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Ford’s Mustang Mach E is a valuable Tesla Model Y ally in the crossover segment
With Ford’s release of the Mustang Mach E all-electric crossover, it seems like Tesla is not alone anymore in its efforts at transitioning the mainstream auto market towards sustainability. The Mach E’s combination of price, performance, and range, not only makes it a legitimate and honest effort on Ford’s part, but it also makes the EV a serious threat to mainstream crossover SUVs.
The Ford Mustang Mach E is an all-electric vehicle that will place it in the same segment as the upcoming Tesla Model Y. The two vehicles are priced in pretty much the same ballpark, with the Mach E’s standard range RWD version starting at around $43,900 in comparison to the Standard Range RWD Model Y’s $39,000. That’s a $4,900 difference, but Ford still has the full $7,500 tax credit, which makes the Mach E actually less expensive than the Model Y.
Looking at the price and performance figures of the Mustang Mach E, it is evident that the vehicle is meant to be competitive. The entry-level “Select” variant, for one, will be offered at both RWD and AWD versions, and both will be equipped with a 75.7kWh “standard range” battery pack. The RWD variant will have a range of 230 miles and a 0-60 mph time of about 6-7 seconds, while the AWD version will have a range of 210 miles and be about a second quicker from 0-60. The Mach E Select variants will be shipping in Spring 2021.
Following the Select variants is the “Premium” trim, which starts at $50,600 and ships late 2020, just a few months later than the Model Y’s estimated Summer 2020 release. Premium Mach Es can be equipped with either a standard range pack or an extended range battery, and RWD or AWD. With this, a Premium Mach E could have a range anywhere between 210 miles per charge for the standard range AWD trim, all the way to 300 miles per charge for the extended range with RWD. AWD versions of the Mach E Premium trim can hit 60 mph in the over 5 seconds, while the RWD versions will hit highway speeds in the mid-6s.
While this may seem like a lot of options already, there is still more. The “California Route 1” Mustang Mach E will be arriving in early 2021 for $52,400. This configuration is designed for long travel. As such, it is equipped with an extended range battery pack and 300 miles of range. A “First Edition” Mach E will also be offered in late 2020 with AWD and an extended range battery pack, which gives the vehicle 270 miles of range per charge. Finally, there’s the range-topping Mach E GT, which starts at $60,500, feature AWD, bigger motors, 235 miles of range, and a 0-60 mph time in the mid-3s.
While comparisons to the Model Y will be unavoidable, it should be noted that the Ford Mustang Mach E is every bit more of a traditional crossover rival than it is a competitor for Tesla’s seven-seater. Both vehicles are aimed at the crossover SUV segment, after all, and that is a market that is so vast right now, it is practically impossible for a single automaker to dominate on its own. There is no question that the Model Y will sell in larger numbers than any of Tesla’s other cars — Elon Musk has said as much. But there is also no question that the Mach E, provided that Ford dealers do not nip the market’s enthusiasm in the bud, will be a huge success as well.
This is something that Tesla CEO Elon Musk highlighted in a tweet following Ford’s reveal of the Mach E. While the American automaker was mum about Tesla’s contribution to electric vehicle design and innovation, Musk nevertheless credited the carmaker for its efforts at bringing about sustainable transportation. Ford, at least in its response to Musk, seemed eager to be on board the EV transition.
And this is really the crux of the matter. The Mach E, at least specs-wise, is a serious electric car that is designed for serious users. Its Mustang name may be debated for years to come, but there is little doubt that Ford put a lot of effort into its all-electric crossover, and the results of these are far beyond that of any other legacy automaker so far. It could even be said that with the Mach E in the picture, more expensive, similar-sized all-electric EVs from other veteran automakers such as the Jaguar I-PACE are in for some tough competition. Companies with all-electric cars that are under-utilized and under-promoted like GM and its Chevy Bolt are also at risk of being considered as the final compliance cars of a bygone era.
Ford has played its hand, and it did so with a strong statement in support of all-electric vehicles. With the Mach E, Tesla is no longer alone in the electric assault on the crossover segment. The question now is, will other automakers follow suit with similarly priced and specced vehicles? The next few years will definitely be very interesting.
More information about the Ford Mustang Mach E could be accessed here.
Elon Musk
Tesla needs to come through on this one Robotaxi metric, analyst says
“We think the key focus from here will be how fast Tesla can scale driverless operations (including if Tesla’s approach to software/hardware allows it to scale significantly faster than competitors, as the company has argued), and on profitability.”
Tesla needs to come through on this one Robotaxi metric, Mark Delaney of Goldman Sachs says.
Tesla is in the process of rolling out its Robotaxi platform to areas outside of Austin and the California Bay Area. It has plans to launch in five additional cities, including Houston, Dallas, Miami, Las Vegas, and Phoenix.
However, the company’s expansion is not what the focus needs to be, according to Delaney. It’s the speed of deployment.
The analyst said:
“We think the key focus from here will be how fast Tesla can scale driverless operations (including if Tesla’s approach to software/hardware allows it to scale significantly faster than competitors, as the company has argued), and on profitability.”
Profitability will come as the Robotaxi fleet expands. Making that money will be dependent on when Tesla can initiate rides in more areas, giving more customers access to the program.
There are some additional things that the company needs to make happen ahead of the major Robotaxi expansion, one of those things is launching driverless rides in Austin, the first city in which it launched the program.
This week, Tesla started testing driverless Robotaxi rides in Austin, as two different Model Y units were spotted with no occupants, a huge step in the company’s plans for the ride-sharing platform.
Tesla Robotaxi goes driverless as Musk confirms Safety Monitor removal testing
CEO Elon Musk has been hoping to remove Safety Monitors from Robotaxis in Austin for several months, first mentioning the plan to have them out by the end of 2025 in September. He confirmed on Sunday that Tesla had officially removed vehicle occupants and started testing truly unsupervised rides.
Although Safety Monitors in Austin have been sitting in the passenger’s seat, they have still had the ability to override things in case of an emergency. After all, the ultimate goal was safety and avoiding any accidents or injuries.
Goldman Sachs reiterated its ‘Neutral’ rating and its $400 price target. Delaney said, “Tesla is making progress with its autonomous technology,” and recent developments make it evident that this is true.
Investor's Corner
Tesla gets bold Robotaxi prediction from Wall Street firm
Last week, Andrew Percoco took over Tesla analysis for Morgan Stanley from Adam Jonas, who covered the stock for years. Percoco seems to be less optimistic and bullish on Tesla shares, while still being fair and balanced in his analysis.
Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) received a bold Robotaxi prediction from Morgan Stanley, which anticipates a dramatic increase in the size of the company’s autonomous ride-hailing suite in the coming years.
Last week, Andrew Percoco took over Tesla analysis for Morgan Stanley from Adam Jonas, who covered the stock for years. Percoco seems to be less optimistic and bullish on Tesla shares, while still being fair and balanced in his analysis.
Percoco dug into the Robotaxi fleet and its expansion in the coming years in his latest note, released on Tuesday. The firm expects Tesla to increase the Robotaxi fleet size to 1,000 vehicles in 2026. However, that’s small-scale compared to what they expect from Tesla in a decade.
Tesla expands Robotaxi app access once again, this time on a global scale
By 2035, Morgan Stanley believes there will be one million Robotaxis on the road across multiple cities, a major jump and a considerable fleet size. We assume this means the fleet of vehicles Tesla will operate internally, and not including passenger-owned vehicles that could be added through software updates.
He also listed three specific catalysts that investors should pay attention to, as these will represent the company being on track to achieve its Robotaxi dreams:
- Opening Robotaxi to the public without a Safety Monitor. Timing is unclear, but it appears that Tesla is getting closer by the day.
- Improvement in safety metrics without the Safety Monitor. Tesla’s ability to improve its safety metrics as it scales miles driven without the Safety Monitor is imperative as it looks to scale in new states and cities in 2026.
- Cybercab start of production, targeted for April 2026. Tesla’s Cybercab is a purpose-built vehicle (no steering wheel or pedals, only two seats) that is expected to be produced through its state-of-the-art unboxed manufacturing process, offering further cost reductions and thus accelerating adoption over time.
Robotaxi stands to be one of Tesla’s most significant revenue contributors, especially as the company plans to continue expanding its ride-hailing service across the world in the coming years.
Its current deployment strategy is controlled and conservative to avoid any drastic and potentially program-ruining incidents.
So far, the program, which is active in Austin and the California Bay Area, has been widely successful.
News
Tesla Model Y L is gaining momentum in China’s premium segment
This suggests that the addition of the Model Y L to Tesla China’s lineup will not result in a case of cannibalization, but a possible case of “premiumization” instead.
Tesla’s domestic sales in China held steady in November with around 73,000 units delivered, but a closer look at the Model Y L’s numbers hints at an emerging shift towards pricier variants that could very well be boosting average selling prices and margins.
This suggests that the addition of the Model Y L to Tesla China’s lineup will not result in a case of cannibalization, but a possible case of “premiumization” instead.
Tesla China’s November domestic numbers
Data from the a Passenger Car Association (CPCA) indicated that Tesla China saw domestic deliveries of about 73,000 vehicles in November 2025. This number included 34,000 standard Model Y units, 26,000 Model 3 units, and 13,000 Model Y L units, as per industry watchers.
This means that the Model Y L accounted for roughly 27% of Tesla China’s total Model Y sales, despite the variant carrying a ~28% premium over the base RWD Model Y that is estimated to have dominated last year’s mix.
As per industry watcher @TSLAFanMtl, this suggests that Tesla China’s sales have moved towards more premium variants this year. Thus, direct year-over-year sales comparisons might miss the bigger picture. This is true even for the regular Model Y, as another premium trim, the Long Range RWD variant, was also added to the lineup this 2025.
November 2025 momentum
While Tesla China’s overall sales this year have seen challenges, the Model Y and Model 3 have remained strong sellers in the country. This is especially impressive as the Model Y and Model 3 are premium-priced vehicles, and they compete in the world’s most competitive electric vehicle market. Tesla China is also yet to roll out the latest capabilities of FSD in China, which means that its vehicles in the country could not tap into their latest capabilities yet.
Aggregated results from November suggest that the Tesla Model Y took the crown as China’s #1 best-selling SUV during the month, with roughly 34,000 deliveries. With the Model Y L, this number is even higher. The Tesla Model 3 also had a stellar month, seeing 25,700 deliveries during November 2025.
Tesla needs to come through on this one Robotaxi metric, analyst says
Tesla gets bold Robotaxi prediction from Wall Street firm
