Report: Ford’s Mach 1 Performance Crossover Could Be Built on Focus’ Modular Platform(?)
Ford revealed earlier this year that an aspect of its $11.1 billion global plan to roll out 16 battery-electric vehicles by 2022 is a Mustang-inspired battery-electric performance SUV that goes by the name Mach 1. With some time before an official reveal and even longer to wait before it becomes a reality, details are quite scarce about the Mach 1. AutoCar this week broke some of that silence in revealing that the Mach 1 is set to be built on the C2 platform that underpins the next-gen Focus.
In the Present: Ford Mustang topped sales charts around the world in 2017
Per Autocar:
The crossover, codenamed CX430, will be built on the C2 platform used for the new Focus and has been in Ford’s product plan for several years.
The CX430 will be additional to the Kuga and, since it is based on the front-wheel-drive C2 platform, it is expected to be conventional hatchback-like, with a slightly raised driving position.
Ford has identified ‘white paper’ models like the CX430 to replace saloons and hatches in its US line-up. Further crossovers with Mustang design cues and front-drive chassis are a strong possibility because they combine “the best attributes of cars and utilities, such as high ride height, space and versatility.”
The Focus’ new modular platform was dubbed Ford’s holy grail earlier this year by Joe Bakaj, head of engineering for Ford of Europe. The C2, as Autocar claims it has been dubbed, will be the first of five architectures built with the intention of plugging in multiple powertrain types and cutting down on development time and costs.
Though it’s not surprising that AutoCar chose not to name a source, the fact that it didn’t even so much as allude to one is disconcerting enough that you might want to take their information with a shaker full of salt.
New Ford Tech: Ford Co-Pilot360 debuting on Ford Fusion, making high-end active safety features standard
But wait! A spokesperson with Ford reached out to Jalopnik to offer this statement in an effort to clarify “some confusion” about Autocar’s sans-source report:
Ford’s five flexible vehicle architectures—body-on-frame, front-wheel-drive unibody, rear-wheel-drive unibody, commercial van unibody, and BEV—are paired with module “families” that address the power pack, electrical pack, and vehicle configurations. Seventy percent of each vehicle’s engineering will be driven from this new architecture approach, with 30% of content—including grilles, hoods, doors, and more—customized for each vehicle.
Oh. That clears up a lot, then. Can’t you just picture the Mach 1 in all of its glory now?
News Source: Autocar, Jalopnik
The News Wheel is a digital auto magazine providing readers with a fresh perspective on the latest car news. We’re located in the heart of America (Dayton, Ohio) and our goal is to deliver an entertaining and informative perspective on what’s trending in the automotive world. See more articles from The News Wheel.