Ford Will Bring European Focus to U.S. in 2010

Today Ford announced one other nugget besides the fact that it would delay the 2009 F-150 pickup. The well-received European Focus will finally come to the U.S., with the next generation being produced and sold in North America. This is part of Ford’s new goal of shrinking its lineup to more fuel-efficient vehicles. The company already announced it will sell the subcompact Fiesta in 2010.

Many American car enthusiasts have pleaded for the European Focus for years. It seems to have taken a financial crisis to bring it stateside. Make no mistake, this is a money-saving move for Ford. Instead of investing in two different Focus designs for two different markets, it will save money on R&D by going with just one. By building the Focus domestically, the company also protects against a weak dollar versus importing cars built abroad. 

This is a good move for Ford. With the recently redesigned U.S. Focus selling extremely well because of high gas prices, the Focus name will be high in the minds of consumers by the time the next generation arrives in two years. We’d also guess that with the lower-cost option of the Fiesta on lots at the same time, the company can afford to bring a slightly more expensive, better-quality Focus to market. Let us know what you think of this move in the comments below.

Comments

[LM]

It's about time! The CEO should be fired for taking so long.

[Roo]

YAY! It took Ford four years to listen, but they finally did. Better late than never. This car will rule the market again in the US

[Dave T.]

LM,
They just hired a new CEO a year ago. He seems to be the one initiating all the change.

[Maxwell]

Which version (s)?

The UK Focus comes in the same versions that earlier US ones did: 3 door hatch, 5 door hatch, sedan, and wagon.

I might be wrong, but I think the US might now be ready for a small, fuel efficient wagon. Such cars provide the same amount of cargo capacity as small suvs like Escape, Rav4, etc but have better mileage and cost less.

Toyota seems to be doing well with the Matrix.

[Adrock]

Someone better check to see if hell hath frozen over.

[Colin B.]

So.... along with the Ford Transit and Fiesta we will be getting Europe's Focus. I've also heard rumors that we're getting the coupe, convertible and C-Max variants. Also, that the new Ford Kuga is the new Escape.

Here's hoping they call the C-Max, Escort in America!

Also I wonder how the truck design language will translate in this new merged Euro-kinetic design/Americana Gillette razor thing?

[ilija]

Very good move for the better. European Focus is a very nice little car that is so popular in Europe. Also the car rocks. If anybody follows WRC competition in Europe you could see that in Monaco race first place was Citroen C4 and Focus was second, faster than Subary Impreza WRX. A few of my friends bought escorts and focuses and are very happy with quality. Why could not Ford keep the same level of quality here in USA?

Also Ford diesel engine in Europe holds very well against VW, BMW, Peugeot and Audi diesles. They should bring diesel Ford to USA too.

[LM]

I saw the Transit at the NY Auto Show - they really should bring that over. I think Americans will love small, usable vehicles such as the xB.

[maxwell]

LM: Ford's website says the Transit is coming to the US in summer 09.

http://www.fordvehicles.com/transitconnect

[Mart]

The Transit Connect is somewhat larger than a Scion though. It's a proper van too, so anyone expecting car like performance will be sorely disappointed.

The passenger versions are still commercial vehicles rather than cars and ride quality and refinement is similarly agricultural.

Good news (if not unexpected) about the Focus though. The next generation should be excellent if the current one is anything to go by. I bet we don't get every version though. In Europe there is :

3 door hatch
5 door hatch
5 door estate
4 door sedan (although nobody buys it)
2 door coupe-convertible
5 door c-Max
5 door Kuga

I'm betting it'll be just the 3 door hatch and sedan that come here, just like the Fiesta.

[LM]

I'm just saying there is a market for small van-like vehicles that will make for good delivery-type models that don't suck gas.

[Dave T.]

four door hatch and sedan only planned at this time.

[J]

Took them looooooooooooooooooong enough to notice the benefit of having one model.

Next is the Falcon or Mondeo.

[Terry]

Gee, Thanks for nothing Ford! My redlight racing days are well over now! This is so long over due. It may be tempting to still buy when it comes out if they do not water it down.

[LM]

So how long has the "new" Euro Focus been out? Does this mean the U.S. will get the current euro-Focus which will be outdated by 2010? Are they jointly developing the new model?

[Mart]

I believe this will be the all new version. The current Euro Focus is getting old now and has just had a mid-life facelift. It'd due for replacement in around 2010 and is being developed as a world car in a similar way to the new Fiesta.

[Christina]

I really like this car... It is cute and has huge compartments you can put anything into... Also nice design...

[Christina]

I really like this car... It is cute and has huge compartments you can put anything into... Also nice design...

http://www.insuredirect.com

I think 2010 will be too late for the economy and the american auto makers to do in 2010 what should have been done in 2000. It will be 10 years to late to bring Ford back from extinction.

[rwcmick]

I don't think that this crisis was solely responsible for bringing the Euro Focus to the US. The plan has been for some time to once again harmonize the two models. Perhaps the crisis has accelerated things a bit, but it certainly wasn't the only driver.

[Allen]

Firstly, we have had the Mazda3 for years here in America, since 2004 in fact, and its based on the same platform as the European Focus. What actually gets me is that they will finally bring it here (hopefully retaining some of the juicier European powerplants, from the gas sipping ones all the way up to the T5), but that by the time it does get here, it will be as old of platform as the original Focus had when we started complaining about it.

Not that its a bad platform at all, its been tried for years and no one has quite yet beat the C1 platform for small cars. Still, I hope Ford Europe has been cooking up a new platform.

....

Or I could be reading this all wrong and a whole new platform comes out for both the European and American Focus, and we should be praying its at least as good as the current one. Hell if they could lose some weight (there by gaining both performance and fuel efficiency), well that'd be just perfect.

[Rob]

This is for the next generation of the Euro Focus if I'm reading it reight. That means not the current platform of the Mazda3 which, while I own it and love it, is too expensive and too small to compete w/ Corolla, Civic, Cobalt, Elantra et. al. It would muscle in on the Fusion too.

Perhaps the new one will be more in harmony w/ the US market. I'm guessing they still won't offer a mix of body types as they did w/ the original focus. To me, if it's not a 5-door (preferably wagon), it's not worth the bother, particularly w/ the tiny trunk lids of today's sedans.

Still, good news that Ford is going w/ their strengths, but they need a real family sedan to replace the 500/Taurus disaster and the departed Crown Vic.

[J]

Rob,

How does a 5.4L V8 RWD sedan sound to you? The Aussies gets that car while we have the 500/Taurus.

[Tom]

But at the end of the day it's still a Ford. No thanks.

[Six]

Now, if only they'd be bold enough to bring over the ECOnetic diesel with 65 mpg -- prius eat your heart out.