In the year 2030, Ford will stop selling cars with internal combustion engines on the European market. This radical transformation will culminate in 2035 when its business in the old continent reaches the desired carbon neutrality. However, to achieve these ambitious goals, the oval firm will need to deploy a full range of zero-emission vehicles.
To accelerate the development of this type of model, Ford recently announced the creation of two new global divisions: Ford Blue, which will be in charge of its thermal cars, and Ford Model e, focused on electric cars. Thanks to this, between now and 2024 the company will launch seven unprecedented electric vehicles in our market, which will join the Mustang Mach-E and E-Transit.
Two of these proposals, a midsize crossover, and a sports crossover, will make use of the Volkswagen Group’s MEB modular platform (both companies have a collaboration agreement for the development of electric cars, commercial vehicles, and autonomous driving technology); in fact, they are expected to be direct derivatives of the ID.4 and ID.5.
The Courier and Custom vans, divided into passenger versions (Tourneo Courier, Tourneo Custom) and cargo (Transit Courier, Transit Custom), will also have electric versions. However, the announcement that has raised the most expectations has been that of the 100% electric Puma.
The main rival of the electric Ford Puma will be the Opel Mokka-e
The Ford Puma is a very popular B-segment (utility) SUV in Europe; In fact, in 2021 it was the best-selling model of the brand in this market since, with 132,455 units, it easily surpassed the everlasting Fiesta and Focus. The electric variant will arrive in 2024, in parallel to the restyling of its thermal brother.
Like the Courier, the electric Puma will maintain the B2E platform, so it will not be a vehicle conceived from scratch as electric. So it will still be front-wheel drive. At the moment its technical specifications are unknown, although it should not differ too much from rivals such as the Opel Mokka-e.
Aesthetically, the electric Puma will be practically identical to the updated thermal Puma, which will be released in 2023 and will feature new features such as redesigned headlamps. The main difference between the two probably lies in the use of a blind grille, although it would not be surprising if other details such as the bumpers or the wheels are specific. Its production will continue to take place in Craiova (Romania), which will stop manufacturing the aging EcoSport to make room for the newcomer.
