Ford Unveils European Puma Crossover

Ford Motor Co. took the wraps off the all-new Puma compact crossover this week.

The 2020 model will launch in Europe later this year. There are no plans to sell the Puma in the U.S.

The little crossover will share a platform and styling cues with the Fiesta small car. But the vehicle will be slightly longer, wider and taller than its stablemate.

Ford also touts the Puma’s reconfigurable interior, which can accommodate more than 16 cu ft of cargo capacity. The flexible design features a load box (pictured below) that is built into the floor and can be used as a separate storage container or opened to accommodate larger items. A drainage plug at the bottom allows for easier cleaning.

The base engine is a turbocharged 1.0-liter 3-cylinder mill that can be tuned to 123 hp or 153 hp. A 48-volt mild-hybrid system boosts output during acceleration and provides stop-start capability. One of the cylinders can be deactivated during highway cruising to improve efficiency. A 1.5-liter variant also is said to be in the works.

Available driver-assist features include adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection and lane-keeping assist. Ford says the vehicle will be able to operate in semi-autonomous driving mode under certain conditions.

Ford used the Puma name in the later 1990s for a European coupe that was produced from 1997 until 2002. The new model will be built in Romania.