How the Puma pushed Ford outside its comfort zone

This is how important Ford judged the new Puma to be to the company’s European success: During development of the small SUV company executives green-lighted expensive modifications to the car’s existing platform instead of looking for opportunities to save money.

The Puma is based on same small-car underpinnings as the Fiesta, but Ford of Europe’s designers knew that platform would not deliver the look they needed.

“Ford of Europe has the highest number of customers who put exterior first among reasons to buy, so, we knew from Day One we needed to have that ‘wow’ effect,” Ford of Europe design boss Amko Leenarts said.

To do that engineers would need to widen the track of the B2 platform and enable it to accept bigger wheels.

That would give the Puma the more muscular look the design team wanted. But they would need approval from Ford of Europe’s executive team, led at that point of the process by Jim Farley (he is now the automaker’s global head of businesses, technology and strategy).

Platform sharing works best when as many parts as possible are carried over. That includes chassis parts. Volkswagen’s MQB architecture is a good example. The plan for the Puma, however, would require new suspension and chassis parts.

“It was a difficult decision at the beginning,” said Sigurd Limbach, vehicle line director for Ford of Europe’s small cars. “Should we invest all this money in the platform to make the Puma happen?”

The design team knew they had a potential hit on their hands, but they needed an extra boost. To get that they went to a focus group, which was won over by the Puma’s looks.

“The research was so compelling we had a really good argument to push back and get the design we wanted,” said George Saridakis, Ford of Europe’s director of external and internal design.

The new suspension and chassis parts were expensive, but the extra track width provided the Puma with two advantages: more interior space and better handling. “It was win-win-win,” Limbach said.

The designers were then pushed by Joe Bakaj, then Ford of Europe’s then head of engineering, to create as much trunk space as possible in what was still a relatively small car (4186mm long, making it just 146mm longer than a Fiesta).

Bakaj also wanted a trunk width of 1 meter, which presented the designers with another expensive problem. “The rear taillamps were initially a single piece, which is quite cost-efficient,” said Murat Gueler, Ford of Europe’s exterior design chief. “But we realized that to fulfill these targets, the lamps were squeezed into a corner.”

So, they asked for -- and got -- more expensive split taillamps with one half on the tailgate itself.

“Research helps you to get all these extras,” Gueler said.
 

Ford expects the Puma to match the impact of the first generations of the Ford Focus (1998) and S-Max sporty minivan (2006). Both debuted successful designs that broke free of the company’s own conventions.

Company executives also believe the extra money spent on the platform was worth it to get a design that will appeal to customers in a very image-driven segment.

“The money will come back,” Limbach predicted. “The concept was convincing and it persuaded the company. This is the mindset you should have during tough times.”