Manoli Katakis 
On June 24, 2019, Ford Motor Company re-filed for the Mach 1 trademark to use for “land motor vehicles, namely, automobiles and their engines,” along with various other uses. This could be great if you’re a Ford Mustang fan. Or maybe not.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Ford Motor Company originally teased the Mach 1 name back in January 2018, as an electrified performance crossover “inspired” by the Mustang. Aside from its design, according to those that have seen it, the crossover is an extreme departure from the ethos of the legendary muscle car carrying the same name. It didn’t take long for backlash to ensue from Ford enthusiasts and the automotive media alike, and Ford proceeded to drop the ‘Mach 1’ name from the messaging going forward. But it didn’t stop development of the electric performance crossover with Mustang design cues.
Ford Motor Company also holds the rights to the “Mach-E” trademark as of November 26 2018, and the “Mustang Mach-E” trademark as of March 29, 2019. Ford has been teasing development of an electrified Mustang, as well. There’s likely an internal dialogue happening about whether to use the Mach-E or Mach 1 names on the Ford Mustang at the time of this writing. As evident from the recent trademark filings, it appears that the conversation has been happening for a while.
Should the automaker go with the Mach 1 name for an electrified Mustang, and use the Mach-E name on the performance EV crossover, it might bring out the most favorable outcome in terms of marketing the vehicles and keeping the enthusiast core audience happy.
The electrified Ford Mustang name will likely be on the current S550 Platform, rather than the new CD6 platform that underpins the 2020 Ford Explorer. We believe this to be the case as its debut is estimated to only be a year away. Adding a Mach 1 model to the S550 Mustang lineup would make the generation one of the most built-out and complete Mustang families of all-time, as it would join other high-end models such as the Shelby GT350 and Shelby GT500.
Both an electrified Ford Mustang and the Mustang-inspired EV performance crossover are expected to debut in 2020, and represent part of Ford’s $11.1 billion plan to sell 16 battery-electric and 24 hybrid models worldwide by 2022. The Mustang Mach 1 (or Mach-E) will be built in Flat Rock, Michigan, while the crossover will be built in Cuautitlan, Mexico.
