Ford says the one millionth Puma has been handed over to a customer, Karen Horton, who set out to buy an ordinary new car and ended up with a milestone one. The car came with a trip to Romania and, in Ford’s telling, an unexpected conversion to electric driving. The company has published the account through its own editorial channel rather than as a technical press release, so hard details on the car itself are thin.
One million Pumas later
Ford has marked a production milestone for its compact crossover: the one millionth Puma has reached a customer. The buyer is Karen Horton, who according to Ford simply wanted a new car and instead found herself taking delivery of the milestone example.
The story was distributed through From the Road, Ford’s own editorial newsletter, in a piece credited to writer Zara Blackburn. The mailing is a teaser for the full article and carries no specification, price or delivery date for the car in question.
Why the trip to Romania
Horton’s prize included a journey to Romania. Ford assembles the Puma at the Craiova plant it operates through Ford Otosan, which is the obvious reason for the destination — milestone cars are customarily celebrated at the factory that builds them. Ford’s teaser does not describe what the visit involved.
An electric angle, unconfirmed
Ford’s summary mentions “a love affair with electric driving she never saw coming,” which points towards the battery-electric version of the crossover rather than the mild-hybrid petrol models. The mailing does not state which variant Horton actually bought, and we have not treated it as confirmed.
What it means
Seven figures is a serious total for a model that only arrived at the end of the decade before last, and it underlines how far Ford’s European line-up has shifted from hatchbacks towards small crossovers. The Puma has become the company’s volume anchor in Europe, and a one-million milestone is the kind of number Ford will want to keep visible while it transitions the nameplate towards electric power.
The full account is published on Ford’s From the Road site.
Source: www.fromtheroad.ford.com