Ford Focus

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Design in Motion
The Ford Focus redefines the small car category with class-leading fuel economy, distinctive kinetic design and strong driving dynamics.

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Ford FocusMotion With Purpose

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Focus News

Focus Wins New Zealand Car of the Year

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Focus Earns International Praise

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Introducing THE FOCUS

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  • History: A High Achiever With Round-the-World Appeal

    More than 9.2 million Ford Focus vehicles have been sold worldwide since its 1998 launch. The car has played a leading role in the global compact vehicle category — C-segment — for more than a decade. To better understand where Focus has been, and where it's going, here's a look back over the history of the Focus since it first debuted.

    1998 - 1999

    Focus makes its global debut at the Geneva Motor Show, production begins at Germany’s Saarlouis Assembly Plant.<br /> By March 1999, 100,000 had been sold in Europe alone, with 200,000 orders waiting North American Focus production begins at Wayne Assembly in Michigan and Hermosillo Assembly in Mexico.

    2000 - 2003

    • Focus introduced in North American markets, wins “North American Car of the Year” (2000)<br />
    • Focus becomes the world’s best-selling car at year’s end with 917,000 sales<br />
    • Focus begins seven-year run as best-selling foreign vehicle in Russia

    2004 - 2006

    • North American Focus receives fresh exterior, new interior – first major redesign<br />
    • 4-millionth Focus built in Saarlouis, Germany<br />
    • Focus wins FIA World Rally Championship manufacturer’s title for Ford

    2007 - 2008

    • Focus receives five-star rating from China Automotive Technology and Research Center in C-NCAP testing, the highest rating to date for a C-car in China<br />
    • Focus wins China Circuit Championship<br />
    • Focus scores another World Rally Championship manufacturer’s title for Ford<br />
    • SYNC® in-vehicle communications system launched

    2008 - 2011

    • Focus production in Ford’s Asia-Pacific and Africa region nears half-million point with assembly in the Philippines, South Africa, Vietnam and China<br />
    • Valencia produces its 2-millionth Focus<br />
    • World preview of the next-generation Focus at the North American International Auto Show<br />
    • Ford Focus named ‘most significant’ vehicle at 2010 Detroit Auto Show by Autoweek magazine
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  • Culture: Reaching New Heights for a Good Cause

    What happens when two motorsport legends take the 2012 Ford Focus around a track? Hosts (and more importantly, race car drivers) Justin Bell and Tanner Foust were among the first to experience the all-new global Ford Focus. Soon after, 100 participants shared the experience of a lifetime as they put the all-new Ford Focus through its paces, in support of their favoritie charities.

    Race drivers Tanner Foust & Justin Bell set the bench mark time for the Focus Global Test Drive participants "Speed Challenge".

  • Environment: From Fuel Economy to Soy-Based Seats

    Technology worth talking about: 5 conscientious innovations of the new Ford Focus.

    Green on the Inside: Focus is green in some unexpected places

    • Focus is the first Ford product to attain Greenguard certification<br />
    • Focus interior cloth materials are made from 25% recycled content<br />
    • Focus seat cushions are shaped from foam with soy-based content<br />
    • The new Ford Focus is part of Ford’s sustainability initiative, which has created more than 300 separate parts formed with recycled material, diverting approximately 20,000 tons of waste away from landfills each year.

    Top Fuel Economy – It’s Automatic

    All-new Focus offers the new Ford PowerShiftTM six-speed automatic transmission:<br />
    • Ford’s most fuel-efficient automatic ever offered in the segment<br />
    • Engaging SelectShift™ technology allows the driver to change gears manually<br />
    • Internal dual-clutch technology for seamless shift quality

    Green Technologies

    Focus incorporates technologies to maximize fuel efficiency and reduce emissions:<br />
    • Focus is the first Ford product in the class to offer electric power-assisted steering (EPAS) standard<br />
    • Focus features the Ford Easy Fuel® capless fuel filler system, which seals against hydrocarbon emissions

    Aerodynamic shape

    The all-new Focus features a highly aerodynamic shape that contributes to advancements in fuel efficiency. The new model is 7 percent slipperier – and that pays off at the pump:<br />
    • Sideview mirrors optimized for aerodynamic and water management<br />
    • Engine undershield to improve under-car air flow<br />
    • Active grille shutters improve aerodynamics at higher speeds while reducing underhood temperatures at low speeds<br />
    • Sealed front end to reduce drag

    Innovative processes

    Innovative processes at Michigan Assembly Plant – North American manufacturing home of the all-new Ford Focus – include:<br />
    • New 3-Wet paint process applies all three coats of finish in sequence before oven curing, to reduce energy use<br />
    • Fumes to Fuel captures paint fumes and turns them into energy for reuse<br />
    • Landfill gas helps feed boilers at the plant<br />
    • Solar energy is captured for the plant, with excess generation supporting the energy grid
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The new Ford Focus is part of Ford’s sustainability initiative, which has created more than 300 separate parts formed with recycled material, diverting approximately 20,000 tons of waste away from landfills each year.

  • Back Story: Manufacturing Perfection

    Robotic laser vision ensures the highest quality Focus.

    10 August 2011

    Laser vision technology is one part of Ford’s overall drive to achieve industry leadership in customer satisfaction. This new technology is being used during assembly of the 2012 Ford Focus at Michigan Assembly Plant and also at the Saarlouis, Germany, plant, among others.

    Ford’s new laser-guided quality initiative builds on end-of-line robotic technology pioneered by Ford’s European team. The robots are programmed to measure points on each vehicle as it moves past the line and recognize any minute deviations from the correct specification. The robots are even empowered to shut down the assembly line if the cameras detect a door does not fit Ford’s exacting quality measurements.

    “Ford’s robotic laser technology gives us a degree of precision like never before,” said Ron Ketelhut, chief engineer, Body Construction Engineering. Ford first used the system in Germany and, after seeing quality gains, quickly rolled it out to plants around the world. The technology helps ensure car door panels fit more accurately and reduce wind noise, a key quality factor for consumers and a major industry challenge.

  • Back Story: The Making of a Global Vehicle

    From the curve of the roof down to the tension in the accelerator, the Ford Focus has universal characteristics. This is a car designed to appeal to drivers on all continents.
    • Rather than having teams in North America, Europe and Asia develop continent-specific designs, the Focus was a collaborative effort. Ford congregated all its Focus designers at the vehicle center in Merkenich, Germany. Their task was to create a modern-looking, technology-packed vehicle that is comfortable to sit in, convenient and, naturally, fun to drive.
    • Pencil Sketches: The Focus sprang to life nearly three years ago when designers began making sketches on paper. • Two-dimensional drawings were translated into a 3-D rendering, then came the kinetic design elements, such as bold wheel lips, strong shoulders and dynamic side creases that link the front and rear wheel wells, accentuating the sense of motion.
    • Clay First: Based on the 3-D data, full-size clay models of the 2012 Focus were milled and then refined by hand by expert sculptors. • The models were then refined by hand by expert sculptors and finally fitted with Plexiglas® windows and lights to look realistic.
    • Doughboy: Using the evolved CAD data, a virtual “doughboy” car was rendered in plain white so the team could do a fine analysis of the sheet metal surfaces, transitions, lines and body details.
    • An Inviting Interior: The cabin of the 2012 Focus was designed similarly to the exterior, with sketches, computer drawings, clay models and more. • The interior design team worked very closely with the exterior team and brought kinetic design to the cabin as well. “Both the instrument panel – which looks like the wings of an airplane – and the center console are driver-oriented,” says Ernst Reim, chief designer, Interior, Ford of Europe, who headed up the project. “Together they create a ‘flow’ around the driver that makes him feel like he’s in the cockpit of a jet plane.”
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Rather than having teams in North America, Europe and Asia develop continent-specific designs, the Focus was a collaborative effort.

  • Ford Focus Awards

    The Focus has been winning awards of every stripe since its global debut in 1998. Below is a sampling of past and current awards.
    • NORTH AMERICA 2011 Kelley Blue Book's Top 10 Green Cars
    • NORTH AMERICA 2006 AutoPacific Ideal Vehicle Award Winner
    • NORTH AMERICA 2000 Car And Driver Ten Best List
    • NORTH AMERICA 2011 KBB's Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000
    • ASIA 2005 Best Value Car, Gaikindo Auto Expo
    • EUROPE 1999 European Car of the Year
    • ASIA 2006 "Bio Award", Thailand International Motor Expo
    • NORTH AMERICA 2001 Car And Driver Ten Best List