesla, Jaguar, Audi and Porsche and maybe spur folks at General Motors into making something a little more exciting than the Bolt.
Originally published May 21, 12:30 p.m. PT.
Update, 2:28 p.m.: Adds comment from Ford.
Update, 5:26 p.m.: Corrects EPA range estimate.