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It looks like Elon Musk can be a good sport about his rivals when he wants.
Despite his reputation for volatility — particularly when confronted with rivals and challengers on Twitter — Musk seemed to welcome friendly competition from Ford’s new Mustang Mach-E, the first all-electric version of the automaker’s legendary line of Mustang vehicles. Ford unveiled the new Mustang, which is also the first four-door vehicle to have the Mustang name on it, at a company event Sunday night.
Though Ford is positioning the new car — which will be an SUV — in the market against Tesla’s Model X SUV, Musk appeared to harbor no ill will toward his Detroit competitor, congratulating the company on the Mach E launch in a tweet.
Congratulations on the Mach E! Sustainable/electric cars are the future!! Excited to see this announcement from Ford, as it will encourage other carmakers to go electric too.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 18, 2019
“Sustainable/electric cars are the future!!” Musk tweeted. “Excited to see this announcement from Ford, as it will encourage other carmakers to go electric, too.”
The Mach-E Mustang marks Ford’s latest foray into the electric-car technology market. In October, Ford said it would give electric vehicle owners two years worth of free car charging at its network of 12,000 charging stations around the country. However, unlike Tesla’s Supercharger network, which only works with Tesla cars, Ford’s stations are capable of charging any electric vehicles.
The new Mustang will start at $43,895, but can run up to more than $60,000 depending on optional features. People can put a $500 deposit on a Mach-E Mustang, now, but anyone looking to surprise someone on Christmas morning might want to hold that thought, as Ford said the first Mach-E vehicles should roll off the assembly line in late 2020.
Ford’s debut of the Mach-E Mustang comes as Tesla prepares to hold an event Thursday night in Hawthorne, near Los Angeles, where it will unveil its so-called “Cybertruck,” which will be the company’s first electric pickup truck.
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VIDEO: See the first SUV with the Mustang name