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COLOGNE, Germany, Oct. 28, 2014 – The Ford Kuga is now available with a significant range of upgrades that include the smart utility vehicle’s most powerful diesel powertrain to date.

Improvements to the Kuga’s diesel and petrol engine range also deliver lower CO2 emissions. Kuga now is offered with more advanced technologies as standard that help reduce fuel consumption and lower emissions, including Auto-Start-Stop and Active Grille Shutter.

“Ford has updated the Kuga range with models that deliver more power and lower emissions. Tiger Eye metallic is a bold new colour not previously seen on any Ford vehicle, and SYNC with AppLink will help ensure drivers can be more connected on the move while keeping their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales & Service, Ford of Europe.

Ford’s 2.0-litre TDCi diesel powered 83 per cent of the Kugas sold in the main 20 European markets* during the first nine months of 2014. Ford has now increased peak power of the engine by 17 PS to 180 PS and peak torque to 400 Nm, up from 340 Nm. This engine choice will deliver the most pulling power ever for Kuga, particularly when combined with Ford’s Intelligent All-Wheel Drive system that is chosen by most customers.

Ford is introducing its new 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol engine to Kuga *, reducing CO2 emissions to 143 g/km from 154 g/km – an improvement of more than seven per cent over the outgoing 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine **. Also, Ford will offer a 120 PS 2.0-litre TDCi option that delivers 122 g/km CO2* – an improvement of 12 per cent.

Smart utility vehicle

Ford SYNC with AppLink, will now enable drivers to voice-activate apps while keeping their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel. These already include leading music-streaming service Spotify, ADAC, Audioteka, AUPEO!, DIE WELT, Cyclops, Glympse and Radioplayer.

Ford’s latest sales data revealed a high take-rate for Kuga’s advanced driver assistance technologies: around a third of vehicles were sold with Rear View Camera and more than half featured Active Park Assist technology that helps drivers to parallel park.

On top of the Cruise Control with Adjustable Speed Limiter that is offered as standard, Kuga is available also with Adaptive Cruise Control including Forward Alert, which warns drivers if they are travelling too close to the vehicle in front. Another standard technology is the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, which warns if any of the tyres lose significant pressure during a journey. Further available technologies include Hands-Free Tailgate , Blind Spot Information System , Active City Stop , Lane Keeping Aid , Lane Keeping Alert, Auto High Beam , Driver Alert , and Traffic Sign Recognition .

Kuga will now be offered in new colours Ruby Red Metallic, Magnetic Metallic and for the first time on any Ford vehicle, Tiger Eye Metallic, as well as a new interior colour, Medium Light Stone. An optional body-styling kit enhances the appearance of the car even further.

Sales of Kuga in Europe have increased by 33 per cent* year-over-year for the first nine months of 2014. From January through September, Ford sold more than 63,000 Kuga models in the main 20 European markets,** up from 47,600 during the same period in 2013. This contributed to a 20 per cent increase in Kuga’s share of the medium-sized SUV market to 8.3 per cent from 6.9 per cent between January and August, 2014.

Since Ford’s new Kuga was launched in Europe in 2012 more than 200,000 vehicles have been produced at Ford plants in Valencia, Spain and Elabuga, Russia. In addition, sales of Kuga in Russia increased by 97 per cent year-over-year during the 12-month period from Oct. 2013 to Sept. 2014.

Ford’s expanding range of SUVs in Europe already includes the all-new EcoSport and also will next year include the charismatic, spacious and smart Ford Edge.

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* 1.5-litre EcoBoost replaces 1.6-litre EcoBoost in most European markets

** The declared fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are measured according to the technical requirements and specifications of the European Regulations (EC) 715/2007 and (EC) 692/2008 as last amended. Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are specified for a vehicle variant and not for a single car. The applied standard test procedure enables comparison between different vehicle types and different manufacturers. In addition to the fuel efficiency of a car, driving behaviour as well as other non-technical factors play a role in determining a car's fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. CO2 is the main greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. Results in MPG also correspond to this European drive cycle and are stated in imperial gallons. The results may differ from fuel economy figures in other regions of the world due to the different drive cycles and regulations used in those markets.

*** Based on Euro 20 markets: Austria, Belgium, Britain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Ford reports sales for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania through our Finnish National Sales Company, so sales data for the Baltic states is also included within Euro 20.