Ford Mustang Mach-E Was Norway’s Best-Seller in May – Report

https://www.autoweek.com/news/green-cars/a36608683/ford-mustang-mach-e-norway-may-best-seller/

by KoftaBob • 5 years ago

105 152 5 years ago

nso3• 5 years ago

The number of fossil fuel driven Mustangs (except for classics) may be in the ~single digits (hyperbole) in Norway due to the taxes based on total weight of the vehicle, and emissions of CO2 and NOx. It would be an indulgence for the very affluent.

The Mach-E gives the common Norwegians access to the famed American Comfort Car (c/tm) without having to break the bank, as power prices are relatively low in Norway and gas prices are very high.

martinmunk• 5 years ago

I seems the Mach-E is the most sold model across the board, not just among Mustangs based on this article.

Fun fact: I just got back from Norway, and saw a Mach-E a week ago. Seen as it was apparently just released there "weeks ago", it must have been one of the first in the country.

nso3• 5 years ago

My step-dad in Norway got his the 3rd of June, so they are out there.

I just checked the price of a MUSTANG 5.0 V8 GT, and the price is almost exactly double in Norway from what it is where I live in Mexico.

Milner08• 5 years ago

This is bizarre but, I at least, in the UK wouldn't consider 'Ford' an American brand as we often get quite different Ford's to the ones sold in the US (Even when the name is the same, they often look totally different like the Focus). I know that's wrong, but its just the way it is. (Although Mustang is the exception to that).

I feel like when most people think of American Cars they think of big GM's, etc and at least in the UK they are not really are really famed for comfort, instead they were always famed for handling badly and having terrible MPG. Now don't get me wrong, I know the US has some great cars, but I think the markets are very different and the ones that have been available to us have been awful, expensive, or both.

My point is, I don't think people are buying the Mach-E cause its an opportunity to try the 'famed American Comfort Car' but more because its a good option for an electric car, and that's what a lot of people in Europe want when buying brand new cars now.

jorvi2• 5 years ago

When I think modern American cars I think either trucks like a Ford F-150 / Dodge Ram, or a gas-guzzling gigantic SUV like a GMC Yukon.

fhood• 5 years ago

Oof, GM sucks and Ford isn't really even American. Talk about a one two punch. Not that I disagree with the main point, but jeez leave us with something wouldya?

jimbob21• 5 years ago

I feel like when most people think of American Cars they think of big GM's

This might be more correct if you specify the UK has this opinion, because it definitely isn't a generally held opinion elsewhere.

Everyone in the US definitely thinks of Ford as a quintessential American car company. The F-150 is the most popular truck in the US, and used to be the most popular vehicle of any type sold.

cptskippy2• 5 years ago

like the Focus

In the US, the Focus isn't held in high regard. It's a lower class commuter car or a middle class teenager starter car. They have poor quality finishes and cosmetically look like ass after a year or two.

That's generally how most American cars are, they look all shiny and new the first year but the finish is superficial and wears off quickly. This is especially true of vehicles that win JD Power's "Highest in initial quality" awards.

kbenson3• 5 years ago

I at least, in the UK wouldn't consider 'Ford' an American brand as we often get quite different Ford's to the ones sold in the US (Even when the name is the same, they often look totally different like the Focus).

Are you sure that's not old info? I know there used to be major differences (which was obvious if you watched World Rally back in the day, since you couldn't get one of those Ford Focus models in the US), but I had heard they were consolidating some, so looked it up. According to Wikipedia[1], about a decade ago Ford started consolidating it's US and UK models, and now I think maybe beyond a couple variations only being available in one are, they are mostly the same. (It also notes they closed 3 of their factories in Europe). For the Focus specifically, they unified the models in 2011[2].

That said, even if Ford is or was building European specific versions in Europe, I wouldn't consider that any more a UK car company and less a US car company that I would consider Honda and Toyota any less Japanese car companies and more US even through they have many plants in the US and significant portions of their cars and materials are built here to get around import tariffs. They have significant portions of their companies housed here, and US divisions doing R&D in some cases, but those are definitely Japanese companies.

1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_of_Europe#2011%E2%80%93pr...

2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Focus#Third_generation_(C...

fergie• 5 years ago

Its hard to explain, but "AmCar" is a sort of cultural identity think for many rural Norwegians.

I agree with the point about "British Ford”. Capris, Escorts and Sierras are quintessentially British cars, especially the ones with the Cosworth engines.

ilamont• 5 years ago

Even when the name is the same, they often look totally different like the Focus

When I lived in the UK in the 90s I was surprised to see "Ford Granada" meant a modest four-door passenger car not unlike a Camry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Granada_(Europe)#/media/F...) compared to the hulking, chrome-fronted US beast I drove in high school (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Granada_(North_America)#/...)

TMWNN2• 5 years ago

This is bizarre but, I at least, in the UK wouldn't consider 'Ford' an American brand

I think a lot of people are missing what you mean by the above. Ford has been in Britain and Ireland for a century. Multiple generations have driven Fords and have worked at the Dagenham plant and at the former Cork plant, built aircraft engines during WW2 there. Ford's raises were used to determine raises for other industries (<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_of_Discontent#Ford_nego...>); that's how much Ford was seen as a "native" company. The 2010 film Made in Dagenham (<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_in_Dagenham>), about a notable strike in British labor history, is called that because it occurred at the Ford plant.

fy20• 5 years ago

The engines are also completely different in the US vs Europe. Ford diesel engines in Europe are made by Stellantis/PSA. The engine in a Ford Fiesta is also used in cars by Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel/Vauxhall and Toyota.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_DLD_engine#DLD-415

dexterdog• 5 years ago

But the Mach-E resembles what a mustang is in name only. I never understood why they called it that.

gwbas1c2• 5 years ago

Because of the performance and handling.

Have you driven a Tesla lately? My Model 3 dual motor drives and handles like a sports car, not like a modest family sedan that handles well in the snow.

The Mustang badge communicates that the Mach E has serious performance characteristics. When I test drove the electric Focus, it also had quite zippy acceleration, but everyone just assumed it was a dog-slow compliance car.

Hamuko5• 5 years ago

The Mach-E gives the common Norwegians access to the famed American Comfort Car (c/tm) without having to break the bank

People who are interested in owning a muscle car in Europe are a very select group of people and they're probably highly uninterested in the Mach-E.

gwbas1c2• 5 years ago

American Comfort Car

The one time I sat in Mustang it definitely wasn't an "American Comfort Car." It was so snug I felt like I was wearing the car.

nso3• 5 years ago

In 2014 i rented one for a month-long road trip. While it was lacking in cargo space, I found it to be a very comfortable ride.

dharmab4• 5 years ago

The Mach-E really seems like a pretty good car.

As an enthusiast I can't get over the Mustang name, though. It's irrational and emotional.

toomuchtodo• 5 years ago

It's irrational and emotional.

That’s marketing for you.

potatolicious• 5 years ago

As someone who has no interest in owning a muscle car (or a sports car really of any variety) I'm into the Mach-E.

I get why they called it a Mustang, but it's really not - and that's actually a plus for me.

strikhedonia• 5 years ago

Yes. I would have been a lot happier with the Mustang moniker if they made it sedan shaped instead what we got.

DetroitThrow• 5 years ago

Exactly. Everyone who loves cars wanted an electric pony car or Corvette, despite the niche. Ford tries to play to a more general audience, luckily pulls it off, but still pisses off us car guys.

Honestly, they've done worse, but I grit my teeth a little when people say the name. And yes, I get that I'm irrational about a brand with the rest of the minority I know who is also pissed. It's history, though, ya know?

notJim2• 5 years ago

I feel like everyone calls it the Mach-E anyway, rather than the Mustang.

useful• 5 years ago

I'd wait until the simplify the thermal system in a future generation.

rootusrootus10• 5 years ago

It's irrational and emotional

That's exactly why they did it. Certainly gets people talking. Most (nearly all, really) consumers make their car purchasing decision more on emotion than objective analysis. They decide what they want first, based on how it makes them feel, or the image it projects, then they seek out justification to buy it.

Ford is really honest about it, when they talk about the 2.3L Mustang (and the base V6 before), they are specifically targeting "image seekers." These exist in large numbers, and help finance the enthusiast trims.

magicalhippo2• 5 years ago

The Mach-E really seems like a pretty good car.

Except for some teething problems, like locking the car in some "safe mode" when going downhill[1], which had quite the dramatic impact in a country like Norway...

Fortunately for the owners it seems to only be a firmware issue, and not the regenerative charging hardware as speculated.

[1] https://motor.no/forbruker/atte-nye-mustang-havarier--14-tot...

itsoktocry3• 5 years ago

It took a while, but the legacy automakers are finally putting out some decent EVs.

From a quality and performance perspective, they seem to be pretty good, but still have a ways to go to match Tesla in the "wow" factor. But, perhaps the similarity with everyday ICE vehicles will be a boon to adoption; older people are reluctant to take on seemingly overwhelming tech...

jclardy• 5 years ago

With the Mustang and the F-150 Lightning I think Ford is in a pretty good position to become the leader in the EV space.

I'm personally waiting for the F-150 as I could use a truck for hauling things to a retail store my wife and I own, but I also don't like ICE truck's just because there is no trunk to keep things like my laptop or simply transporting groceries. The frunk on the lightning is a huge selling point for me, other than not having to go to a gas station since 99% of my trips are in town < 20 miles so I can just charge at home.

ajross5• 5 years ago

With the Mustang and the F-150 Lightning I think Ford is in a pretty good position to become the leader in the EV space.

I think a lot of this is the result of some marketing and memery. In fact I went through that process, and decided on a BEV crossover, and the Model Y beats the Mach-E handily on basically every non-subjective metric but price. And it's really not that close.

Ford has done a good job of digging themselves out of a huge hole, and have a decently competetive car in the market. And it's selling well enough. But Tesla is moving like an order of magnitude more vehicles into that space, has their factories running at capacity and is in the process of tripling their production bandwidth (Gigafactory Shanghai is still ramping, and Berlin and Austin seem to be on track to go online this year). It's pretty clear who the leader is.

atty• 5 years ago

Yeah I think a lot of the familiarity is a good thing. I don’t think my dad would ever buy a Tesla, he would be put off by the minimalism and all the controls on the screen (and he wouldn’t even consider a car with a yoke instead of a steering wheel… although to be fair, neither would I). On the other hand, if I get a charger installed in his garage, I think he would be very happy to use a car that works (in terms of user interaction) just like his old one, but where he doesn’t have to go to the gas station and get oil changes.

NotSammyHagar3• 5 years ago

The yoke on the new s seems obviously stupid. If I ignore that every anything else seems good. I've got a 7-year-old s and about the only reason for a new car is an extended warranty over mine which ends at 8. If I could buy a warranty for two or three more years I'd probably just keep this car. The rivian looks good.

eptcyka3• 5 years ago

What do you mean by a "wow" factor? Is it like "Wow, look at those panel gaps?"?

The best and only redeeming quality Tesla vehicles have is the charging network. Quality-wise, they are overpriced.

ajross5• 5 years ago

This is a meme. It's true that back around 2015 or so there were some genuine videos made of people finding big mistakes on their luxury-priced vehicles and laughing about it. But that was years ago.

Go check now and see how many horror stories you can find about manufacturing errors on 3's or Y's. These are fine cars. I mean, I'm sure someone can find an error here or there, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with these cars. Tech neighborhoods are increasingly filled with them, just go to a Whole Foods parking lot and look at some. See how many gaps you can find.

Hamuko5• 5 years ago

I mean, the technology in Teslas is very solid. If I was looking at cars technology-wise, Tesla would be really high up there.

The problem is that Tesla has basically the reverse wow factor. The Tesla Model 3 is so unattractive from the inside and outside that no matter how nice the tech is, I don't want to drop 50 000 € on a car that looks like a frog on the outside and unfinished on the inside.

ulfw• 5 years ago

and the design is very tired.

Notice how I am not judging on good- or bad-looking. But the Tesla design has been basically the same for many years and frankly all models look so similar (with just different sizes and door configs etc etc)

itsoktocry3• 5 years ago

What do you mean by a "wow" factor?

I'm certainly no Tesla pumper, as you can tell from my comment history.

But to say that getting in a Tesla isn't a different experience than other cars is just wrong. They've done a lot of things differently, for better or worse.

HWR_143• 5 years ago

My neighbor has been trying to buy a Mach-E since they were announced. They're so backed up his current plan is to buy a new gas car to tide him over until they become available and then he'll upgrade.

wazokazi2• 5 years ago

I finally got mine last week, took over 6 months after placing the order!

It is very well built, unlike any ford I have ever driven. Drove it for about a 100 mile trip in the Columbia gorge last weekend, it was a blast.

That said, even with 250+ mile highway range, my wife had a bit of range anxiety once the battery gauge dropped below 50%. Something that will hopefully go away with time.

andrewmunsell• 5 years ago

Range anxiety goes away over time, for sure. I used to have an i3 with a hair over 100 miles of range and got used to low percentages even on that small battery, and now don't even blink when my Tesla is <10%.

NotSammyHagar3• 5 years ago

What's charging like these days on the US CCS network? I've made many long-range trips in my Tesla which has about 250 miles range but there's so many superchargers it's pretty easy unless you head up into the mountains.

rootusrootus10• 5 years ago

Range anxiety should recede with experience, provided the estimates from the car are accurate. My wife has become very comfortable with our Bolt, because she trusts that when it says it has 90 miles left, it really does have that (usually it slightly underestimates remaining range, if anything, though it's pretty close).

Can't really get around the bit of anxiety about knowing that there aren't as many recharging options out in the wild as there are gas stations, but it's comforting to know that you'll be fine making it home.

Rebelgecko• 5 years ago

Did you try out the handsfree driving assistance? I'm really curious to hear about how well that works, but haven't been able to find much in the way of reviews (maybe it isn't live yet?)

mensetmanusman2• 5 years ago

Yeah, our mobile phones aren’t helping here. It’s so annoying to see the phone go to 20% and then drop off a cliff per unit time. Cars have to be really good at giving precise and confident range capability, with a safety factor.

dragontamer12• 5 years ago

I really suggest people look into the PHEV market rather than buying pure ICE / gas.

If you can't get 100% electric, then getting to 95% electric is still a reasonable drop in emissions. Furthermore, PHEVs might have fewer greenhouse emissions over its lifetime than EVs: those Li-Ion batteries are pretty bad for the environment, and PHEVs use a fraction of them compared to pure electrics.

--------

Something like the Prius Prime, Rav4 Prime, Honda Clarity , or GM Volt will get you 50-miles per charge and 300-miles on gasoline.

Worst-case scenario, you have a gasoline engine (probably for 2-hour or 4-hour drives to the beach). Best case scenario (aka: most days), you leave your garage with 50-miles of electric range. Most PHEV owners suggest that they go months between gasoline fillups, often burning most gasoline to prevent stale fuel / maintenance purpose, rather than out of necessity. If your day-to-day is often within 50-miles between chargers (ex: 50-miles at home, and 50-miles from your work charger), you very well could cut out over 95% of your gasoline usage easily (with the remaining 5% the maintenance gasoline-burn offs)

oh_sigh2• 5 years ago

I tried to buy a RAV4 prime recently and the dealership wanted me to pay $15,000 above the normal price for the privilege of buying a car in this market

HWR_143• 5 years ago

I really suggest people look into the PHEV market rather than buying pure ICE / gas.

Except his goal wasn't to buy an EV. It was to buy a Mach-E.

roland352• 5 years ago

PHEVs don't seem to be popular but my car (Chevy Volt) has been a great gateway to a future EV. The only times I use any gas is if I do way more driving than usual in a day, or when the "engine maintence mode" kicks in once a month! It has much less maintenance than a normal gas car (2 year interval on oil changes for example), but still more than a pure EV obviously.

I don't regret missing out on an EV since the Volt was significantly cheaper at the time, but I look forward to my next car being one.

qq42• 5 years ago

what is maintenance like on a PHEV vs an EV or ICE car? My intuition says it has more parts than a either and is thus more complicated

jeffbee• 5 years ago

Isn't this just the same effect that causes Tesla to be the best-selling car in Norway and other small countries from time to time? They build up a big book of pre-orders and then after a year they land a whole ship full of cars and fulfill all the orders, become the instantaneous "best-selling car" but in a way that's practically meaningless.

ajross5• 5 years ago

Largely. There's a lot of noise in car sales month-to-month. Different manufacturers prioritizes different markets in blocks. And in the case of cross-continent shipping to small nations, frankly the arrival date of specific freighters can jiggle the numbers.

But Ford seems to be doing well with this car regardless. It's not beating Tesla in sales numbers, but it's selling and competing.

kwhitefoot• 5 years ago

Yes.

Earlier in the year the Audi e-tron electric was the best seller in Norway.

The long term winner seems to be VW at the moment.

tyfon• 5 years ago

Tesla only delivers at the end of each quarter here in Norway due to logistics, however the Model 3 is the best selling car so far this year[1] it's not just some months when you aggregate.

The statistics here are only for electric cars but BEVs outsell fossils by quite a lot now so the M3 top the list of all cars too including fossils

But I see a lot of mach-es on the road lately :)

[1] https://elbilstatistikk.no/ Sort by 2021

acomjean2• 5 years ago

Thats kinda remarkable. Mustangs are Rear Wheel Drive, which is why We hardly see them in the US in the Northern Climates. (I've helped one push them out of snow..)

Snow tires help a bit, but still.

Edit: I see there is an "all wheel drive" variant

dharmab4• 5 years ago

The Mach E has AWD available.

derekp7• 5 years ago

A lot of it depends on the balance of the car too. I used to drive a 92 Cougar that was rear wheel drive, and a number of times I had to help get a front-wheel drive car out of the snow where mine didn't have any issues.

KoftaBob• 5 years ago

The Mach E is a crossover SUV with AWD option

acomjean2• 5 years ago

I just looked at the articles front photo. A little digging deeper and it really is an SUV and not like the Muscle cars I remember with the mustang name.

Hamuko5• 5 years ago

Rear wheel drive is completely passable in snowy climates. Just put on studded tyres and drive sensibly.

zip12344• 5 years ago

The car is well balanced regarding weight and the reports I have read are that even RWD model handles fine in snow because of the weight and tires.

SevenSigs2• 5 years ago

FWD or RWD doesn't matter much if the weight of the car is distributed evenly...

JoshTko• 5 years ago

The implication of this headline is wrong. In June '21 Model E sold 1,277 and Model 3 sold 3,196. Tesla just has lumpy distribution volumes. https://cleantechnica.com/2021/07/03/norways-plugin-ev-share...

NotSammyHagar3• 5 years ago

Yeah thanks, saved me from posting the same thing. Tesla batches up their orders for many smaller countries like in Europe, this has been true for years, and it's also the source of probably hundreds of articles about how Tesla is getting beaten by some recently introduced car. It's great that other companies are having some success with selling EVs, remember that's actually Tesla's corporate goal. Tesla still has a widely appealing set of vehicles.

dragontamer12• 5 years ago

Except Tesla bunches their orders so that they can claim improving numbers every 3 months (with 2-months having crap numbers), rather than averaging out their deliveries like everyone else.

Having 2-crap months per quarter + 1-good month is 100% Tesla's decision. They could just smooth out the numbers like everyone else instead and be comparable on apples-to-apples terms. But Tesla prefers to be funky with numbers.

It probably would be a lot less stressful for Tesla's employees if Tesla stopped doing this "Quarter-end push" all the time. Its unnecessary. Its like watching a Marathon runner sprint every few hundred meters rather than pacing himself from beginning to end so that he can gather the excitement of the crowds.

rootusrootus10• 5 years ago

I think it would be more accurate to say it is too early to have meaningful statistics, not that it is wrong. The Mach-E only recently went on sale in Norway, and given Tesla's uneven delivery schedule the only meaningful comparison is average/month. YTD would work starting in 2022.

mixmastamyk• 5 years ago

What are Ford’s data collection policies?

Calling a ‘soccer mom’ vehicle a mustang is rather off-putting as well.

SevenSigs2• 5 years ago

"Ford Exec: 'We Know Everyone Who Breaks The Law' Thanks To Our GPS In Your Car"

https://www.businessinsider.com/ford-exec-gps-2014-1

Probably a lot worst today, that was 7 years ago.

duncans• 5 years ago

For long trips and fast charging it has a quite disappointing charging curve though. It only manages 150 kW for about 5 minutes before dropping off quickly down to ~100 kW: https://support.fastned.nl/hc/en-gb/articles/360019984758-Ch...

rootusrootus10• 5 years ago

That's fairly typical, in my experience. My Tesla P3D spent a lot more time at about 90 kW than it ever did at 130+.

notJim2• 5 years ago

Have folks in the US seen many of these around? I haven't seen one yet.

ganoushoreilly• 5 years ago

I've seen at least 4, all different colors. Not crazy numbers but it's clear they're showing up.

tshaddox2• 5 years ago

I've seen a few in the Bay Area. It always takes me a moment to figure out what I'm looking at.

spike021• 5 years ago

I'm in the SF Bay Area and as to be expected around here, I've seen quite a few. Maybe 8-10 so far in all the different colors.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Was Norway’s Best-Seller in May – Report

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