Last year, Ford revealed the silhouettes of five of its future electric vehicle offerings. The Mustang Mach-E served as the curtain raiser, and the recently spotted electrified Puma might be a likely follow-up.
Looking for your next new or used Ford? Find it here with CARmag.
Ford announced that the battery-powered Puma model will begin production in 2024. Recent spy shots caught the cross-over model in full test mule guise propelled by the powertrain borrowed from the firm’s smallest future electric vehicle offering, the E-Transit Courier model. The E-Transit Courier relies on an electrified version of the ICE-powered Puma’s front wheel B2E architecture. The E-Transit Courier’s front axles house 100 kW electric motors, which the EV Puma may also feature, given that the E-Transit Courier and EV Puma’s electric powertrains were engineered with the intention of use in both models, according to Ford.
The E-Transit offshoot supports up to 100 kW DC charging that allows recuperating its energy supply from 10% to 80% in less than 35 minutes. Autocar suggests that the E-Transit Courier’s battery could afford the EV Puma a driving range of more than 350 km. Autocar speculates that given the variety of powertrain configurations that exist in the larger Transit models, it could be possible that the EV Puma range may also feature multiple powertrain configurations.
Related: Getting to Grips with Ford’s Mustang Mach-E – Arriving in 2025
With the Mustang Mach-E expected to arrive in 2025, the question is whether the electric Puma will join its ICE-powered sibling in South Africa. In the third quarter of 2023, Ford managed to sell 14 824 Mustang Mach-E models, contributing to a total of more than 20 000 electric vehicles sold in total for Q3 2023. Ford Blue announced that revenue was up by 26%, but ultimately outshadowed by the operating loss of $1,3 billion (roughly R23 billion based on current exchange rates). This represents an increase from the $1.,1 billion operating loss recorded in Q2 2023.
Considering the Puma is also the smaller, more affordable version of the Mustang Mach-E which will presumably be priced well over R1 million, it would also be the more sensible choice for green-conscious Blue Oval buyers. We will continue to monitor this story and provide updates as new information is released.
