5 January 2022
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
From Mondeo to Mustang
The new Lord Mayoral car is fully electric so at first glance it ticks the boxes on the zeitgeist, yet, commentators on social media have today asked questions
1) Why does the Lord Mayor need a car at all? (shouldn’t he be walking or cycling?)
2) Why does it have to be so big? (Perhaps a City hatchback would be better?)
3) How much does it cost to run? (Ford provide the car for free)
These questions are asked every 6 months when the car changes. This time comments have also been made about how its overly black appearance makes it look like Kitt from Knight Rider (incidentally, that 80’s hit TV series did have a Cork connection). The car appears to have a black pack and lacks the traditional chrome grill associated with the higher-spec Ford Vignale trim level.
The current Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Colm Kelleher was today presented with the 2022 “Lord Mayoral car” (City Hall were careful not to call it the Lord Mayor’s car). It’s a fully-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E Standard Range AWD, by John Manning of Henry Ford & Son Ltd.
The introduction of a fully electric vehicle to support the Lord Mayor of Cork’s duties is in line with Cork City Council’s 2020 – 2025 Corporate Plan which sets out the Council’s plans to lead in the creation of a more sustainable city.
The first registered Cork car for the year 2022 was presented to the Lord Mayor and Cork City Council by John Manning, Market Lead with Henry Ford & Son Ltd. Also present at the presentation were Ann Doherty, Chief Executive, Cork City Council and Finbarr Archer, the Lord Mayor’s chauffeur.
Pic: Brian Lougheed
The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Colm Kelleher was presented with the 2022 Lord Mayoral car, a fully-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E Standard Range AWD, by John Manning of Henry Ford & Son Ltd.
The introduction of a fully electric vehicle to support the Lord Mayor of Cork’s duties is in line with Cork City Council’s 2020 – 2025 Corporate Plan which sets out the Council’s plans to lead in the creation of a more sustainable city.
Pic: Brian Lougheed
The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Colm Kelleher was presented with the 2022 Lord Mayoral car, a fully-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E Standard Range AWD, by John Manning of Henry Ford & Son Ltd.
Pic: Brian Lougheed
The fully electric SUV has a range of 400 kilometres and will be charged in the City Hall basement car park. Driving the Mustang Mach-E will lead to a 50% cut in running costs compared to driving a petrol or diesel engine in a similar-sized vehicle. In addition, given the less complicated engineering of an electric vehicle engine, servicing costs for the Mach-E will be considerably less than those for a similar-sized petrol / diesel powered vehicle.
Lord Mayor Cllr. Colm Kelleher said:
“I am proud to be the first Lord Mayor to champion the use of a fully electric vehicle, which symbolises the Council’s commitment to tackling climate change. I want to take this opportunity to thank Henry Ford & Son Ltd. for their continuing support of the Lord Mayor’s Office. Finbarr, my legendary driver, has already christened the car, ‘Knight Rider’. I am also delighted that its range means that it can be driven to Dublin to cheer on Cork in the All-Ireland Final – after just one charge.”
John Manning, Market Lead, Henry Ford & Son Ltd. commented:
“We are delighted to continue the tradition of providing our City’s Lord Mayoral car. We are even more excited that for the first time ever, our Lord Mayor will have the use of a fully electric car in the shape of our all-new Mustang Mach-E premium SUV with a range of 400km from a single charge.”
“The Mustang Mach-E is one of the most exciting vehicles that Ford has ever produced. This purpose-built all-electric vehicle is unique, unmistakably a Mustang and with leading edge assisted driving, parking and accident-avoidance technologies that ensured the car received a maximum 5-star Euro NCAP safety rating. The car also received a 5-star Green NCAP rating that promotes the development of cars that are clean, energy efficient and have a minimal environmental impact.”
“We wish Lord Mayor Kelleher many kilometres of safe and clean driving in his new Mustang Mach-E as he carries out his duties across Cork City and indeed, wider afield.”
Related video content
Here is a review of the Mustang Mach-E