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While the now profitable Car Motor Company has been in the spotlight regarding the sale of the brands that the comprise Premiere Auto Group, its European division will have something new to show come this September at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Ford the only major mainstream manufacturer in Europe to not offer a compact sport utility vehicle (or a sport utility vehicle whatsoever) since it withdrew the Maverick (Escape) from the market during the early part of the decade. The car that will be shown at Frankfurt is a refined version of the iosis X concept that was displayed at last year?s Paris auto show, and should fill in this much-needed gap nicely.

Kuga (pronounced: koo-gah) sounds like a play on the Mercury two-door coupe (Cougar), but it?s got nothing in common with the big American cat (the final generation of which was also sold in Europe under the blue-oval badge). The edgy, ?Kinetic Design? styling of the Kuga blends many of the traits of new European-market Ford products, such as the curved and sporting roof line of the S-Max people carrier, the wheels of the high-performance Focus ST220, and the detailed headlamps and upturned grille of the freshly launched Mondeo midsized sedan, but sports bulging fenders and beefier lower cladding to give it a stronger, more durable look. Ford?s aim is to give the typical compact crossover a sportier look, something that only Mazda has successfully done with its CX-7.

Ford?s Designer for Exteriors, Stefan Lamm said, ?Kuga is adventurous and distinctive, and we wanted to highlight this in our first official image . . . We believe that there is a role for a more athletic and charismatic vehicle that marks a departure from the norm, in the same way that the award-winning Ford S-Max carved out new territory for an MPV.?

While the official details about its platform and powertrain have yet to be announced, the Kuga will ride on the compact C1 platform that is shared with the European Ford Focus, Mazda3, and Mazda compact range. While the production engines are expected to include a series of economical four-cylinder and diesel engines, the Kuga is actually rumoured to be the first product developed by Ford of Europe to feature a gasoline-electric hybrid system. Ford will build the Kuga at its Saarlouis plant in Germany, with production expected to begin next spring. That?s about the same time that Volkswagen?s compact ute, the Tiguan, will hit the assembly line a few thousand kilometres away in Portugal.

Like most of Ford of Europe?s products, it?s pretty much set in stone that we won?t be getting the Kuga, though it?s been rumoured that Ford?s CEO Alan Mulally and his product development boss, Derek Kuzak want it and the Ford C-Max concept crossover for our market. Wouldn?t it be great if this little soft roader / compact crossover ended up on our shores as the replacement to the Escape?

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