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On April 17, Ford announced new Mustang versions, including the Mustang Mach-E Rally, the first ever rally-inspired EV from Ford, the ultra-high-performance Mustang GTD, and the new Mustang California Special model in Europe.

The Mustang Mach-E Rally is equipped with a dual-motor all-wheel drive electric powertrain that delivers 486ps of power and 950 Nm of torque. The vehicle also comes with a tuned suspension, that is 20 mm higher than Mustang Mach-E GT. The vehicle will be available to order from April 30, 2024.

Ford also opened order books for the new Mustang California Special model in Europe, which is offered in the Mustang GT convertible body style and with a choice of a six-speed manual or 10-speed automatic transmission for the 5.0-liter V8 engine.

Additionally, the company confirmed the most advanced Mustang, the Mustang GTD, for the European market. The vehicle features active aerodynamics and semi-active suspension and will be available to buy in limited numbers. The European applications for Mustang GTD are expected to open in the summer of 2024, with more details to be revealed later.

Based on Ford Europe press release

On April 17, Ford announced it is recalling 456,565 Bronco Sport and Maverick vehicles due to a battery detection issue that can result in loss of drive power, increasing crash risks.

According to documents published by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the body and power train control modules for these cars may fail to detect changes in battery charge. 

When undetected, a low battery charge can cause an unexpected loss of drive power — including sudden stalling or inability to restart — and the use of other electric capabilities like hazard lights.

The recall covers about 402,978 model year 2021-2024 Bronco Sports produced between February 2020 and March 2024, as well as 53,587 model year 2022-2023 Mavericks manufactured from February 2021 to October 2022.

To remedy the issue, dealers will recalibrate the impacted vehicles' body and power train control modules at no cost, with owner notification letters to be mailed on May 13.

Ford announced a separate recall of nearly 43,000 select Bronco Sport and Escape SUVs one week ago because gasoline can leak from the fuel injectors onto hot engine surfaces, increasing the risk of fires, but the recall remedy did not include repairing the fuel leaks, prompting a federal investigation.

(Detroit News article on April 17, 2024) (U.S. NHTSA document on April 12, 2024)

On April 16, multiple sources reported that Ford agreed to extend the Temporary Employment Regulation File (ERTE) from April 20, 2024, to June 20, 2024, due to the end of production of the Transit van and engine parts supply issues at the Valencia plant.

According to UGT, the production problem at the engine plant, due to the lack of engine parts, will cause stoppages for ten days at the plant, which will be 5 days in May 2024 (20,21,22,27 and 28) and 5 days in June 2024 (3,10,11,17 and 18, 2024), that means there will be no working on vehicles for four weeks on the evening shift. 

The ERTE will affect 1,400 people per day in vehicle manufacturing (800 due to the cessation of the Transit and 600 due to the lack of production) and 900 people in engines. The salary conditions of the staff for this arrangement will be the same as agreed in the previous ERTE.

The union hopes that the situation in the engine plant normalized as soon as possible so that the number of people affected is reduced per day, guaranteeing two-shift production.

Based on multiple sources