do you remember the Ford Puma ? A small coupe launched in 1997 that derived from the Ford Fiesta? Well then, there was a rumor about the resurgence of the name. This time not as an affordable coupe, but as an SUV to replace the EcoSport, which since its launch in Europe in 2014 has already been the target of two updates.
The first rumors about the possible return of the Puma name arose after Ford filed two registration processes for the name with the World Intellectual Property Office. One is intended to register the name on the Australian market while the other is for the New Zealand market, both of which indicate that the name is intended to describe “motorized land vehicles, namely cars, pick-ups, utility vehicles, four-wheel drive and sport utility vehicles, and parts thereof.”
Meanwhile, Automotive News Europe, citing French investment firm Inovev, referred that Ford is preparing the successor of EcoSport , stating that it could be called Puma. The site also added that the new model should be presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show, as part of Ford's strategy for Europe, which involves betting more on SUVs.
The original Ford Puma
Launched in 1997 and made based on the Ford Fiesta Mk4, the Ford Puma was the American brand's answer to the success that models such as the Opel Tigra were experiencing in the mid 90's. Aesthetically, the small coupé made in Germany did not hide the origins, being heavily inspired by Ford's design philosophy at that time, New Edge Design.
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To animate the Puma we found, in addition to a 1.4 l with 90 hp and a 1.6 l with 103 hp (sold only between 2000 and 2001), a 1.7 l developed in conjunction with Yamaha that offered an already respectable 125 hp — there was even a version of this engine with 160 hp, in the more special and extended ST160.
The production of the Ford Puma ended in 2001 (the model was still sold until 2002) and to this day the small coupé has not had a successor. Now, about 18 years after it disappeared, the Puma name may be about to make a comeback, this time associated with an SUV, as happened with the case of the Eclipse name on Mitsubishi that re-emerged as Eclipse Cross.