The next-generation Ford Focus made its worldwide debut today at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. One of the key highlights is that Ford's new C-segment competitor with rivals such as the VW Golf / Jetta, Chevy Cruze, Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic, is that it will be nearly identical in all markets sharing 80 per cent of its parts around the world.
At Detroit, Ford showed off the five-door hatchback and four-door sedan versions of the new global Focus. Both models share the same styling that marks the next evolution of Ford's kinetic design form language.
That translates to a crispier and more dynamic design that combines styling features seen in the new Fiesta and the European Mondeo.
The same can be said about the Focus' interior design that was previewed through the MPV variants of the car, the five-seat C-MAX (Europe) and seven-seat Grand C-MAX (Europe and North America).
Ford says that one of the key elements of the interior is the quality of craftsmanship with the soft-touch materials and the choice of trim all helping to give occupants "the feeling that they are travelling in a higher-class car".
The new Focus has been developed by a global team, led from the firm's European small and medium vehicle centre in Merkenich, near Cologne, Germany, with powertrain development spearheaded by the company's technical centre in Dunton, England
Underneath, the 2011 Focus makes use of Ford's new mid-sized architecture. The company claims that the Focus will raise the benchmark in handling once more blending "outstanding steering precision and road feedback with significantly improved refinement and ride control."
The 2011 Focus sticks with front-wheel drive, powered by a new family of engines. European buyers will get 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter Ecoboost turbocharged petrol units as well as improved Duratorq TDCi common-rail diesels offering reductions in fuel consumption between 10 and 20 per cent over the outgoing models.
In North America, the Focus will be offered with a new 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) and direct injection (DI) delivering an estimated output of 155-horsepower and 145 ft.-lb. of torque.
Depending on the market, the engines will be linked to either manual gearboxes and Ford's new dual-clutch PowerShift six-speed automatic transmission designed to deliver better fuel economy than comparable automatics.
Production of the next-generation Ford Focus will begin simultaneously in Europe and North America in late 2010, with sales set to start globally in 2011. Ford said that initial production will be concentrated at the Saarlouis (Germany), Michigan (United States) and Chongqing (China) Assembly Plants.
Within the next two to three years, the Focus range will expand to include a three-door hatchback, a station-wagon and quite possibly, a coupe-convertible model, though it remains to be seen if these variants will be sold in all markets.
66 Comments:
They copied rear end and taillight of Renault Samsung SM5 (Focus sedan) and Renault Megane (Focus hatch). Go to hell, Ford.
LOL
Ya know, I knew it looked familiar. Too familiar.
Too bad the bloated Taurus doesn't look like this.
the front is just plain AWFUL
doesn't match the rest of the design, looks like the current european focus
i hope the european version has another front more agressive cuz so far its dissapointing
It looks ugly! The current european Ford Focus looks much better than this one. Nice Fords are still Mondeo, Fiesta and i also like the US models.
Yeah the hatch is so ugly
Beautiful car..Love that interior.
Fiesta on steroids... and everyone knows how bad they are.
I couldn't see this coming after the good job that ford made with the c-max.
I think it makes the Chevy Cruz look old before it has even been introduced. The taillights are overdone, but other than that, I think it is a beautiful, modern design. Ford is on a roll.
The Chevy Cruz can't hold a candle to this, sharp, crisp handling has always been a Focus forte, Cruze with its Daewoo underpinnings simply can't compare. Interior is beautifully executed, much more modern and edgy than the snore-inducing VWs.
FINALLY Ford has united the car design across the world. This has to make HUGE business sense as it can take advantage of economies of scale for a unified design in all markets. Why haven't they done this before and why don't all manufacturers do this? It seems like basic business sense.
i think we have serious copy-pasting...side and back is current lancia delta!!!, the front is ford kinetic with the addition of 2 braces that tricect the big grille and are very similar to the fiat stilo!!! loose those 2 braces and it looks more ford kinetic(photoshop can do it pronto)...i think that's what happens when you try to cater for global taste...you fail and loose design character!!! ford can definitely do better when it designs cars for europe (current fiesta, focus)...
It's got 2010 Hyundai Tuscon side panels, but overall it's very cool looking. Love the wheels and ride height, I can only hope it stays that way. Awesome interior.
Its extremly ugly,even renault has better design than ford,and above all copy paste the interior is 90% new opel astra.
Front looks good other than that lower gril i do prefer the EU Focus on that looks , interior looks like a rip-off of the Hyundai Santa Fe and AUDI A4 series and what is that i spot near the center console could it be a iDRIVE/Si-Drive system for FORDS? only thin i wont complain is the sheer longness of the car for a focus its long and actually want to wait and see what happens.
I hope the rear will be different in Europe...
Looks uglier than the previous gen.
ford is on a roll! america is finally getting a small car that doesn't look cheap, from an american manufacturer!
Needs moar gaping holes in the front end filled with cheap,tacky black plastic-I mean cooling ducts in the front end
i am not a ford focus fan, but this new generation looks sweet! the sedan has an upscale design, imo. i hope they look as good as they photograph.
rear lights are hideous, as is the broken swage line down the side. possibly a consequence of trying to make the car work for all markets.. doubt it will go down well in europe.
first gen focus was a really bold, yet elegent design (hence its massive success). 2nd gen toned things down a bit but still kept original cars dna. dont know what they were thinking with this one tho
Nice!
It is very hard to design a balanced look in short tall vehicles. The designers found that balance while preserving ergonomics.
3Deuce27
It looks good! I do not know why people on here judge a car before they see it in person. It maybe a gigantic Fiesta but the Fiesta formula has been working for Ford in Europe and is one of the best selling cars!
I like the European designed Focus and very happy that the European designs are finally coming into the American market.
i like the more upscale focus, as fmc will be using the fiesta to fill the current ecorts slot, with obvious overlap.
the rear on both sedan and hatch look as though they belong on cars costing far more than the anticipated price of the new escort models. classy, ford!
it's not that it doesn't look good. it does.
it's not that it isn't stylish. it is.
it's appealing, nice, pleasant inside...
but it's all in a Toyota Corolla kind of way...
it is not moving the game forward. The Fiesta does. The new Focus doesn't follow the same language somehow. and might look dated by 2012...
Does it's exterior design seem numbed out and americanized to you??
--JORGE
but i can say the sedan version of this new focus is the best so far...
Screw this One Ford policy. This car has been ruined in trying to cater for N.A tastes. The rest of the world could have had a much sleeker European design.
I think this design is much better than the last...the last American focus had a boxy appearance the tail lights were much to small for how big the trunk area looked. The new design looks more interesting however the hatch back tail lights look overdone slightly.
Its very good exterior and interior work. Hatches are having a hell of a time. Is this their ERA?
Ford did a good job. The design is similar to Mazda's, but it is the best design ford made ever I think. The current Focus is so ugly especially, the height is too high. This is much better than current Focus. Good luck Ford!!!
Funny how everybody complained about the efforts of US domestic offerings (like the horrible current Focus), and now they are bitchin' about this offering. It's an inspired design that follows current trends. What do want, something that looks like a '66 GTO? Sorry, those days are gone. Please follow everybody into the 21st century.
Give it (hatchback) the performance and standard features of my GTI and I'll go back to a domestic dealership.
Oh, by the way Carscoop, in your comments about the Focus, I don't think you mean crispier design; I think the word you're searching for is crisper. Crispier would describe the new and improved Focus breakfast cereal! Or, more crisp. Or, maybe not! ;)
the reason i like the 2012 ford escort is because it does not look like a ford. this car has personality. two things worse looking than a ford: (1) Lincoln, (2) Mercury
Over styled!
the more i study this new escort, the more uncertain i am. it has some nice angles. i still wonder if it is "uniform". something about it is off, but i cannot quite put my finger on it. hmm...
Where is the RS!! RS Please!
hmm.. similar to the Anon above, for me, there's something off in the cars' fronts but at the same time I think I like it. I can't quite point what bothers me about it, but there's just something.
The sedan is okay, but the hatch, especially its rear is... I dunno.. too bizarre? Also with that fuel lid on the corner of the lamps. It's like they're trying too hard to connect the lines or something, lol. I wish they had just kept the layout of the tailamps similar to the old Focuses. I think they look more classier.
I think they look worse than the European Focus but is still a lot better than the American Focus.
Both sedan and hatch look great. However the front end ("trapezoid look" with those 2 braces)is very distracting and takes away from the excellent design. The front end should be like the Fiesta or the C-Max. Interior is Excellent, just be sure to have larger seats for Americans and not copy smaller ones for rest of world to save money. Have the armrest/console slide forward and be high enough to actually use - like Hondas and Chevy Malibu- a very cheap improvement and makes driving more comfortable.Also bring the C-Max (5-seat)over with a sliding rear seat instead of the Grand C-mas(7-seat). Americans will not pay for a smaller,more expensive mini-van when they can get a larger one for same money. When you haul that many people your concern is interior space- passenger and luggage not mpg's.
A few of the anonymous above have made a point that the new Focus is so good that the Chevy Cruze will no longer even be a consideration. I'm thinking that with the right engine and transmission, I'd have a hard time choosing this from a mk-VI GTI or Mazdaspeed 3.
^ no matter how nice it is, i would opt for the vw gti 1st, the mazda a close 2nd, but never the chevrolet cruze. it looks too plan jane in a market place with some very sporty looking cars and crossover/small suv's.
I never think about buying American cars, but the new focus changes my mind. If ford makes design like this for all their cars, the sale will be increased. Finally, the ford's design reached to more than average. The interior is good and the exterior is much different from other American cars. I especailly like the star shape alloy wheels, sedan's rear shape and side shape. I really hope the hardtop convertible version for the new Focus!!! I hope Lemon color, too!
This car looks like it was designed by a committee. It's completely lost the well balanced proportions and clean design of the mk2 (european model)... what a shame.
nickelodeon tail-lights anyone?
looks just like a Kia Cee'd ~
It is apparent negativity is global with these posts.
We don't see things the way they are...we see things the way WE are.
Ford please make changes for the european version of the new ford focus!!We want something more beautiful than this and i am sure you can(see the new fiesta,kuga and mondeo)!I do not want to buy the new astra!PLEASE DO IT!
I feel that the European Fiesta looks faultless but then it had to be restyled to please American buyers. So I hope Ford Europe will do the same with the new Focus for the sake of the European buyers and the rest of the world.
truly ugly. Why why why.
Is there gonna be a RS version? :D
Come on, Ford! Bring the turbo diesel to the US!! If you build it, they will come...
Ford
01 : Change The REAR !!!! for Europe, it look likes a peugout .. we dont wanna go there
02 : do something about the rear lights ...look ugly the way there are looking from the side . .tooo much like a peugout wagon 2005 ..
im sure it drives good
but look also matter
awesome interior :) loved it
The flimsy plastic boot release mechanisms, the unreliable TDCi engines, the flimsy plastics on the interior, the constant rattles, road noise & noisy vibrations is all back again! This time, its bigger & uglier than ever before - Not just the looks, but the cost cutting too.
I give the new focus A1, the interior is so modern, both sedan and hatch are stylish, minus the lower grill though, i like the old one, but anyway I'd love to get one of these, question is, which one?
It looks like some kind of cross between a matrix and a fiesta. Looks ugly to me but may appeal to the younger Gen. But then again I think that the american car co. have really done damage to the youth market anyway and is just trying to hang on in desperation.Once us old farts die off they will probably be done for good.
The sedan is brilliant outside! The 5-door not so much, I mean the side lines and the rear. But that's just my opinion. Inside they are so brilliant and modern!
I would love to get one silver sedan, full spec as it is on the picture. Love it!
The car is amazing, the engine and the exterior looks is what makes this car shine. The one thing I am turned off on is the interior controls. Too much, I feel overwhelm by looking at them.
The flimsy plastic boot release mechanisms, the unreliable TDCi engines, the flimsy plastics on the interior, the constant rattles, road noise & noisy vibrations is all back again! This time, its bigger & uglier than ever before - Not just the looks, but the cost cutting too.
Ford please make changes for the european version of the new ford focus!!We want something more beautiful than this and i am sure you can(see the new fiesta,kuga and mondeo)!I do not want to buy the new astra!PLEASE DO IT!
hmm.. similar to the Anon above, for me, there's something off in the cars' fronts but at the same time I think I like it. I can't quite point what bothers me about it, but there's just something.
The sedan is okay, but the hatch, especially its rear is... I dunno.. too bizarre? Also with that fuel lid on the corner of the lamps. It's like they're trying too hard to connect the lines or something, lol. I wish they had just kept the layout of the tailamps similar to the old Focuses. I think they look more classier.
I think they look worse than the European Focus but is still a lot better than the American Focus.
Over styled!
the rear on both sedan and hatch look as though they belong on cars costing far more than the anticipated price of the new escort models. classy, ford!
In my opinion the 2012 Focus Hatchback is going to become the new cult car for the teen set like the Honda Civic Hatch was a decade back. The Focus Hatch is EXPENSIVE new but when they get to be 3 to 5 years old and the price drops to where teenage boys can afford them, you'll see kids zipping all over in their cool new ride.
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