Ford unveils new electric Puma Gen-E to be produced at plant in southern Romania
Ford unveiled the Puma Gen-E on December 3 - the new electric car set to be made starting the end of this year at the plant in Craiova, southern Romania. The launch price announced for the local market is EUR 23,900.
The car is fully electric, and a model was revealed in Craiova during an international event attended by journalists from several countries. The name stands for “Electric Generation,” signaling the shift that carmakers around the world have started to make toward this kind of cars.
The new Puma Gen-E uses the same platform as the combustion engine versions, with minor adjustments to the drivetrain to accommodate the increased weight of the vehicle. The car features a net battery capacity of 43.6 kW, typical for small-segment models, which ensures a reduced weight and reasonable autonomy for urban driving.
Connected to a fast charger, a 10-80 per cent charge takes approximately 23 minutes, according to the press release. The car also goes 0-100 km/h in 8 seconds and offers a 43-litre frunk.
“Puma is a success story, loved for its sporty design and driving characteristics combined with unique practicality and class-leading boot storage,” said Jon Williams, general manager, Ford Blue and Model e, Europe. “Puma Gen-E is our best ever Puma, with the most fun-to-drive experience yet, combined with an incredibly energy-efficient electric powertrain. And the new, even bigger GigaBox offers unmatched luggage capacity,” he added.
The manufacturer states that the car has an autonomy of 376 km in WLTP mode and over 400 km in ECO Mode, which limits the maximum speed to 105 km/h. In WLTP City driving mode, the declared autonomy is 523 km.
The launch price announced by Ford in Romania is EUR 23,900. This competitive pricing is achievable due to several discounts applied to the list price. Firstly, the price includes the Rabla Plus voucher, worth approximately EUR 5,100. Secondly, Ford Romania has introduced its own EcoBonus program, offering an additional discount of EUR 5,100 for electric cars. This means the list price before discounts is around EUR 34,000.
The launch takes place amid a difficult time for the large carmaker. Ford plans to cut almost 4,000 jobs in Europe over the next three years, about 14% of its workforce in the region, due to slowing demand for electric vehicles and rising competition from China. The cuts would be completed by the end of 2027, pending consultations with labor unions, and would be concentrated in Germany and the United Kingdom, not Romania, according to CNN.
(Photo source: Ford.com)
