"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals" is one of Henry Ford's quotes you'll find one of those irritating inspo websites. "Vision without execution if just hallucination' is another, and both are relevant when considering the new Puma ST.
Because it's going to happen, Ford fans, whether you want it to or not. Ford will aim to sell as many vehicles in this burgeoning sector as possible, and will use a flagship ST to bolster those numbers not to mention the image already well established by the impressive standard model. The obstacles, while perhaps imaginary to Ford himself, are surely very real to Ford the manufacturer. Not only will there be inevitable Fiesta ST comparison, with which this Puma will share and an engine and a bulk of its architecture, but also the question of demand in this segment.
While everyone from Vauxhall to Kia and Hyundai to Renault has a competitor in the B-segment SUV, thus far only Nissan has opted for a performance version with the Juke NISMO. And that was hardly a roaring success. Ford will be hoping cars like the Puma ST (and upcoming Hyundai Kona N) will kickstart the niche.
As for the execution and hallucination, this new video shows the Puma ST is close. Released just now on Facebook and Instagram, it states little more than "a new #FordST IS coming" and invites viewers to guess what it might be. Obviously, a Puma is the most popular guess (and not, as some have hoped, a new Mondeo ST), and the Ford UK replies to those comments come as close to confirming the car as it's surely possible to do on social media.
In the video itself we hear an idle and revs that sounds very similar to a Fiesta, plus the recognisable ST-branded wheel and Recaro seats. Even the alloys look familiar, though what seems like green paint certainly does not.
Still, whatever the Puma ST reality, it's certainly coming soon; the spy shots have shown a car fairly near completion, and 'ST 2020' in the video means there can't be more than a few months at most. Best contain that pent-up excitement in whichever way works best for you, then, and expect more news very soon.
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