Ford made just about every Mustang fan alive furious when it teased a forthcoming electric crossover inspired by the Mustang called the ‘Mach 1’.
The American has now decided against using the ‘Mach 1’ name, telling Automotive News in a recent interview that it won’t use the former Mustang badge after receiving considerable pushback from fans and customers.
“We put that out there to evaluate it,” Ford’s president of global markets, Jim Farley, told the publication. “There are pros and cons. I don’t want to handicap it at this point, but we got a very strong reaction from people.”
SEE ALSO: Ford Revives Mach 1 Name for Performance EV to Arrive in 2020
Ford will still try to tap into the Mustang’s DNA, however, with the crossover expected to have a Mustang-inspired front-end and performance-focused driving experience. The automaker is hoping to capitalize on the Mustang’s cachet, but after experiencing a negative reaction to the name, it will be hoping that the reaction to the vehicle itself is a bit more positive.
The Mach 1 name was first used on a Mustang model variant in 1968 and has been used at various points throughout the vehicle’s lifecycle. A Mustang with a Mach 1 badge hasn’t been built since 2004, so Ford might’ve thought it was fair game at this point – but it’s clear fans of the brand still feel protective of ‘Mach 1’.
It looks as though Ford has scrubbed all evidence that it ever considered using ‘Mach 1’ from its media site and YouTube channel, so not only has the automaker decided this wasn’t a good idea, it might have some regrets about proposing it in the first place.
The initial Mach 1 teaser video, hosted by a YouTube user, is embedded below.
[Source: Automotive News]
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