Photo: kolesaru / Instagram
Just like many other automakers, Ford also loves a good, old-fashioned nameplate mix-up. If you don't believe us, just think of the Maverick for the Americas or Puma for Europeans.
The former was initially a compact car sold in North America and Brazil during most of the 1970s. From 1988 to 1994, it became a rebadged Nissan Patrol Y60 sold by Ford Australia in the Land Down Under, while Ford of Europe also sold a badge-engineered Nissan Terrano II, produced in Spain, as the Ford Maverick SUV from 1993 to 1999. Last but not least, the Old Continent and China variant of the Ford Escape was sold during the first half of the 2000s.
However, the most impactful use of the nameplate is here and now, as the Blue Oval reinvented the moniker for their triumphant, best-selling return to the unibody compact pickup truck game in North America. Concurrently, the Ford Puma nameplate was used by FoMoCo not just for several car models but also to designate the Ford Duratorq ZSD "Puma" series of 2.0, 2.2, and 2.4-liter engines!
For example, the Ford Escort RS2000 was originally nicknamed Puma, but in the end, the moniker was used for a lightweight sport compact car produced from 1997 to 2001. Today, though – since 2019 – the Ford Puma designation is used for a subcompact (B-segment) crossover SUV produced by Ford's factory in Romania as the CUV equivalent of the seventh-gen Ford Fiesta supermini.
Since its launch, the crossover hasn't been the most popular offering on the saturated market – it ranked in the top 20 last year, and according to Jato Dynamics, it was 17th overall (77,346 units) after the first six months of the year in Europe. Sure, the Tesla Model Y is becoming untouchable, but equivalent B-class models were a lot higher in the charts – like the Toyota Yaris Cross (96,214 units), Dacia Duster (86,872), or even the Renault Captur (77,634).
Of course, the situation could change if Ford makes it a bit more enticing. No worries, they are on top of it, as our spy photographer partners recently caught the subcompact crossover rocking its mid-cycle facelift revisions from under trippy camouflage patterns. And naturally, that situation attracted the attention of the imaginative realm of digital car content creators.
For example, the good folks over at Kolesa, along with their resident pixel master Nikita Chuicko, aka kelsonik on social media, have imagined the looks of the refreshed Puma ahead of its scheduled introduction. Offered with gasoline, diesel, and mild-hybrid powertrains, Ford's little crossover is said to make a giant leap of faith next year – alongside the updated exterior and interior, the company will also introduce a first-ever all-electric Puma model.
And that's precisely what we have here on display – albeit only unofficially dressed in CGI. The Ford Puma EV, of course, also sports all the revisions intended for the entire series – a new headlight design with fresh DRL treatment, modified taillights, plus all the changes needed to make it an efficient EV, like a closed grille and eco-conscious alloy wheels plus tires.
So, what do you think – will the restyled 2024 Ford Puma subcompact crossover SUV look like this when the company launches its promised electric variant? Or is this merely wishful thinking? Whatever you think of it, please treat it with a pinch of salt until Ford makes an official announcement regarding the new Puma.
However, the most impactful use of the nameplate is here and now, as the Blue Oval reinvented the moniker for their triumphant, best-selling return to the unibody compact pickup truck game in North America. Concurrently, the Ford Puma nameplate was used by FoMoCo not just for several car models but also to designate the Ford Duratorq ZSD "Puma" series of 2.0, 2.2, and 2.4-liter engines!
For example, the Ford Escort RS2000 was originally nicknamed Puma, but in the end, the moniker was used for a lightweight sport compact car produced from 1997 to 2001. Today, though – since 2019 – the Ford Puma designation is used for a subcompact (B-segment) crossover SUV produced by Ford's factory in Romania as the CUV equivalent of the seventh-gen Ford Fiesta supermini.
Since its launch, the crossover hasn't been the most popular offering on the saturated market – it ranked in the top 20 last year, and according to Jato Dynamics, it was 17th overall (77,346 units) after the first six months of the year in Europe. Sure, the Tesla Model Y is becoming untouchable, but equivalent B-class models were a lot higher in the charts – like the Toyota Yaris Cross (96,214 units), Dacia Duster (86,872), or even the Renault Captur (77,634).
Of course, the situation could change if Ford makes it a bit more enticing. No worries, they are on top of it, as our spy photographer partners recently caught the subcompact crossover rocking its mid-cycle facelift revisions from under trippy camouflage patterns. And naturally, that situation attracted the attention of the imaginative realm of digital car content creators.
For example, the good folks over at Kolesa, along with their resident pixel master Nikita Chuicko, aka kelsonik on social media, have imagined the looks of the refreshed Puma ahead of its scheduled introduction. Offered with gasoline, diesel, and mild-hybrid powertrains, Ford's little crossover is said to make a giant leap of faith next year – alongside the updated exterior and interior, the company will also introduce a first-ever all-electric Puma model.
And that's precisely what we have here on display – albeit only unofficially dressed in CGI. The Ford Puma EV, of course, also sports all the revisions intended for the entire series – a new headlight design with fresh DRL treatment, modified taillights, plus all the changes needed to make it an efficient EV, like a closed grille and eco-conscious alloy wheels plus tires.
So, what do you think – will the restyled 2024 Ford Puma subcompact crossover SUV look like this when the company launches its promised electric variant? Or is this merely wishful thinking? Whatever you think of it, please treat it with a pinch of salt until Ford makes an official announcement regarding the new Puma.
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