Ford Mustang Mach-E Deliveries Slow in Q3 - Trails Toyota RAV4 Prime

Ford’s Mustang Mach-E is a smash hit. Orders continue to pour in for the car, and finding one on a dealer lot is next to impossible. The same can be said for pretty much every green crossover on sale today, and many conventional vehicles as well.

Earlier this year, Ford had established a delivery run rate of 2,000 units per year of the Mach-E. However, in September, the automaker shipped just 1,578 units from its plant in Mexico to driveways inside the United States. The Ford Mustang Mach-E's YTD deliveries total 18,855 units. This places it behind the Toyota RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle and well behind the RAV4 Hybrid. Also, Ford’s current run-rate of deliveries seems to have fallen behind that of the Volkswagen ID.4.

Like all automakers, Ford is struggling in two major ways to push Mustang Mach-E cars out of its Mexican factory. The most public way the automaker is struggling is with regard to microprocessors (semiconductor chips). Autoweek reports that shortages have put the Mustang Mach-E six weeks behind schedule. Ford also faces battery manufacturing challenges. Like all automakers, batteries for electric vehicles are a choke point even when semiconductor shortages are manageable.

Not all automakers are behind projections. Toyota’s RAV4 Prime has exceeded its (modest) delivery projection for this model year by 400%. Through the end of September, Toyota has shipped just under 20,000 RAV4 Prime EV crossovers and is still maintaining a run rate averaging over 1,000 units per month.

The ID.4 is actually being delivered faster than either the Mustang Mach-E and Toyota RAV4 Prime. Its year-to-date numbers reflect a delay in starting deliveries to the middle of this year. VW didn’t say exactly how many ID.4 it delivered last month, but it delivered 6,000 in the quarter.

Social media posts by frustrated Ford Mustang Mach-E shoppers have filled the clubs. Some report unexpected delays. Others report that dealers have added above MSRP market adjustments of thousands of dollars to the cost of the vehicle. None of these should be a surprise. It is occurring with the most popular models today, regardless of brand.

John Goreham is a long-time New England Motor Press Association member and recovering engineer. John's interest in EVs goes back to 1990 when he designed the thermal control system for an EV battery as part of an academic team. After earning his mechanical engineering degree, John completed a marketing program at Northeastern University and worked with automotive component manufacturers, in the semiconductor industry, and in biotech. In addition to Torque News, John's work has appeared in print in dozens of American news outlets and he provides reviews to many vehicle shopping sites. You can follow John on TikTok @ToknCars, on Twitter, and view his credentials at Linkedin

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