First details of next Ford Puma EV revealed: Compact electric SUV is gonna be a Renault 4 under the skin
The second-generation Ford Puma Gen-E EV will be the second vehicle developed under the recently announced joint venture with Renault, with the all-electric SUV built on the same architecture as the Renault 4 sold in Europe.
Set to launch in 2028 alongside the Renault 5-based Fiesta hatch, the next Puma Gen-E will measure around 4.2m long, making it a rival for vehicles such as the Kia EV3 and BYD Atto 3.
The current Ford Puma Gen-E was briefly scheduled for Australia before being those plans were cancelled.
Based on the same RG EV platform, both the Fiesta and Puma Gen-E are expected to share numerous components with Renault EVs, including their motors and battery packs.
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Like the Renault 4, the Puma Gen-E could be offered with either a 40kWh battery paired with a 90kW front-mounted electric motor or a larger 52kWh battery pack combined with a more powerful 110kW motor.
With the smaller battery, the Blue Oval’s cheapest EV should take around 9.2 seconds to sprint from 0-100km/h, dropping to around 8.2 seconds with the more powerful motor.
If that’s not quick enough, a dual-motor version is also likely, potentially reviving the ST nameplate. The all-wheel-drive Puma is tipped to produce as much as 200kW of power, allowing for a 0-100km/h time of around 6.0 seconds.
Range, meanwhile, is expected to be around 386km, while DC fast charging should peak at 100kW.
It has been rumoured that, in a bid to make the Ford Puma Gen-E more competitive, the small SUV could adopt a new generation of batteries and motors that will also be offered in Renault’s smaller EVs.
The upgrades are being driven by increasing competition from other small EVs, such as the facelifted BYD Atto 3, which has been updated with the firm’s Blade Battery 2.0 technology and is now capable of Megawatt Flash Charging at up to 1500kW.
Connected to a next-generation BYD Flash Charger, the Atto 3 can now take just five minutes to charge from 10 to 70 per cent and can replenish its battery from 10 to 97 per cent in little more than nine minutes.
While largely Renault underneath, the new Puma Gen-E will feature its own styling, mirroring what Ford has already done with the Explorer, which has a unique design despite being based on the Volkswagen ID.4.
Inside, the new Ford Puma Gen-E is expected to once again borrow key components, including its twin 10-inch screens, from the Renault 4 and Renault 5, although the software will naturally be rebranded for Ford.
Ford has yet to confirm the timing of all four models it plans to launch between now and 2029, but the Puma Gen-E is widely expected to arrive after the rugged hybrid Bronco SUV and the new Fiesta hatch.
