2011 Ford Focus Unveiled at 2010 Detroit Auto Show
Published Jan 11, 2010
DETROIT — The next-generation Ford Focus will make its world debut this week at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show and will go on sale simultaneously in North America and Europe in early 2011, with launches in Asia, Africa and South America to follow. Ford also plans to introduce a battery-electric version of the new Focus in 2011.
The redesigned Focus goes into production in late 2010 at Wayne, Michigan, and Saarlouis, Germany. It will be built on Ford's global compact platform, which will be shared by up to 10 vehicles and account for annual production of 2 million units by 2012. Ford also intends to build versions of the Focus in Chongqing, China.
The U.S., European and Asian editions of the Focus are finally being pulled together on a common architecture — a key element of CEO Alan Mulally's "One Ford" concept — with 80 percent common parts.
For the U.S. market, the new Focus will be offered as a four-door sedan and a five-door hatchback.
Sister models include the redesigned Ford C-Max and Grand X-Max, which were introduced at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show and will go on sale in Europe in late 2010.
Development of the new C-segment models has been coordinated in Germany, with powertrain development focused in England.
Ford plans to offer a variety of powertrains in the car, depending on the market. The U.S. gets a new direct-injection 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine that provides 20 more horsepower but with 10 percent better fuel economy, thanks to a dual-clutch six-speed automatic gearbox. European customers will be able to choose from a range of four-cylinder Duratorq common-rail diesels and EcoBoost turbocharged direct-injection gasoline engines.
Among the features on the new Focus are dynamic cornering control, electric power steering, keyless entry with push-button start, a rearview camera, semiautomatic parallel parking and satellite navigation.
Inside Line says: Finally, Americans get the same car as their European cousins. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent