Ford Puma EV coming to Australia in 2024 as new affordable electric SUV

April 18, 2023April 18, 2023 Toby Hagon 6203 Views ford

The Ford Puma EV will be coming to Australia in 2024, adding a new compact SUV to the affordable end of the electric car market.

Ford Australia president and CEO Andrew Birkic confirmed the upcoming Puma EV would join the E-Transit, E-Transit Custom and Mustang Mach-E as the fourth of five promised electrified models to go on sale in Australia by the end of next year.

“When it comes to our story on electrification, another entry we’ll be adding … is Puma,” said Birkic at the media launch of the E-Transit electric van. “We will be bringing in a BEV Puma.”

The Puma EV is set to become the smallest and most affordable EV in the Ford lineup.

While details haven’t been released about the important new model – Ford has only showed a shadowy silhouette – the Puma BEV is expected to utilise the architecture of the petrol-powered models that will continue alongside it.

No word on pricing, although clearly it will play at the more affordable end of the EV market. The Puma EV looks set to compete with the BYD Atto 3, GWM Ora, MG4 and Fiat 500e in the circa-$50,000 price bracket.

While that’s about $15,000 more than the ICE versions of the Puma, it would still place the EV version at the entry point of the fast-growing EV market.

One remaining question with Ford is what its promised fifth electrified model is.

Ford's future European EV lineup will include the Puma, Mustang Mach-E, Transit Courier, Tourneo Courier, Transit Custom, Tourneo Custom, E-Transit and two yet-to-be-named crossovers, a medium-sized crossover and a sport crossover — Ford’s future European EV lineup (left to right): Puma, medium crossover (now known as the Explorer), yet-to-be-revealed sport crossover, Mustang Mach-E, Transit Courier, Tourneo Courier, Transit Custom, Tourneo Custom and E-Transit

The company isn’t giving any clues for now – it won’t even say whether it will be a hybrid or a pure EV – but there are some obvious contenders.

Ford is working on a plug-in hybrid version of its Ranger, for example, although it seems unlikely it would be available by late 2024.

There’s also the F-150 Lightning out of the US, although its popularity there means it may not be a priority for the brand to send some down under, for now at least.

The most obvious option seems to be the electric-only Explorer that was unveiled for the European market. It has nothing in common with the Explorer sold in America, other than its name.

The electric Explorer is a car designed to compete with the Tesla Model Y, Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5.