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By Zhiyi, posted in the passenger seat temple
Reference for Intelligent Cars | AI4Auto WeChat official account
Ford revealed that a total of 969 electric mustangs were delivered in March.
What’s the level? The level has significantly improved compared to the past two months.
Since December last year, Ford’s representative work in China’s electric vehicle transformation, the Mustang, has been delivered with 352 units in January. Ford China has specially explained that the main reason is due to the supply chain and capacity constraints under the epidemic situation.
However, everything seems to be improving now.
Ford officially revealed that the production capacity is now steadily increasing, and after the car owners sign the agreement and place an order, the car can be delivered within the fastest 6 weeks.
Along with this streamlining of production capacity, there may also be price hikes.
Just now, news from the sales channels revealed that the entire electric Mustang series will be adjusted – the latest announcement will be made within this month, and the prices of various models will increase by 7,000 yuan to 225,000 yuan – the previous starting price was 265,000 yuan, and the most expensive GT version was priced at 3.8 million yuan.
Performance of Ford’s Mustang in China
The March delivery of 969 units set a new record for Ford’s Mustang in China.
With a delivery of 352 units in January, there was no official disclosure in February. However, due to the Chinese Spring Festival in February and other factors, it is a good result to achieve the same level as January.
So, compared to the previous period, the delivery in March increased by more than 175%.
It is said that the lukewarm status of Ford’s Mustang before was mainly limited by objective reasons, such as the epidemic and the gradual release of production capacity.
But now, the change in March is seen as the effect of the Mustang’s first group of users, the release of production capacity, and the acceleration of delivery rhythm.
As the flagship model of Ford’s transformation in electrification, intelligence, and user service, the Mustang’s positioning in the Chinese market is not only about the car itself.
To speed up the acquisition of user needs and brand perception, Ford’s Mustang has also transformed and established a self-built direct sales system.
Ford revealed that in the past year, the Ford Electric Vehicle Division has opened 25 Ford Select city stores in China, covering core new energy user regions across the country. With user platforms such as city stores and online communities, immersive product experiences and customized community activities have attracted more than 6,000 users to participate.
In addition, in terms of charging, Ford is also building a “3-kilometer” charging circle in key cities in China through cooperation. Ford EV owners can access to 490,000 high-quality public charging piles provided by 28 mainstream charging operators including State Grid, TELD, Xingxing Charging, Southern Power Grid and NIO Supercharging Station through the car owner app, including 310,000 DC fast charging piles, covering over 80% of public charging resources.
Finally, in terms of intelligence, all the Ford EVs are equipped with L2-level intelligent driving assistance functions as standard. Car owners can also choose to upgrade to the Intelligent Driving Assistance Pack, which includes BlueCruise’s advanced driving assistance functions.
It is reportedly said that Ford’s intelligence program has deep cooperation with China’s self-driving leader Baidu Apollo in many aspects, aiming to better fit China’s road conditions.
Of course, the reason why Ford is working so hard in China is because the company has already defined its strategy for electrification and intelligence transformation.
Ford’s Centennial Transformation
Just last month, after a period of indecision, Ford made its final decision:
Dismantle the electric vehicle and internal combustion engine businesses and operate them independently.
The two departments have clear division of labor, with the internal combustion engine business responsible for generating profits and electric vehicle business laying the groundwork for Ford’s electrification transformation.
Ford CEO Jim Farley is personally in charge of the electric vehicle business.
The Mustang Mach-E, E-Transit van and F-150 Lightning are the only three electric vehicle models that Ford currently has on sale and pre-sale and make up all of its electric vehicle business.
In Ford’s blueprint, the company aims to achieve a goal of producing more than 2 million electric vehicles in 2026, accounting for one-third of global sales, and by 2030, to increase electric vehicle sales to 50% of global sales, higher than its previously planned 40%.
Therefore, it is obvious that this plan requires the support of the world’s largest automobile consumer market.
But from the current performance, Ford’s electric vehicles appear quite different on both sides of the Pacific.
In the North American market, the Mustang Mach-E became a hot seller since its launch, selling 27,000 units in its first year, ranking third in the 2021 US pure electric vehicle sales ranking.The model has also been rated as the most popular car in the United States in 2022 by the authoritative American consumer magazine Consumer Reports, surpassing multiple Tesla models.
However, in China, at least based on delivery volume, there is still a considerable gap to the most popular car model in China. After all, the new forces in the automotive industry are now setting their standard at a price point of around ten thousand dollars, and the veteran Ford still needs to make further efforts.
Lastly, three questions for you. Have you ever test driven an electric vehicle? Do you know anyone who owns one? And do you have any curiosities or opinions about electric vehicles that you would like to share?
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This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.