FORD is preparing a major launch package for its Mondeo-based coupe - called Cougar - next year, following the huge success of the Puma. At Frankfurt, the MC2 concept car gave visitors a taste of how the Cougar may look. It will clearly be more aggressive, sharper and further upmarket than the recently demised Probe.

'The Cougar and Puma will really get us back into the sports market,' said a Ford insider. 'It's true that the Probe was a disappointment, but now we feel very confident about the future. The Cougar will generate the type of reaction we experienced with the Capri - especially in the fleet and user-chooser market.'

Like the Ka and the Puma, the MC2 exhibits both curved and straight lines to give a dramatic shape which eschews the current industry obsession with rounded body styles. Ford insiders who have seen the Cougar say it is just as dramatic as the Puma.