Ford debuts a dirt-ready Mustang Mach-E

Ford's Bronco Offroadero is located only 40 minutes away from Las Vegas in Nevada. It offers new owners the opportunity to learn how to push the limits of their SUVs. Raptor Valley is about an hour away from Las Vegas, Nevada. Here you can find the brand new Bronco Raptor Experience. Bronco Raptor owners can jump off a tabletop and skid across the desert course. This is pure rally-adrenaline on 37-inch tires.

The dirt experience is not limited to cars powered by gas. Ford Mach-E SUV drivers can now join in the fun. Ford decided to release a new version called the Mach-E Rally that is designed for rougher surfaces. This car is unique in many ways. It's the first Mustang to be built for speed and dirt at the same time. It's also Ford's first attempt at all-electric rally racing.

Learn more about the Mach-E Rally and how it fits in with off-roading, Desert Racing, and beyond.

The EV market is ready for off-road adventures

Ott Tanak, former World Rally Champion and driver of M-Sport Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1's M-Sport Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 vehicle, made his public debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed this month in the UK.

Specs aren't available yet, and for the Mach-E to successfully transition to an off-road career, it would need more ground clearance and different tires than the low-rolling-resistance types on the street-ready Mach-E. Ford offers a signup for curious tire-kickers who want to know more about the Mach-E Rally, with more information coming in the future.

Ford's F-150 Raptor and Bronco Raptor, which both appeal to drivers who are looking for off-road adventures, have been a success. Ford's decision to increase its presence in the dirt with EVs makes sense.

Ford Mustang Mach-E: Inside the Mustang Mach E.

Rivian, an EV manufacturer, has shown that its R1T truck and R1S SUV are capable of off-roading. They took them to the desert during the Rebelle Rally, which is a punishing event. Rivian's EVs made a 13,000-mile journey from South America's southernmost tip to Los Angeles in California three years ago. Porsche and Volkswagen also sent their vehicles off-roading to demonstrate their versatility.

Mach-E Rally is on trend

Emme Hall, Edmunds's director of marketing and communications, said that the idea for the Mach-E Rally began about a year prior with an online rendering of a Mach-E equipped with off-road accessories. Doug Field, Ford's chief of advanced product development and technological officer, saw an opportunity and presented it to Jim Farley. Jim Farley gave the idea the green light shortly after.

Mach-E Rally is on trend. SEMA, the aftermarket parts association, predicts that by 2027, light trucks (pickups vans SUVs CUVs will make up close to 80% of new vehicle sales). Pickups will account for nearly half of new vehicle sales in that segment. These numbers reflect Americans' increasing love of the outdoors during pandemics. Mordor Intelligence estimates that the off-road vehicles market will be worth $18 billion in 2026 and $14 billion in 2020.

The Mach-E, in all its variants, has a great chance to succeed with consumers as EV adoption grows (aided by new agreements made between Tesla, Ford, GM Rivian and Volvo, Nissan and others, who have agreed to adopt Tesla’s charging standard). Ford's Mustang Mach-E has been doing well. Sales increased by 45 percent from 2021-2022 to 39,458 cars. Ford has built three battery factories to meet this demand: two in Kentucky, and one in Tennessee with South Korean company SK On.

Ford offers its new Bronco drivers an entire day's worth of professional instruction in Nevada, Utah Texas and New Hampshire. Could the Mach-E Rally dirt-racing academy be close behind? We wouldn't be surprised.