The new machine, which has previously been spied testing in camouflage, will take the name of the two-door coupe the firm produced between 1997 and 2002 - also built on a Fiesta platform.
At first the new car was believed to be a replacement for the Ecosport, but we now know it will sit alongside that car as a sportier, more style-oriented alternative. The Puma’s design can be seen in part in Ford’s teaser image of the car, showing its front and side profile will be significantly different to the Ecosport and has more in common with the latest Fiesta and Focus. Expect an interior that’s similar to the Fiesta and Focus, too, with the brand’s dashtop-mounted SYNC touchscreen infotainment system and much of the same switchgear. It’ll also offer a bigger boot, with 456-litres of ‘uncompromised’ luggage capacity. Ford will balance an SUV-like higher seating position with the desire to retain the Fiesta’s driver focus.
Ford has also revealed that the new Puma will be offered with a 153bhp mild hybrid powertrain, featuring a 1.0-litre Ecoboost three-cylinder turbo petrol engine mated a 48V belt-driven starter motor generator.
Stuart Rowley, Ford’s European boss, said the new Puma would “really resonate with compact car customers in Europe” through “progressive and evocative styling.”
Ford has yet to give any further technical details of the car, which will be built at its Craiova plant in Romania. It will sit alongside the existing Ecosport in its compact SUV range, and is part of Ford’s major European overhaul to focus on more profitable market segments.
