The Ford Mustang Mach-E was supposed to be a big win for Ford China, but to date, the vehicle has struggled to resonate with Chinese drivers.
The struggles for Ford started on launch, with the company botching the big reveal in early 2021. Since then, Ford China has slashed Mach-E prices multiple times, but even with lower prices, sales have been poor.
It seems Ford thought that China would be an opportunity, but the North American giant did not forecast that the crossover EV lineup would be one of the most competitive in the country. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, not only did its direct-to-consumer sales strategy fall short, but its pricing of the electric crossover made it uncompetitive compared to the dozens of other offerings in the segment.
As a result of these poor sales, Ford has taken the unprecedented step to let its Chinese joint venture, Changan Ford, take over total operations of the Mach-E and go back to the dealership model for sales in the country. It is unclear if this is the solution, but Ford needed to make a change.
Only time will tell if this was the right call, but if this also fails, it will be back to the drawing board for the Mustang Mach-E in China.
