Ford took advantage of a slip-up during last night’s delayed reveal of the new Tesla Model Y electric crossover, to get a quick jab at the electric automaker that’s infamous for its punctuality.
Tesla live-streamed the unveiling of its electric Model Y crossover late Thursday night, where it announced pricing, performance, range, and estimated time of arrival for the new model. However, Tesla got the event up and running after a 16-minute delay, during which Ford saw the opportunity to send out the following tweet.
The picture posted by Ford depicts the logo of its classic Mustang pony car, outlined in blue rather than its traditional chrome. This is believed to be an allusion to Ford’s upcoming electric Mustang-inspired crossover, which has been spotted in shadowy concept images several times over the last couple of years.
This vehicle, which is believed to be named Mach E, is touted by Ford as a retro-styled electric vehicle capable of around 300 miles’ range on a single charge, placing the model in direct contention with the newly revealed Model Y. In its Long Range form, the Model Y is estimated to also be capable of 300 miles on a full charge, meaning the two vehicles on paper should be similarly capable.
Ford CEO Jim Hackett has alluded to a “pretty big” electric vehicle “surprise” in 2020, the year whose autumn will see the first deliveries of the Tesla Model Y—provided Tesla can keep to its projected schedule. We can’t yet be certain that Hackett’s hint is about the Mach E—as Ford confirmed earlier this year that it will build an electric version of its F-150 pickup, which should compete directly with Tesla’s promised electric pickup. That being said, everything points to 2020 being the year of the Mustang so there may be no better time for the Mach E to break cover.