The Ford Kuga PHEV has remained a popular option in Europe since its launch, finishing out 2021 as that region’s best-selling plug-in hybrid and most recently recording a second-place finish there in the month of February. Now, the Ford Kuga PHEV has reclaimed its spot atop the sales charts after a strong March for both hybrid and all-electric vehicles in Europe, according to the latest data from automotive market research firm JATO Dynamics.
Ford sold a total of 5,544 Kuga PHEV models in March, which represents a 27 percent increase year-over-year. That was good enough to propel the electrified crossover back to the top of the European ranks ahead of its many rivals, which include the Volvo XC40, Peugeot 3008, Cupra Formentor, BMW X5, Volvo XC60, BMW X1, BMW Series 3, Mercedes A-Class, and Hyundai Tucson. In fact, the Puma PHEV outsold the second-place XC40 by a total of 1,539 units.
Meanwhile, total new vehicle sales in Europe declined by 19 percent last month, though plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicle sales increased by 10 percent. At the same time, diesel sales declined in the region by 39 percent and were surpassed by electrified options for the very first time. As Ford Authority reported back in December, the Ford Kuga diesel was recently discontinued due to poor sales.
In the U.S., the Ford Escape PHEV – a rebadged version of Europe’s Kuga – launched in America back in September following multiple delays, and will also arrive in Australia this spring. These delays began following the Kuga PHEV’s stop-sale and recall in Europe before supply chain issues including the semiconductor chip shortage complicated matters even further and forced a number of other delays that ultimately pushed the Escape PHEV’s launch back to the fall of 2021.
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Comments
The Kuga in the 3 higher trim levels: ST Line, ST Line X and Vignale is a far better looking vehicle than the NA Escape, IMO!
If the Kuga PHEV ( rather then the Escape PHEV ) was made and sold in NA, and in sufficient numbers, it would be the most popular PHEV in NA. But we are stuck with the Escape PHEV, which is a much cheaper version of the Kuga, and which I have been grappling with on whether it is worth the price, or wait for something better to come along.
This is a typical press release of Ford, showing ‘good’ news… fact is that Ford of Europe is in a really, really BAD shape, dramatic sales figures. TESLA is selling EV’s and the only Ford in the top 10 is a Puma. By the end of the year, there won’t be any Ford in the Top 10 and even the Kuga will be outpaced as PHEVs are losing market shares (no more governement money).
Is that ‘highest orders’ rather than ‘highest sales’? I have a Kuga on order since early January and they are still unable to give me a delivery date!