Ford's ready to usher in a new era with the coming of the Mustang Mach-E, but the model reportedly won't be flying off the production line in massive numbers.
Detroit News reporter Ian Thibodeau first reported the news, quoting Ford President of Automotive Joe Hinrichs in a tweet on Tuesday saying just 50,000 Mustang Mach-E models will be built in its first year of production. Ford confirmed this information with Roadshow, and the automaker said in a statement, "We project that sales volumes will be limited to about 50,000 globally the first year due to battery supply."
A total of 50,000 vehicles for a full year of production is, well, not a lot when compared to traditional vehicles. However, as Ford's statement and Hinrichs' comments explained, there's a good reason. Without enough batteries, it's hard to continue building an electric car. Quickly, it's becoming clear automakers will not a lot more batteries in the near future.
Even if Ford sells all 50,000 in the first year, that'll still be enough to easily outdo the Chevrolet Bolt EV's best sales year thus far. Chevy's electric car found around 23,000 buyers in 2017 -- its first full year on sale. Since then, sales have slumped. Undeniably, the Mustang Mach-E, as controversial as the name is, will likely be a more exciting thing.
Production will kick off next year with the first vehicles delivered called the Mustang Mach-E First Editions. Ford wouldn't share how many it plans to build, simply commenting that the First Edition will be "very limited," but more variants will come after. The Premium trim will also launch next year, followed by the entry-level Select, efficiency-focused California Route 1 and the performance model dubbed the GT.
While the cheapest model at launch (the Premium) will cost $51,700 to start, including destination, the First Edition models that will ship to buyers -- as the name implies -- first will cost $61,000. Eventually, the base model will arrive in 2021 with a $44,995 price tag.
