Ford Puma moniker to be revived for new small SUV

-    This all-new Fiesta-based crossover is to be christened the Puma. 

-    Slated to arrive later this year, with a probable Indian debut as well. 

-    The Puma was a two-door coupe sold in the European market between 1997 and 2002.

Ford announced the revival of the Puma moniker which will be adopted for the all-new Fiesta-based crossover. We exclusively spotted this new crossover a few months ago and now the American carmaker has teased it in a new image ahead of its global reveal later this year. 

For the uninitiated, Ford Puma was a small, two-door coupe which was sold in the European market between 1997 and 2002. This new Fiesta-based crossover will sit alongside the EcoSport in Ford’s growing portfolio of high-riding vehicles instead of replacing it, as was rumoured earlier. Being based on the Fiesta, the Puma will have a design signature similar to the hatchback with inspiration from the Focus and the newly-revealed Ford Kuga. The cabin will also be modern with floating SYNC3 display and a large, spacious cabin. 

Under the hood, Ford has also revealed that the all-new Puma will get a mild hybrid powertrain (as the rest of the portfolio). The 1.0-litre Ecoboost three-cylinder turbo-petrol will be mated to a 48Volt system producing around 150bhp. 

The new Puma will be built at Ford’s Craiova plant in Romania and will be sold in European markets initially. Following that, a revised version of the Puma might also make its way to the developing markets like Brazil and India. So we could expect the all-new Puma to reach our shores by next year.