Quite a few Blue Oval fans (ourselves included) have long clamored for the automaker to bring the Ford Puma to the U.S. Even Ford CEO Jim Farley is among that group, as the automotive executive and enthusiast recently expressed that he “wishes” the Ford Puma would come to North America. And as it turns out, there’s a real, viable business case for such a move as well.
As it stands, the subcompact crossover segment has grown tremendously in recent years, both in terms of raw sales numbers and in the number of entries themselves. However, there’s a twist – there are two “subsegments” within the subcompact crossover segment – the value-oriented (and generally smaller) subcompact vehicles and the larger, more premium subcompact plus vehicles.
General Motors recognizes that there are two sub-segments within the subcompact crossover space, which is why it brought back the Chevy Trailblazer as a small crossover for the 2021 model year, positioning it in between the Chevy Trax and Chevy Equinox as a more premium offering, as GM Authority exclusively reported last fall.
Sales Numbers - Mainstream Subcompact Crossovers - 2020 – United States
| MODEL | YTD 20 / YTD 19 | YTD 20 | YTD 19 | YTD 20 SHARE | YTD 19 SHARE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEEP COMPASS | -24.99% | 107,969 | 143,934 | 14% | 17% |
| CHEVROLET TRAX | -9.00% | 106,299 | 116,816 | 14% | 14% |
| HONDA HR-V | -15.21% | 84,027 | 99,104 | 11% | 12% |
| KIA SOUL | -26.70% | 71,862 | 98,033 | 9% | 12% |
| JEEP RENEGADE | -18.26% | 62,847 | 76,885 | 8% | 9% |
| FORD ECOSPORT | -6.43% | 60,545 | 64,708 | 8% | 8% |
| KIA SELTOS | * | 46,280 | 0 | 6% | 0% |
| BUICK ENCORE GX | * | 44,841 | 0 | 6% | 0% |
| TOYOTA C-HR | -12.25% | 42,936 | 48,930 | 5% | 6% |
| BUICK ENCORE | -59.23% | 41,752 | 102,402 | 5% | 12% |
| MAZDA CX-30 | +4,134.04% | 38,064 | 899 | 5% | 0% |
| MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER SPORT | -14.29% | 28,836 | 33,644 | 4% | 4% |
| HYUNDAI VENUE | +1,675.77% | 19,125 | 1,077 | 2% | 0% |
| KIA NIRO | -28.74% | 17,434 | 24,467 | 2% | 3% |
| MAZDA CX-3 | -48.64% | 8,335 | 16,229 | 1% | 2% |
| FIAT 500X | -42.69% | 1,443 | 2,518 | 0% | 0% |
| TOTAL | -5.67% | 782,595 | 829,646 |
Now that Ford is at least thinking about bringing the Puma to the U.S., it would make perfect sense to take a similar approach. The Ford Puma could slot into the automaker’s lineup above the Ford EcoSport – which is currently lagging behind its competition at the lower end of the subcompact crossover segment – most of whom now have a wider spread in the segment with two vehicles.
| Subcompact | Subcompact Plus | Compact | Midsize | Full Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford EcoSport | Ford Puma | Ford Escape | Ford Edge | Ford Explorer |
This move would not only enable Ford to better compete within one of the hottest segments in the automotive world at the moment, but it would also help it continue to fill out its post-passenger car crossover lineup. The EcoSport would serve as Ford’s subcompact crossover, with the Puma filling the gap at subcompact plus, followed by the compact Ford Escape, mid-size Ford Edge, and full-size Ford Explorer. And with any luck, we’ll see it hit North American shores in the future, though that’s obviously still not a given.
We’ll have more on the Puma soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Puma news and non-stop Ford news coverage.
Comments
My understanding was that Puma is actually smaller than EcoSport, albeit a far better product as a whole. I believe it would compete with other highly (over?) styled, pint sized crossovers like Toyota CH-R and Hyundai Venue.
Built it at Flat Rock, or Louisville, they have room.
Ford has abandoned me as a customer. My 2012 Focus (with a stick) has been excellent. I want to replace it with something like a VW GTI (with a stick). Ford has nothing to compete, unless they’ll offer the Puma ST (with a stick).
They left a lot of people hanging moving to crossovers, but not offering anything in the US that handled as dynamically as cars. I know they thought the new Escape would be a trump card in the lineup, but it doesn’t have the flare to get buyers that excited about it. However, it looks like they are recognizing their mistake. If they are looking at the GX and CX30, it probably means a larger Puma like model could make its way into the lineup in the US. The poser interiors of those two models are what helps them sell, but the CX30 also drives really nicely. Ford would only need to get rid of the heavy duty hardware in the Bronco Sport platform to make this happen quickly. Getting rid of the Ecosport would mean they could start this at $22K to $23K.
I’m with Joe, apparently we have more in common than our name!
Dimensions:
73.5″ W x 64.5″ H x 175″ L
Give it low wide looking stance and have the best handling in the class.