All‑electric, Mustang‑inspired SUV coming in November

The as-yet unnamed newcomer has been inspired by the classic pony car and has “performance at its heart”, according to the Blue Oval. Making a big and presumably high-riding SUV thrusting and dynamic in a Mustang sort of way must have been a challenge for Ford’s designers. But the sketch suggests it is one they have risen to, at least in terms of its shark-like nose, long hood and short rear deck. And those lights could only be Mustang, couldn’t they?

It’s the first sight we have had of a car Ford has been working towards for years, ever since Tesla’s Model X electric SUV arrived. As Ford’s first battery-electric response to that, and the forthcoming Tesla Model Y compact SUV, the sporty newcomer is a huge deal.

Trading power and performance punches with Tesla will no doubt come in due course but for now Ford is striking the first blow with just one figure for the sport-utility ‘Stang. That is 370 miles. It’s the range (under WLTP regs) that Ford says it will go on a single charge. And it’s just a bit more than the figure for the Tesla… European rivals will include the Jaguar I-Pace, Audi E-Tron and Mercedes EQC.

After its moment in the LA spotlight on 18^th November the car will go on show at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Engineered and designed in the US as a global model, it’s reported it could go on sale across Europe by the end of 2020. We just hope Ford don’t actually call it a Mustang.