Coming in second is heartbreaking, as the athletes who earn silver medals so often say.
There are never words to comfort the runners-up team as they watch the champion team lift the trophy.
With the exception of fourth place, which usually means you don't have a medal, champions will tell you that the other worst ranking is to finish second.
This is where Ford (F) currently finds itself in in the war for vehicle electrification.
Like most dauphins, the company led by Jim Farley is not satisfied with this position and wants to dethrone the big favorite and current champion, Tesla (TSLA).
Farley has just carried out a radical reorganization for the 118-year old company, by creating two distinct divisions: one specialized in electric vehicles, Ford e, and Ford Blue which is devoted to vehicles with internal combustion engine or gasoline cars.
The objective is clear: To give wings to Ford e, whose mission could be summarized to catch up Tesla.
Strong Demand
Farley's efforts seem to be paying off.
Ford is no longer taking orders for two versions of the Mach-E electric SUV, a spokesperson told TheStreet.
Ford
The decision was prompted by strong demand. Ford is overwhelmed by great interest in this electric model that has breathed new life into the iconic Mustang. The company is therefore unable to meet all of this demand.
In any case, its production capacities currently do not allow it.
"2022 Premium no longer available for order. Extremely limited inventory available at select dealers," said Ford on the website dedicated to this variant of the SUV/Crossover Mustang Mach-E.
The other variant is the California Route 1 Mustang Mach-E.
"We have seen unprecedented demand", the spokesperson told TheStreet in an email statement. "And are focused on building existing customer orders for Premium and California Route 1 Mustang Mach-E models."
The spokesperson did have some caveats though.
"However customers may work with their dealers to buy a Mach-E from stock," while "Retail ordering remains open for other popular models like GT, GT Performance Edition and Select."
Ford is not ready to communicate on its order book.
"We will communicate 23MY [2023 Model Years] ordering details as soon as they become available," the spokesperson said.
The vehicle maker stopped taking orders for these two versions of the Mach-E SUV in February.
Demand for Ford’s EV crossover has exceeded supply for some time now, with some unscheduled 2021 model year orders that were previously pushed to the 2022 model year.
The automaker also continues to battle the semiconductor chip shortage and other supply constraints, in addition to unexpectedly high demand, according to FordAuthority.com.
The website was the first to report about the decision by Ford to stop accepting orders for the Premium Mustang Mach-E and the California Route 1.
The Mustang Mach-E California Route 1 comes standard with the extended-range battery and an estimated range of 314 miles for $52,775 as the base price. The Mach-E Premium has an estimated range of 303 miles with a starting price of $49,100.
Competition
The Mustang Mach-E is in competition with the Model Y of Tesla and will soon be in competition with the Lyriq of Cadillac, a high-end brand of GM (GM).
That is produced at a Ford Motor plant located in Cuautitlán, Mexico. Ford hopes to increase production there to 200,000 units a year by 2023.
The company was also planning to produce other electric vehicles at the same factory, such as the electric versions of the Ford Explorer and the Lincoln Aviator.
Asked if these projects were still relevant given the strong demand for the Mustang Mach-E, the spokesperson dodged.
"It’s premature to say. We don’t comment on future product plans," she wrote back.
What's Next For Ford?
The Ford Mustang Mach-E was launched in 2021.
"The Mustang Mach-E wholeheartedly rejects the notion that electric vehicles are only good at reducing gas consumption,” said at the time Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s chief product development and purchasing officer.
“People want a car that’s thrilling to drive, that looks gorgeous and that can easily adapt to their lifestyle, and the Mustang Mach-E delivers all of this in unmatched style.”
Last year Ford delivered 27,140 copies of this model. But the shortage of chips is affecting the whole industry, which has pushed it to postpone the delivery dates of certain orders.
Ford delivered only 2,001 March-E in February, down 46.5% compared to the same period a year earlier. Deliveries are also down from January, when Ford sold 2,370 Mach-E.
Ford wants to produce 2 million electric vehicles per year from 2026, but 600,000 by 2024. This objective is based in particular on the Mach-E, the electric Transit and the future F-150 Lightning pickup whose production is supposed to start soon.
