The new Ford Kuga delivers an even more technologically advanced, refined and affordable SUV, making driving simpler, safer and more enjoyable for growing numbers of SUV customers in the UK.
The new Kuga offers Ford’s SYNC 3 communications and entertainment system, driver assistance technologies, an ergonomic and comfortable interior, and powerful and efficient engines including Ford’s 120PS 1.5-litre TDCi diesel that returns 64.2 mpg and 115g/km CO2.
The new Kuga also features Ford’s Perpendicular Parking technology that helps drivers park hands‑free in spaces alongside other cars; an enhanced version of the Active City Stop collision avoidance system; and Ford’s Adaptive Front Lighting System for optimised visibility in low light. Further advanced technologies include Hands-Free Liftgate and Ford Intelligent All Wheel Drive (AWD).
The new Ford Kuga follows the introduction of the larger Edge SUV earlier this year, and an updated compact EcoSport SUV last year. Ford is bolstering its SUV line-up just as it has been predicted by industry sales analyst IHS that sales in the SUV segment are poised to increase to 27 percent of all vehicles sold in Europe by 2020.
New Kuga and the Edge are among five all-new or redesigned Ford vehicles that will compete in the SUV and crossover space in the next three years.
Kuga spearheaded the company’s SUV expansion in the UK after first going on sale in 2008, and sales increased to 32,926 in 2015 – up by over 35 per cent compared with 2014 (24,353). Kuga sales in September 2016 grew by 815 units (16 per cent) year-on-year to 5,906, with 29,217 year to date sales, making it the best 10 months and September since launch.
Ford sold 43,129 SUVs in the first three-quarters of 2016 – more than a 30 per cent improvement on the same period last year.
“SUVs have grown from a tiny niche in Europe to one of the most significant automotive trends of the past decade,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales & Service, Ford of Europe. “Every time someone predicts SUV sales will cool down, they are proven wrong. That’s because SUVs have widespread appeal with men and woman, young and older people.”
