A US firm has developed some V8 roar for Ford’s silent electric SUV.
Owners of the Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUV in the US who miss the sound of old-school muscle cars will soon have the option of an external speaker that emits the roar of a V8 exhaust.
In a 14-second video posted to YouTube, US tuning firm and exhaust specialist Borla demonstrated its ‘Active Performance Sound System’ – a speaker hidden underneath the car’s rear bumper which can emit the booming V8 exhaust sounds of Ford’s iconic Mustang muscle car.
The US firm claims its sound system is fed real-time data from the Mustang Mach-E electric car’s on-board computer, allowing the speaker to accurately depict the exhaust noises of a muscle car while idling, accelerating, cruising or slowing down.
The Ford Mustang Mach-E featured in the YouTube video emitted exhaust noises made by the Mustang’s 5.0-litre V8.
“Sound, vision, and touch are the three senses we use for sport driving, and without the real-time feedback of motor and vehicle dynamics through sound waves and vibration, much of that experience is missing,” Borla’s vice president of sales and marketing, David Borla, said in a media statement.
“After all, who wants to watch Fast n’ Furious movies or play Forza (video games) with no sound? They go to great lengths to ensure sound is prevalent in those mediums for a reason.”
Borla isn’t the first tuning firm or speed shop to develop an ‘exhaust’ for an electric car.
In 2020, UK firm Milltek developed a muffler with a built-in speaker for Tesla’s electric cars – controlled via a smartphone app with the choice of exhaust noises from V8, V10 or V12 engines.
In Australia, performance outlets sell the Milltek system for approximately $3825.
Earlier this year, Dodge revealed its Charger Daytona SRT electric concept car, fitted with what the US car-maker calls a “Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust”.
Dodge claims the fake exhaust is as loud as a supercharged V8-powered Charger Hellcat, capable of generating up to 126dB through an amplifier and “tuning” chamber at the rear of the car.
Borla is yet to announce pricing for its electric ‘exhaust system’, with further details due to be announced at next month’s Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) trade show in Las Vegas.
The Mustang Mach-E initially drew criticism when it was launched in 2019, with passionate Ford fans believing the car-maker was tarnishing the Mustang muscle car’s legacy by using its name on an electric SUV.
Despite this, the Ford Mustang Mach-E has outsold the two-door Mustang muscle car in the US throughout certain months this year, with order books recently reopened after being closed due to overwhelming demand for the electric SUV.
As previously reported, well-placed dealer sources have told Drive the Ford Mustang Mach-E is a certainty for Australia, despite the US car-giants local arm remaining tight-lipped as to whether the electric car will arrive in showrooms.
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