Electric version of compact crossover is likely to still be underpinned by the architecture of the Ford Fiesta
The Ford Puma will gain an all-electric variant, the American firm has revealed.
However, details of the car remain scarce, with Ford of Europe boss Stuart Rowley saying: ”There’s nothing further to say about Puma today other than that we will have an electric version of that vehicle.”
Rowley did confirm that the Puma EV won’t utilise Volkswagen’s MEB platform, which underpins the Volkswagen ID family and is shared with Ford as part of its alliance with the Volkswagen Group.
That raises the prospect of it sitting on an adapted version of today’s platform or using potentially different underpinnings altogether.
The decision also raises questions about the future of the Ford Fiesta, on which the Puma is based and which could theoretically therefore make use of any electric conversion, although its lower stance would undoubtedly complicate such a move.
However, Rowley again declined to comment, saying: “Today we’re making a series of very important announcements on vehicles that will bring through to 2024.
“Of course, this will not be the end of the journey. You know, we will only sell electric passenger vehicles by 2030 and electric commercial vehicles by 2035. So we look forward to developing future plans.”
The Puma was Ford’s best-selling car in the UK last year. It dethroned the Fiesta which suffered a drop in sales having been heavily impacted by semiconductor shortages and factory closures.
The impacts were so severe that the supermini dropped out of the UK’s top 10 best-sellers list altogether for the first time in 12 years. The Puma’s success continued in Europe, where 134.431 cars were registered.
The Puma’s electrification from 2024 is the latest step in Ford’s electrification strategy, which will involve an investment of $22 billion through 2025. The firm has already electrified several of its most important vehicles, including the Mustang, F-150 and Transit.
Ford is also targeting global carbon-neutrality in Europe by 2035 in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. Part of its strategy is close collaboration with other car manufacturers, including investing $500 million into EV start-up Rivian.
Source: Autocar
