Faster hybrid Ford Puma ST incoming

Ford is secretly developing a faster yet more efficient Ford Puma ST and the good news is it could finally see the hot small SUV head Down Under.

Fuelling rumours that an electrified Puma ST is on the way, Ford recently released a video celebrating one million Fords built at its Romanian Craiova plant.

During the vid, the new hybrid-powered Puma WRC car races past a closed door labelled 'ST'. Behind it, sparks and a blue light are clearly spotted, suggesting engineers are developing an electrified version in the manufacturing home of the Puma.

If that's too subtle, prototypes clearly based on the Puma ST have also been spotted testing on the Nurburgring with a telltale yellow sticker on the rear screen that indicates to emergency services that the mule is running an electrified powertrain.

There's no word yet on whether Ford plans to offer the fastest Puma ST with either a full plug-in hybrid set-up or less advanced levels of electrification.

If it's the latter, expect a mild boost over the current car's 147kW and 320Nm of torque.

Despite a slight bump in weight, performance should be boosted by the electrified powertrain, dropping the 0-100km/h sprint by at least two-tenths compared to the current car's 6.7sec.

Mid-gear acceleration will also improve, but the main motivation behind the electrification will be slashing the 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo's CO2 emissions, which currently stand at 155g/km .

Along with the cleaner and stronger powertrain, the Puma ST is expected to be finally offered with either a six-speed dual-clutch transmission or the conventional seven-speed automatic that's used in the Ford Focus ST.

If so, the mid-life tweaks for the Puma ST could put it back on Ford Australia's radar.

The current hot Puma is only available with a six-speed manual transmission, which is at odds with the typical SUV buyer Down Under.

The arrival of the electrified Puma ST will link neatly to the 2022 Ford-backed WRC Ford Puma Rally1 racer that's powered by the current Fiesta's 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine, but with the addition of a new 100kW electric motor that will be fed power by a small 3.9kWh battery.

Total power is limited to around 380kW. According to the new regulations, the hybrid system must have a pure-electric range of 20km, with crews required to use the EV mode between stages and when navigating through the service park.