Listening to the roar of the engine has always been an integral part of driving experience but when you’re inside an electric car like the Ford Mustang Mach-E, perhaps the audio system is your next best companion.
According to Ford, its first mass-market electric crossover will come with a sophisticated B&O sound system comprising 10 speakers. Now, when it comes to high-end car speakers, B&O is undoubtedly one of the best in the business.
So, what makes it so special? For the Mustang Mach-E, the speaker is designed in such a way that it seamlessly integrates into the dashboard like a soundbar, taking up just one-third of the space. Heathered Grey textile, meanwhile, hides the dashboard-mounted tweeters and makes the whole system look like one of those luxurious home speakers.
The centrepiece of the sound system is something called Externally Coupled Subwoofer (ECS) which “uses the space in the cockpit to create the deeper bass notes rather than being sat in its own box”. Ford says they managed to save some space and avoid giving the car extra weight by taking this approach.
PRESS RELEASE
We spend up to four years of our lives driving our cars, and even longer if you add in the time we’re passengers, so it’s little wonder that the demand for great audio and a welcoming place to sit are high on buyers’ checklists.
Employing our human-centric design philosophy, our all-new all-electric Mustang Mach-E will help tick plenty of those boxes with an award-winning design of the *B&O Sound System that dominates one third of the dashboard. This is the first time we’ve given such visual prominence to a sound system. The specially developed Heathered Grey textile that conceals the dashboard-mounted tweeters replicates the look and feel of the fabric-based speaker covers of B&O’s iconic home speakers, yet is robust enough for use in a vehicle.
This not only gives the driver and passengers a great audio experience and makes a significant style statement, it also helps to create an element of calmness, just like sitting at home in your living room.
Amko Leenarts, Ford of Europe’s design director.
“Human-centric design is about focusing on all the senses. Sound is an integral part of peoples’ lives and has become an integral part of our design too, whether it’s for practical business communication or the goosebumps stimulated by musical experiences.”
The 10-speaker system also includes an Externally Coupled Subwoofer (ECS) which uses the space in the cockpit to create the deeper bass notes rather than being sat in its own box. This not only saves space, it also means we avoided adding excess weight in our mission to get the impressive expected driving range of the Mustang Mach-E.
