Ford’s upcoming electric crossover will focus on performance over economy, according to the company chairman.

While Ford is lagging behind other carmakers in terms of electrification, we know that they’re working hard to catch up. The Blue Oval has been teasing a Mustang-inspired electric crossover for some time (although it will no longer be called the Mach 1 due to outrage from Mustang customers), and there are thinly-veiled rumors of Ford also making an electric version of the F-150 pickup.

Ford’s teaser for their electric crossover certainly had an “extreme” vibe to it, but we’ve so far been given no indication that it will be anything other than a boring economy car that just happens to be run on a battery. Now we’re being told that might not be the case.

Speaking at Crain's Detroit Business Newsmaker of the Year luncheon on Monday, Ford Chairman Bill Ford Jr. said that electric cars can have an element of performance to them and that you need not burn gas to be an exciting ride.

"When we first started talking about electrification, there was this thought that there had to be a tradeoff: It was either going to be green and boring and no fun, or really exciting but burn a lot of fossil fuels," Automotive News quoted Ford as saying during the event. "Electrification has come to the point that you can do both."

RELATED: FORD FILES MACH E TRADEMARK

Ford Says Upcoming Electric Vehicles To Focus On Performance
via Ford

Companies such as Rimac, Tesla, and others had long since proven that electric vehicles can have extreme performance that even exceeds that of a conventionally powered car, but good of Ford to finally get with the 21st century.

We know very little of Ford’s upcoming electric crossover other than it will have a 300-mile range and take inspiration from the only other car in Ford’s lineup, the Mustang. It was originally slated to be built in Flat Rock, Michigan, but production has since been moved to Mexico.

To help Ford electrify their lineup, Ford has created an internal unit called Team Edison that will be based in a converted train station in Detroit. The location will serve as Ford’s campus for research and development.

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