New Ford Focus a Surprise Success

I’ll admit it: I did not think the redesigned Ford Focus would be a huge success. I mean, just look at it. There are some interesting angles, especially on the sedan, but come on, the coupe? It’s a dog. My old Escort had better lines.

Still, in our current economic surroundings the little economy car with a small price tag and high mpg is doing well. How well? The plant where it’s built in Wayne, Mich. is ramping up to produce 30% more Focus this year.

I reviewed the new Focus in November and thought the interior was well done. The Sync entertainment system is a genius idea actually implemented properly. Still, the Honda Civic is a far better choice, not to mention the other solid competition from Toyota, Hyundai and Mazda.

In any case, the Focus just passed the Chevy Cobalt in sales last month. Now there’s a car I’m even more shocked to see selling well — tepid economy or no.

Ford to build 30% more of its Focus small cars this year (USA Today)

Comments

The die-hard buy American folks only have domestic to choose from and Fords 'European' car is the best of the worst? If I were like them I'd choose it too. European performance with a clear conscience. Even though the corporations conscience is polar opposites of yours. The domestics are getting better and better. Thanks to the overseas folks.

If I want to buy a "domestic" nameplate car in this category it's this or the Cobalt. No wonder its sales are increasing.

Maybe this will encourage Ford to actually produce a better car. No doubt the many new Focus owners will soon realize how crappy it is and they'll lose another generation to foreign nameplate cars.

Please. You don't have to be a die-hard American brand buyer to see that buying the Focus or the Cobalt is a smart choice. They are good cars and cheaper than the imports. And I don't ever want to read on here again that this site isn't biased to imports over American after those last two sentences, David.

The Focus is roomy, fuel-efficient, and inexpensive, and has spiffy audio features. It shouldn't come as a surprise that it's selling well. Sure, some competitors are nicer, but most are also quite a bit more money.

The Cobalt is another story; it's neither roomy nor fuel-efficient. I guess I'd credit the mainstream styling that gives it broader appeal than a Civic or Focus, as well as Chevrolet's jumbo dealer network. The Aveo has more space, better mileage, and a lower price than the Cobalt; by all rights it should be the higher seller.

L,
Have you driven a Cobalt? Seriously, it was not good when it debuted, let alone against the current competition. The Focus was one of the best when it debuted and just took too long to update.

We're one of the least biased publications out there IMHO. Check out Joe W.'s rant on that:
http://ask.cars.com/2007/03/q_why_are_autom.html

The Other Dan:

That monstrosity on the photo is NOT a European Focus. Far from it. If you care to check the WWW.FORD.CO.UK website you will find the current EU Focus is far nicer than that 'thing'... (even if the recent mid-cycle update has not made it look a lot better).

And another publication just put the Focus in 8th place in a comparison. These guys are experts, right? ;)

No matter what is selling it's good to see that people are buying smaller cars. I need there to be less demand for gas so I can go on my summer trip affordably in my 3-series. O:)

UK Diesel driver:
Thanks. I stand advised. I had thought the focus was a well done Euro car that was sent over here for fabrication too. Were they not early on and now have mutated away from each other? I checked your site and agree the Euro is nicer. I just don't get how we have to be different aside from the steering wheel location. A great car should be great no matter where it's driven.

the original focus in the U.S. was euro derived. It just never got the update that Europe did 3-4 years ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Focus_(International)

Hey Dave T.-
I know kicking tires did a quick piece on the proper plural of "Prius" a while ago... What is your opinion on the plural of Focus? Is it Foci, as one would expect from the plural of focus, or is it Focuses because it is a proper noun? Or is it something completely different?

(I know, silly question, but one that's been bugging me)

I think it's like "fish."
There were hundreds of Focus at the event.

But Focuses sounds better.

We will look into the official term for you.

I still say it seems more "return of the Escort" than Focus to me. Ford seems to have lost it's 'focus' when they stopped with the funky hatchback with the taillights on the roof.

In the interim we had a mildly facelifted Focus that looked neither hear no there (and looked like a Suzuki from the rear)

Now as an Escort, people are returning to Ford (which they know is cheap and 1/2 way decent) and expecting an Escort from 10 years ago and walking away pleasantly surprised. (especially with dealers willing to wheel and deal) But seriously, how many Synch units are selling? Because right now that's almost exclusive to the Focus, IIRC. And it's interface-iblity seems to be almost as strong a selling point as the car itself.

I just purchased a Focus S sedan with auto transmission, abs and traction control, and spare tire (can you believe that?) here in Long Island, NY. The car is black with dealer, gold, pinstriping (I could care less). My wife will use it as a commuter car, doing 60 miles per day.

The car cost $13,733 plus sales tax (8.75%) and registration. I did everything on the web. Ford.com allows you to search local dealer inventory and then look at the sticker for each car.

Toyota quoted me $15,700 for a Corolla. Honda wanted about $16,000 for the Civic. All I got from various Hyundai dealers was a hard sell and trying to get me into the showroom - never did get a price. Both the Corolla and Civiic. would have the exact same equipment as the Focus, except the Honda would have power windows (but not door locks). Both I and my wife prefer crank down windows.

We saved a bunch of money on the Focus. Both of us look on cars as a way to get from here to there, so bells and whistles are of little interest. The one thing my wife likes is a high seating position. The Corolla (we have an 06) and Focus both have that. The Focus has higher seats, while the Corolla has adjustable drivers seat height. The higher seat position gives the passenger far more leg room in the Focus than our 06 Corolla (I'm 6'1").

The front seats are a bit more comfortable in the Focus than the Corolla. The inside of our 06 Corolla is much "nicer" and more "plush", but I'm not about to pay $2000 extra for that.

The savings were simply too much to pass up.

I think Anonymous above is a big reason the Focus is seeing a huge success. All us car guys like to drool on certain cars but for a lot of folks it is simply transportation and while not the top of the class the new Focus is definitely solid enough to recommend to shoppers looking for a frugal deal.

Dave...you're right if they keep it and beat it to the ground. But, if they want to sell it in 4 or 5 years, with 100,000 miles, the Ford may be worth $3000 while the Corolla would be worth $6000-6500.

True, but a lot of shoppers look at lowest payments more than anything.

The simple solution would be to finance it an extra year. When I entered grad school, I financed a 2003 accord LX (full $17k) for 84 mo and the payment was $257/mo. After two years I sold it for $14,500 and only owed about $12,500 on it.

Of course, it depends on one's credit situation, but you can't really beat something like that. High resale values matter a LOT.

btw... there was no trade of down payment, so the numbers I put up are transparent.

I'm anonymous above - forgot to fill in the name part.

The Focus replaced a 12 year old Escort. That car had been problem free till the transmission died last week. My wife drives to work in a place that's impossible to reach via public transit. I work from home and have little need for a car except to go to the store, etc. Since my wife HAS to drive to work, we need a solid backup car in case her car breaks. I had been worried about the aged Escort as my wife's backup and the transmission thing iced it.

My wife had a 2004 Focus and liked it very much. Unfortunately she got to play bumper cars with a Ford Expedition in May, 06. Guess who lost? However, the Focus did its job. It was totaled, but she walked away without a scratch. We were going to replace it. but the salesman, when he heard the word Focus, treated us like garbage. We walked across the street to a Toyota dealer and bought the 06 Corolla CE for $13,000 in about 15 minutes. If the Ford salesman hadn't been an idiot, he would have been able to sell us an 06 Focus in about 15 minutes. That dealer ended up closing a little while later and a Lincoln-Mercury dealer down the block took over the Ford sales. That's where I got the new Focus - but all over the web, only went to the dealer to pick up the car.

We have no intention of trading in any car, ever. We run them till they're shot and junk them, about 10 years or so. Again, we simply look on cars to get from here to there. We pay cash for cars - easier when they're inexpensive.

We also look on burning gas as simply burning money. We might have gone down to something like a Yaris, etc, but their mileage is about the same as the Focus and they cost the same as we paid. Also, my wife feels safe in the Focus, due to her past experience in an accident.

John - in your case, keeping it until it runs into the ground, feeling safe, etc., makes sense for you.

With proper upkeep, your Corolla should last beyond 12 years though. I still see plenty of late 80s / early 90s Corollas still running around, even after getting beaten up here in Boston. Here's to 2020 for yours!

When the choice of dinner is limited to rotten food and dog poop, I guess one of them has to be a winner.

The problem I see with the Corolla is that they are forgetting what they are, a small budget car and it is becoming terribly expensive. Not many people are going to fork 19k for such a small car.

One of our friends bought a Focus because it was the most sensible thing to do, when he considered, price, mileage and realiability.

EscortZX2owner,

I just compared the entry level trim of both the Corolla and the Focus. (Corolla 4AT vs Focus S 4AT)
The comparable equipped price is less than $1000.
The Corolla gets power mirrors, outside temperature gauge, ABS, Active head restraints, rear headrests, brake assist, EBD.
It loses in terms of torque (1.8L vs 2.0L), semi-independent rear suspension, trunk volume, turning radius, and one less cup holder.
What sensible is it to get the Focus instead?

"According to a new study by CNW Marketing Research, a name is vital, and to prove the point, CNW did some moniker-switching to learn whether consumers held a vehicle in high or low regard based on its brand name.

It held a variety of consumer clinics using the Chevy Cobalt and Scion xB as examples. In addition to showing the cars with their true names, it switched badges to see what, if any effect, brands had on consumer perceptions about quality and reliability and if the name had any impact on whether they held the car in high or low esteem.

The conclusion: name matters.

CNW found that when Cobalt carried its original Chevy badge, it rated 6.9 out of a possible 10 ranking. But when it carried a Toyota badge, the rating rose to 8.6. If, rather than Chevy, the Cobalt was labeled a Ford, the rating fell to 6.2 and if called a Chrysler to 6.1. Those who favor a return of Fiat to the U.S., take note. When a Fiat badge was put on Cobalt the approval rating sunk to 4.8.

When a Scion xB was rolled out carrying its Toyota badge, the rating was 8.4, but when replaced with a Chevy badge, the rating slipped to 6.3. Chevy shouldn't feel too bad: when a Ford badge was added on the xB to gauge reaction, the rating fell to 5.9 and Chrysler to 5.2. And Fiat fared poorest, with a 4.2.

One can only wonder what the outcome would have been if CNW tested a Yugo badge.

There are, obviously, explanations for this phenomenon. Poor quality among the domestic automakers in the '70s and '80s along with outstanding quality among the imports in the '90s, especially among Japanese brands like Toyota, has created a perception among consumers that if a car carries a Toyota nameplate, it is infallible.

While recent quality surveys among companies like J.D. Power and Associates have proved that domestic quality has made solid gains, and is comparable to that in most imports, it is difficult to change consumer perceptions.

"The problem for some brands can be traced to long memories and the lack of attention to detail in the past," said CNW general manager Art Spinella. "Squeeks or rattles in the '60s or poor paint in the '90s still haunts certain brands to this day. It took Toyota 15 years to establish its credentials."