Ford’s marketing strategy for electric vehicles has centered around capitalizing on well-known names. First came the controversial decision to apply the Mustang nameplate to the Mach-E crossover. This was followed by the F-150 Lightning pickup—using the most popular nameplate in the U.S.—while in Europe Ford launched an Explorer EV and revived the iconic Capri name. Now Ford has revealed the Puma Gen-E for the European market, derived from the gas-powered Puma subcompact crossover that is currently the brand’s bestseller on the Continent.
Along with retaining the name of its sales leader, Ford kept the styling extremely faithful to the gas-powered variant, with the same bubbly silhouette and bug-eyed headlights. The trapezoidal grille, however, has been replaced by an upside-down U-shaped black trim piece, following the look pioneered by the Mustang Mach-E. The Gen-E also wears a rear spoiler and unique wheel designs that improve efficiency.
Ford aims to keep costs down, with the Puma Gen-E serving as the entry point to its EV lineup. To that end, the Gen-E is fitted with a small 43.0-kWh battery pack that will offer a maximum range of 234 miles. While this seems low by American standards, it should be competitive in Europe where commutes are typically far shorter. Ford also boasts of a maximum city driving range of 325 miles, so the Puma Gen-E should serve well as a local runabout where its one-pedal drive mode should come in handy.
The Puma Gen-E will also recharge fairly rapidly, with Ford claiming that the battery will be able to go from 10 to 80 percent in around 23 minutes when hooked up to a fast-charger. But don’t expect rapid acceleration—with only 166 horsepower, the Puma Gen-E will require 8.0 seconds to get from zero to 62 mph.
The electric Puma makes up for a lack of speed with a practical cabin. The trunk is capacious; its 20.3 cubic feet of space with the rear seats in place represent an increase over the gas-powered Puma. There is also a 1.5-cubic-foot frunk, while the lack of a traditional transmission means the center console has been redesigned for extra storage space.
The cabin otherwise largely mirrors its gas-powered counterpart, with a chunky steering wheel, a 12.0-inch center touchscreen, and a 12.8-inch digital gauge cluster. The Puma Gen-E runs Ford’s latest Sync 4 infotainment system, which includes cloud-connected navigation and wireless phone mirroring. Drivers can also operate the system via voice commands thanks to the integrated Alexa voice assistant.
Other tech highlights include wireless phone charging and available adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and lane-centering functionality. Ford will also offer a 360-degree surround-view camera and directional headlights that follow the curve of the road ahead. Deliveries start in spring 2025 in Europe, and prices are expected to start around the equivalent of the mid-$30,000 range.
The Puma Gen-E likely won’t be sold in the U.S., but we hope Ford can incorporate the same practicality and affordability into future U.S.-bound EVs.
