After years of speculation, Ford’s highly anticipated, Mustang-inspired electric crossover will officially be called the Mustang Mach-E. The model is scheduled to be unveiled on Sunday, November 17, ushering in a new era, not only for Ford but, more importantly, for the Mustang nameplate. Pre-orders for the Mustang Mach-E will begin immediately after the live reveal with a $500 refundable deposit, and early birds will have the opportunity to score one of the limited-run Mustang Mach-E First Edition models. Ford didn't mention how many of these special edition variants will be available, though if the opportunity presents itself, we expect them to sell out in short order.

The Secret’s Out

It only took a few years and endless amounts of speculation, controversy, complaints, backtracks, and the whole bit. But Ford has finally revealed the name of its all-electric crossover, and it’s tapping into its most iconic nameplate to perhaps add more hype and prestige to the model. Now we can put it all to rest. All the rumors, whispers, and speculations surrounding the name of Ford’s all-electric crossover have all been answered. Meet the Ford Mustang Mach-E, folks.

Ford's Use of the Mach Name Is Still Controversial

Remember all the brouhaha surrounding those rumors regarding Ford’s plan to use the “Mach 1” name on its new electric crossover? Ford received so much flak from those rumors that it took the unprecedented step of addressing the reactions and admitting that the idea was nothing but an “evaluation” and nothing else. That should’ve been the end of that, or so we thought.

Sure, Ford kept its end of the deal by keeping the “Mach 1” name retired. But all it did was replace the “1” with the “E” and added a hyphen before it. In the end, Ford still used the “Mach” name, which is the same thing. Given the outright sensitivity of Ford’s fanboys, you can at least expect some blowback from this. Ford certainly didn’t do anything to calm the spirits; it might have done the complete opposite by also using the “Mustang” name on the electric crossover.

This is a different issue altogether because it now involves Ford’s most iconic model. The Mustang has been and will always be Ford’s most famous model. That’s going to change now that there’s another “Mustang” model in the fold that is not the legendary muscle car.

Think about it. Ford didn’t really backtrack from its decision to scrap the “Mach-E” name; it actually doubled-down on using two of its most famous nameplates on a model that has nothing to do with what made these nameplates famous in the first place. But as it is, there will be a lot of complaints about the crossover’s name, and it’s hard not to disagree with those complaints.

What Happens to the Future of the Mustang Nameplate?

This is where things get interesting. From what we know, Ford has plans to use alternative powertrains on the Mustang muscle car. While still a concept, the Mustang Lithium looks exactly like the current-generation Mustang with a few vanity additions that properly identify its stature as an all-electric muscle car. The front hood created by Webasto is arguably its coolest feature. It features a pair of polycarbonate windows on each side of the central bulge. There’s also an electronic circuit design with dark and light blue colors. Cool stuff.

. All told, the Mustang Lithium packs more than 900 horsepower and 1,000 pound-feet of torque, making it the most powerful Mustang in the world. It’s even more powerful than the Ford Shelby GT500. It’s also more powerful than the Shelby Super Snake Mustang. The only caveat is its current “concept” status, though that could change soon considering that Ford has come out and confirmed that an all-electric Mustang is part of the nameplate’s future. The craziest part, though, is that it has a six-speed manual transmission!

If everything goes according to plan, it’s hard to imagine Ford waiting too long to roll out a production version of the Mustang Lithium. It already has $11.5 billion in investments earmarked for that goal, and you can be sure that the development of the production version of the Mustang Lithium will take up a chunk of that investment.

Ford told us that the Mustang would go electric. A lot of us scoffed at the idea at first, and yet here we are. Two electric Mustangs are already in the works. One is a traditional two-door muscle car while the other is a crossover that may or may not be borrowing the iconic nameplate. Who knows what Ford has up its sleeve next. Maybe an all-electric supercar will carry the Mustang name in the future too. There’s nothing we wouldn’t dismiss for the time being.