Here’s Our First Look at Ford’s MEB-Based EV | Daily News Byte

The Ford Mustang Mach-E may have kicked off the Blue Oval’s first real foray into EVs, but it won’t be the only electric SUV the automaker will release in the first half of this decade. Earlier last week, Ford gave the world a modest but pretty clear glimpse of one of its next electric models, and it’s actually an EV based on Volkswagen’s MEB platform.

Martin Sandergeneral manager of passenger cars at Ford of Europe who took over nearly a year ago, lifted the lid revealing part of a new EV, one that will be positioned below the Mach-E, which is also sold in Europe, but not one that North America expected to receive.

That’s right: this smaller electric Ford isn’t for the US, at least not at first, and it will share its platform with Volkswagen’s ID.4 and other cars, which use the MEB architecture. The boxy but compact model is expected to be aimed at the likes of the Nissan Ariya, but not really models with more expensive badges, like the Audi Q4 e-tron, which is also an MEB variant underneath.

The point of the unnamed Ford model is to be an affordable electric SUV, like the VW ID.4. And this is one of the nine battery-electric models Ford plans to launch in Europe in 2024. In the chart below, this is the second model from the left labeled Medium-Size Crossover, while the Sport Crossover is expected to be its coupe-shaped variant.

Ford

It remains to be seen how far Ford will be able to differentiate its SUV from its MEB-platform siblings, or what name it will use. The automaker has been looking back at its own history book lately when it comes to model names, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see a dormant nameplate from decades back, but with some sort of twist.

The return of the Maverick nameplate, as well as the Mach-E, is a pretty good indicator of what we can expect, but we can’t miss Ford of Europe’s history in trying to guess the name. That division has many of its own unique nameplates that are rarely seen anywhere else in the world. (But we can rule out the Ford Eiffel as too French).

This new SUV raises another issue: Ford will need a small electric SUV stateside. soon, positioned and priced below the Mach-E. that’s it The vehicle will actually be an electric version of the Explorer, so it won’t be as compact as the MEB-based Ford Europe in Cologne, Germany. It will be placed in a segment higher and will be more suited to the tastes of the American consumer.

Should Ford sell electric? crossover smaller than the Explorer stateside? Let us know in the comments below.