Ford has cancelled diesel powertrain options for the Kuga out of a shift in demand to petrol and hybrid powertrains.
The Kuga is the second Ford model to lose its diesel engine in recent years, after the diesel-powered Fiesta, which was phased out in 2020.
Previously, the Kuga was available with either a 1.5- or 2.0-litre Ecoblue diesel engine with up to 187bhp. Instead, the Kuga now offers full hybrid and plug-in options alongside Ford’s 1.5-litre Ecoboost petrol engine.
“Petrol, full hybrid, and petrol plug-ins are the future and the demand,” a Ford spokesperson told Autos Community. “This move simplifies the Kuga’s powertrain range to help customers understand and navigate the increasing electrified engine options.”
Only 10% of Kuga sales were diesel engines, while hybrid and petrol options became more popular.
The change means that the only Ford car that continues to feature a diesel engine is the Focus, while the Fiesta, Ecosport, Puma, Kuga, Mondeo, S-Max and Galaxy all feature either petrol or hybrid engines.
Other manufacturers have also phased out diesel options. Seat has phased out diesel versions of the Ibiza and Arona in 2020, while Volvo has taken the XC40 and S90 with diesel engines off the market.
Diesel models have fallen out of favour with UK motorists this year, with only 5.1% of new registrations in November 2021 being oil-burners, while electric car purchases continue to rise. As recently as 2014, the market share of diesel models was 50%.
Installation of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) rose to 39.7% yearly, while electric battery models (BEVs) saw a 110% increase.
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