Amidst a drive to become the largest electric vehicle (EV) producer by the end of the decade, Ford plans to triple the production of the Mustang Mach-E electric SUV by 2023. The automaker now aims for an annual production of over 200,000 units for that year, responding to customer demand, as tweeted by Ford CEO Jim Farley on Friday, with plans to begin increasing production in 2022.
“It’s hard to produce Mustang Mach-E fast enough to meet the incredible demand, but we sure will try. So, starting in 2022, we’re increasing production and expect to reach over 200,000 units per year for North America and Europe by 2023. That’s 3 times our 2021 production,” Jim Farley tweeted.
Ford initially targeted a production of 50,000 units per year. The initial rollout was on track for less than that, but Ford was selling everything it could make in early 2021. In April, Ford mentioned that the average stay of a Mach-E on dealership lots was a short seven days, and most sales were to customers from competing brands.
To free up more production capacity for the Mach-E at its assembly plant in Cuautitlán, Mexico, Ford might delay the all-electric versions of its next-generation Explorer and Lincoln Aviator SUVs, according to a recent report.
The electric Explorer and Aviator vehicles were originally planned for mid-2023 and have been delayed at least until December 2024, according to reports. Production has also reportedly shifted away from that factory for those future models.
In addition to boosting Mach-E production, Ford has also confirmed a range increase through software and hardware updates for the 2022 model year.
In an interview published in August, Mach-E Chief Engineer Donna Dickson mentioned that the automaker plans to make some hardware changes to save weight in the cooling system and other tweaks that should improve range, adding that more range improvements are expected for the 2023 and 2024 model years.
The 2021 Mach-E was the first non-Tesla electric vehicle to achieve a 300-mile EPA-rated range, achieving that in the form of extended-range rear-wheel drive.
