2008 Ford Focus
DEARBORN, Sept. 17, 2007 -- The 2008 Ford Focus proves that "small" can be "big." With new features, technologies and design innovations usually seen first on larger, luxury cars, the new Focus offers a quiet interior, plus exclusive features like Ford Sync™ and ambient cabin lighting.
All of this is delivered inside and out in a newly designed package that makes the Focus stand out from previous models and the competition.
Getting the new Focus and all the design and engineering details right was essential, because Focus is Ford's best-selling car. And small cars, like the Focus, are the largest segment of the U.S. vehicle market, with projected sales of 2.8 million this year, up 2 percent from last year despite a soft sales market.
The small car segment, which includes B- and C-size models, is expected to grow as the millennial generation enters the new vehicle market, said George Pipas, manager, Ford U.S. Sales Analysis. The millennials, or "Echo Boomers," were born between 1979 and 1994.
"Currently, foreign automakers have a 76 percent share of this category. We need to do better in this segment and we are committed to doing so," said Pipas. "For our company and our dealers, the small car segment is the portal for our future customers," he said.
Gary Jablonski, product development manager, Infotainment Systems, said Ford chose to put the innovative, hands-free Sync entertainment and communication system in the Focus right from the start in order to attract younger customers.
"Younger customers tend to use cell phones and iPods more. They represent a huge audience that will want this in their cars," said Jablonski.
Developed by Ford in partnership with Microsoft, Sync is a cutting-edge, in-car system that provides voice-activated, hands-free command of Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones and digital music players and devices.
Kim Pittel, director, Small Car Vehicles, said that the team's target audience for the Sync-equipped Focus was the tech-savvy millennial generation.
"If they're going to invest in a new car, we want them coming in to our showrooms," said Pittel.
Equipping the 2008 Focus with Sync also enables Ford to set the car apart in the top-selling C-car segment which is now crowded with 36 vehicles, she said.
Throughout the car, on all model levels, the materials used represent significant upgrades, said Lon Zaback, chief designer, Ford Focus.
"The overall package is simply more inviting and more sophisticated," said Zaback. "We've used materials that provide a higher-quality feel on surfaces and touch-points throughout the car."
New in 2008 are seats that offer improved contours and more lateral and lumbar support. Available leather-trimmed seats feature contrasting stitching for an added touch of craftsmanship.
At night, the new Focus really shines, thanks to its innovative interior lighting system. Building on Ford advances in lighting offered on the Lincoln Navigator and the Ford Mustang, the instruments and switches on the 2008 Focus are lit in a new color called "Ice Blue," which provides for a cool, refined interior illumination and appearance throughout the cockpit.
In addition, customers can also order a new ambient lighting package that places tiny LEDs in the five front and rear cupholders and the footwells.
Controlled by a simple dash-mounted switch, the ambient lighting can be set in any of seven different colors ? red, orange, blue, indigo, violet, green or yellow.
Philip Smoker, manager, Focus Product Marketing, said the Focus is the first in its segment to offer ambient lighting as a factory-installed option.
"With manufacturers often producing upwards of 150,000 copies of any particular model, vehicle differentiation features like the ambient lighting in the 2008 Focus give owners the chance to make the car their own," said Smoker.
Initial orders show 20 percent of new Focus orders specifying the ambient lighting package while initial orders for Sync show a "take rate of 32 percent, which is high for a new feature," said Sam De La Garza, manager, Focus Marketing.
Initial orders also indicate an even stronger interest (35 percent) in Sirius Satellite Radio ? the first time that it's been offered in Focus.
Nine months before production, Pittel's team also tweaked the exterior and interior design of the new Focus to respond to a chorus of focus group suggestions made by prospective buyers.
The team added a mesh grille to the opening below the front bumper, switched the fog lights from square to round and changed the metallic finish of the dashboard and center console from shiny to matte.
Ordinarily, such late changes might not be made or would be pushed back to the next model year. But under the company's four priorities, the 2007 aligned objectives for North America called for successfully launching the 2008 products and strengthening customer satisfaction by listening to them.
As the car neared production, a more muted seat fabric and upgraded door handles were also added. A Sport model was also created, highlighted by a rear spoiler, 16-inch wheels and a rear stabilizer bar to improve the ride.
The decision was also made to make side curtain air bags standard across the Focus line. In June of this year, 500 prospective C-car buyers in Atlanta tested early models of the 2008 Focus against the competition in final drive sessions.
The results were gratifying. "We were validated. They really liked the changes," said Pittel.
Data from the sessions also showed that the 2008 Focus would get twice the level of buyer consideration, thanks to the changes.
"That tells me we made the right decision," said Pittel. "The late market research helped us understand what the customer wanted and justified the late changes."
Even before the final changes, the 2008 Focus was much improved over previous models. Thanks to upgraded parts and fine-tuning from bumper to bumper, the new Focus gets better mileage than the model it replaces.
Initial figures show the 2008 Focus delivers a 3-5 percent improvement in fuel economy over the 2007 model. Under the U.S. government's revised -- and more realistic -- mileage test standards, the 2008 Focus sips fuel at the rate of 24 mpg city and 33 mpg highway with the automatic transmission and 24/35 with the manual. Under the same standards, the previous model's fuel economy rating would have been 23/31.
Joe DeLisle, supervisor, Fuel Economy for B- and C-car platforms at Ford, said that, when planning for the 2008 Focus began four years ago, one of the goals was better fuel economy.
"We wanted to deliver more competitive fuel economy for our customers and do so in a cost-effective way," he said.
But that's not as simple as just bolting on a new part.
"Improving fuel economy by 2 mpg in one year is a huge task without changing the engine or transmission so we investigated every opportunity out there," said DeLisle.
The Focus team had to balance the new car's fuel economy against the addition of desired new features and technology, all of which usually add weight.
By working together and carefully managing the new car's development, the curb weight was kept down, said DeLisle.
"The 2008 Focus is not heavier than the previous model. That's one of our successes," he said.
In fact, compared to a similarly equipped 2007 model, the new 2008 Focus is 40 pounds lighter, even after the addition of 64 pounds of added content, including standard side curtain air bags and other features.
As an example, new front brake calipers made from aluminum are seven pounds lighter than the 2007 parts. New trunk carpeting saved three pounds and new rear fascia brackets saved 1.5 pounds.
"With today's fuel prices, we're looking under every rock to gain a little here and a little there. From an engineering perspective, each little bit helps," said DeLisle.
Not only does the 2008 Focus deliver better mileage but it's quieter than ever.
That's because the new Focus sports an acoustic windshield, thicker side-door glass and better seals throughout to cut wind noise. Sound absorption material has been added to the door trim panels, the C-pillar trim and the package tray behind the rear seat to reduce cabin noise. Absorption material was also added to the rear quarter trim on the new Focus two-door coupe.
The door seals, floor carpet and roof mastic were also improved and the dash panel and rear suspension were stiffened to reduce noise and vibration.
Mechanically, the new Focus also sports a quieter alternator and revised power steering and air conditioning plus transmission and exhaust upgrades to cut interior noise.
"The new Focus is much quieter and more refined. Our goal was to make the Focus as good as the Fusion and the Edge in that regard," said David Snyder, supervisor, Focus Product NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness).
Even the car's new styling contributes to its quietness. Extensive computer modeling and hours of wind tunnel testing were done to fine-tune the design of such exterior parts as the side mirrors, the grille, the front openings and spoilers and even the shape of the air deflectors under the car.
The work paid off. The new shape means less drag as the car moves through the air, which adds to its fuel-saving performance.
"The lower the drag, the less horsepower the engine needs to move the car so fuel economy is better," said Scott Slimak, manager, Aerodynamic and Heat Management.
Better aerodynamics also helps cut the wind noise heard inside the cabin. In an actual road test measuring "boom, rumble and roar," the decibel levels inside the car were cut from 70 dBA in the 2007 model to 67 dBA. By comparison, 65 decibels is the level people typically speak at when seated around a conference table.
"Now, drivers can easily talk to the passenger next to them or on the phone. They also won't have to turn the stereo way up to drown out the road noise," said Snyder.
Even the late change to the round fog lights helped cut wind noise, said Snyder.
