Everything Electric: Mustang Mach-E Is 2021 EV of the Year
A big EV of the Year win for Ford, plus Rimac and Bugatti team up for exciting new venture.
This week’s major electric vehicle news includes major triumphs for EVs, and new directions for supercars. E-mobility is entering the mainstream at breakneck speed, and the automotive industry is taking the incentive to branch out to make the rides exceptional.
We’ve got the lowdown on two major high points of the week.
Ford Mustang Mach-E: EV of the Year
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E was named Car and Driver’s Electric Vehicle of the Year. For its inaugural EV award, the magazine tested 11 top-rated electric vehicles. Using the same criteria as Car and Driver’s 10 Best Awards; the vehicle must deliver exceptional driving engagement, offer indisputable value and/or practicality, fulfill its mission better than any of its competitors and, lastly, be fun to drive.
Each vehicle was put through the paces over a three-week period, including a 1,000-mile road trip to evaluate performance in real-world conditions. Unsurprising, the Mustang Mach-E took the Number 1 spot.
Ford’s contenders included the Audi e-tron, Kia Niro, Nissan Leaf Plus, Polestar 2, Porsche Taycan 4S PBP, Tesla Model 3 Performance, Tesla Model S Long Range Plus, Tesla Model Y Performance, Volkswagen ID.4 and Volvo XC40 Recharge. Car and Driver employed instrumented testing, subjective evaluation and side-by-side comparison in both practicality and entertainment value.
“We felt that if a carmaker was looking to convert people from EV skeptics to EV evangelists, there’s not a better vehicle out there than the Mustang Mach-E,” said Sharon Carty, Car and Driver editor-in-chief. “It’s a familiar shape and size of crossover. It’s in the sweet spot of what Americans love. It’s beautiful. It’s a design that gets noticed. It has a range and charging speed that is very competitive.”
New EV Company & Strange Bedfellows
Porsche, Bugatti and Rimac Automobili have teamed up to form a new venture named Bugatti Rimac. Bugatti will be brought into the joint company by current owner Volkswagen, and the shares will then be transferred to Porsche. Together, Bugatti Rimac will be an amazing blend of each brand’s strengths.
“We are combining Bugatti’s strong expertise in the hyper sports car business with Rimac’s tremendous innovative strength in the highly promising field of electric mobility,” says Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board at Porsche AG. “Bugatti is contributing a tradition-rich brand, iconic products, unique quality standards and craftsmanship, a loyal customer base and a global dealer network to the joint venture. In addition to technology, Rimac is contributing new development and organizational approaches.”
With an emphasis on future mobile and electric cars, this promises to produce thrilling results. Especially given how powerful we know Rimac can make an EV.
“This is a truly exciting moment in the short, yet rapidly expanding history of Rimac Automobili and this new venture takes things to a completely new level.” said Mate Rimac, founder and CEO of Rimac Automobili. “I have always loved cars and can see at Bugatti where passion for cars can take you to. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am by the potential of these two brands combining knowledge, technologies and values to create some truly special projects in the future.”
We’ll be watching.
Photos: Ford; Car & Driver; Bugatti; Rimac