Ford may have controversially borrowed its most storied muscle car name for an SUV, but it’s become a solid part of Ford’s EV lineup since launch. Now, it’s set to get a riotous rally-inspired model for lurid off-road antics. Enter the Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally.
According to Ford, it’ll do what it says on the tin. Built to snake around on dirt and gravel roads, the model is set to debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this week. Behind the wheel will be former World Rally champion Ott Tänak, who presently pilots the M-Sport Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 car in the WRC.
It’s funny to think that an SUV needs a specific “off-road” model, but that just highlights how much the form factor has changed since the style’s rugged beginnings in the 1980s. Details are scarce at this point, but we’ll likely learn a lot when it heads out on the Goodwood hillclimb track.
Thus far, we’ve only gotten snippets from Ford’s teaser video to go on. We can now see that it rocks a neat set of rally-style wheels, and that it appears to have a slightly higher ride height than usual. Unique suspension is almost a certainty, and we’d expect special drive modes for hooning on dirt and gravel to also be a thing.
The Mustang Mach-E Rally will first be available in the U.S. and European markets. Whether the market has been crying out for a rally-inspired model is hard to say, but the Mach-E in general has seen strong demand of late. As production snarls have worked their way out, the Michigan automaker has managed to increase sales precipitously. Year on year, sales in June were up a full 110 percent compared to last year. Ford is now selling the model in almost 40 markets around the globe.
Ford notes that this is the first time in the history of the Mustang that it has built a model for dirt-road adventures. For the purists who don’t see the Mach-E as a part of the lineage, that may ring a little hollow in the ear, but it’s the case nonetheless. Only Ford can build cars and call them Mustangs.
As EVs become more mainstream, we’ll continue to see models that branch out beyond simple commuter duties. It may be a little strange to see a Mach-E kicking up big clouds of dust on a trail, but it ought to be good fun behind the wheel.
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