Ford CEO Jim Farley has opened up about why the Ford Puma, which is a hit in the UK and Europe, won’t make it to the shores of the United States. Ford currently has no subcompact crossovers on offer, while its rival General Motors offers four vehicles in the same segment.
Popular for its practicality, efficiency, and fun-to-drive factor, the Puma has been the highest-selling passenger vehicle in the UK for the last three years and secured a spot in the top ten cars sold in Europe last year. In the USA, Ford has two offerings in the segment closest to the Puma – the Bronco Sport and Maverick.
There has been much talk among enthusiasts about the Puma’s arrival in the United States. While many are keen about its potential arrival, Farley has ruled out the possibility, suggesting there won’t be enough buyers for it.
Explaining the potential effects of offering the Puma for sale in the USA in an interview with Car and Driver, he said: “Too expensive, too small, I think. You and I would love it. The question is, would it be like the Flex, where the people who owned it loved it, but there just weren’t enough of them?”
Commenting on America’s truck-friendly culture, Farley added that people should be more open to driving smaller and lighter cars. He said:
“I feel like we could probably do a better job in America at having more diverse sizes. Americans once appreciated different kinds of cars more than they do today.
“I don’t want to just let the Corolla and the Civic and the Hyundai and Kia products dominate the middle of the market. But I believe the best chance for us to do that is to apply our innovation to the future segments like EVs, because I believe that would give us the best chance to improve our fitness to compete, when everyone is going through the same learning curve.
“We have great hybrid technology. Our domestic competitors don’t. We could come out with a great Civic competitor. But then when I look at that strategically, I’m like, is that going to help me beat the Chinese OEMs or even match them?”
The Ford boss went on to say that he was focusing his best resources on producing EV and hybrid vehicles to compete with Chinese automakers. He added:
“If I look around that corner, it’s BYD, Great Wall, Geely. Hyundai, Kia. Where are they going? Well, they’re putting the best people on these partial- or fully electric vehicles that are low cost. That’s where they’re putting the best people. That’s where I’m putting my best people.”