The Ford Puma ST Gold Edition becomes one of the very few crossovers designed for the people, by the people!
Ford is not only one of the leading automakers in the world but also a marketing giant. In one of its recent marketing stunts, Ford Europe asked fans to choose the design and moniker of a special edition Ford Puma ST and voice their opinion through popular social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter. , so what was the result?
From the 275,000 fans who voted in 10 days, over 59% voted for the “Puma ST Gold Edition” moniker while the rest voted for “Puma ST 24K Edition” instead. Coming to color options, 56% of fans voted for the Black paint option, and 74% opted for red brake calipers finished. Fans also voted for exterior decals, with 74% of the votes going for lines instead of stripes.
The Puma ST Gold Edition’s cabin also got its fair share of crowd-sourced features. Ford let fans choose the color of the stitching as well as the scuff plates’ lettering, with the majority of votes going for the Puma moniker instead of Ford Performance. Moreover, Puma ST Gold Edition comes with a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, wireless charging, and a mobile hotspot. The car’s infotainment system is coupled to an immersive B&O audio system and compatible with Apple Carplay and Android Auto. Furthermore, the Puma ST Gold Edition comes with state-of-the-art driver assistance technology, including automated emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and lane-keeping assist, only to name a few.
However, fans did not have much of a say on what goes under the hood. The crossover comes with the same turbocharged 1.5-liter engine found in a standard Puma ST, producing a good 197 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque sent to the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. Worth mentioning, Ford might also offer an optional limited-slip differential, which would be a pretty neat addition to the crossover already capable of a 0-62 mph time in 6.7 seconds.
Unfortunately, inside reports claim that only a few of those special editions will be built at Ford’s facility in Craiova, Romania. So far, details such as pricing are still scarce, but the standard Puma ST starts at $35,000, so the Gold Edition would probably cost a little higher.
More details to come.
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