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 else to say about Puma today other than that we’ll have an electric version. of this vehicle.”
Rowley has confirmed that the Puma EV will not use Volkswagen’s MEB platform, which underpins the Volkswagen ID family and is shared with Ford as part of its Volkswagen Group alliance.
This raises the prospect that it sits on an adapted version of the current platform or uses potentially different underpinnings.
The decision also raises questions about the future of the Ford Fiesta, on which the Puma is based and which could therefore theoretically make use of any electric conversion, although its lower position would undoubtedly complicate such a move.
However, Rowley again declined to comment, saying: “Today we are making a series of very important announcements about vehicles that will arrive through 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 are looking 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 after being heavily impacted by semiconductor shortages and factory closures.
The impacts were so severe that superminis dropped the UK’s top 10 list entirely for the first time in 12 years. Puma’s success continues in Europe, where 134,431 cars are registered.
The electrification of the Puma from 2024 is the final step in Ford’s electrification strategy, which will involve an investment of $22 billion through 2025. The company has already electrified several of its most important vehicles, including the Mustang, F-150 and Transit.
Ford is also aiming for global carbon neutrality in Europe by 2035, in line with the Paris climate accord. Part of its strategy relies on working closely with other automakers, including investing $500 million in electric vehicle startup Rivian.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-03-14 08:18:02
