The next Ford Puma will be an SUV

And it is… an SUV. Rarely has there been a clearer indicator of changing market tastes than this rebirth from pert three-door to high-riding five-door. Then as now, it’s Fiesta based; but that fact, its name and the blue oval badge are all coupe and crossover have in common.

Puma 2019-style has 48-volt electrics for a mild hybrid side, courtesy of a starter-generator integrated with the 1.0-litre three-pot EcoBoost engine. With 155PS (153bhp) it is far more powerful than most Puma coupes – though in a spooky coincidence 155PS was exactly the power output in 1999 of the limited-edition Ford Racing Puma. 

There is as yet no confirmation of a Racing version of the new Puma. Just as there is no confirmation yet of what it looks like, apart from a hazy shot of the car trapped in a cage of blue LEDs. But design, along with a big boot and loads of practicality for a small car, is said to be what what the new Puma’s strength will be.

“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,” says Stuart Rowley, president, Ford of Europe.

The new Puma does have a large boot: 456 litres of space and enough height to accommodate two golf bags standing up, claims Ford. Though we can’t yet see it, the Puma’s practical side is said not to be at the expense of sporty styling – athletic and seductive apparently, with one USP promising to be what Ford describes as wing-top mounted headlights.

“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,” adds Stuart Rowley.

If you are thinking this is starting to sound like a big deal, you’re right – it is a huge deal for Ford. Ford has invested €1.5 billion in the assembly plant in Romania where the Puma will be built. The car, on sale from the end of this year, fits into the range below the Kuga and alongside the (equally Fiesta based) EcoSport. Its addition to Ford’s range is part of a belated but now full-throttle rush into SUVs and electrification for the blue oval. SUVs account for more than one in five Ford vehicles sold in Europe.

At a conference in Amsterdam on 2^nd April under a “Go Electric” banner, Ford outlined plans for 16 electrified models including the Puma, a sleeker new Kuga with mild-, full- and plug-in hybrid powertrain options, and, most intriguing, an all-new, all-electric performance SUV with design said to be inspired by the Mustang. It will have a range of 370 miles and go on sale in 2020, says Ford.

Sounds to us like the ideal SUV candidate to reprise that famous Puma ad from the 1990s… and if you have forgotten that you can see a reminder above…