Old Name, New Compact Crossover from Ford

Ford has given us back a favourite name, with a teaser of what their new SUV compact crossover, the Puma, will look like. It will go on sale at the end of the year, is powered by a 48-volt mild-hybrid powertrain, this new Puma promises flexibility, with luggage capacity of 456 litres, capable of accommodating two golf bags in an upright position.

With SUVs now accounting for more than one in five Ford vehicles sold in Europe, (sales rose more than 19 per cent in 2018), Puma joins Ford’s expanding line-up of SUV and SUV-inspired crossover models i, including the Fiesta Active, Focus Active, EcoSport, Kuga, Edge, and the all-new Explorer Plug-In Hybrid.

Puma will be produced at Ford’s Craiova Assembly Plant, Romania, following nearly €1.5 billion investment since 2008.

“Innovatively engineered and styled, we think Puma is going to really resonate with compact-car customers in Europe. If you want a car that can turn heads on Friday night, and swallow your flat-pack furniture with ease on Saturday afternoon, then you’ve found it,” said Stuart Rowley, president, Ford of Europe. “We've gone to every length to give customers the flexibility they want, with progressive and evocative styling, so that they can drive the best-looking car they've ever owned.”

Ford EcoBoost Hybrid technology oversees Puma fuel-efficiency* and should deliver responsive performance, with up to 155 PS available. A belt-driven integrated starter/generator (BISG) enables recovery and storage of energy usually lost during braking and coasting to charge a 48‑volt lithium-ion air-cooled battery pack.

The BISG also acts as a motor, integrating with a low-friction, three-cylinder, 1-litreEcoBoost petrol engine and using the stored energy to provide torque substitution – which reduces the amount of work required from the petrol engine to maximise fuel savings, and torque supplementation – which increases the total torque available from the powertrain for optimised performance.