Ford Escort Concept: First Look

• Looks like: A more formal Ford Focus sedan
• Defining characteristics: Multi-element headlights, extended wheelbase
• Ridiculous features: None really, it looks ready to build
• Chance of being mass-produced: A slightly longer Focus aimed at the biggest part of the Chinese market? Chances are good

The compact car segment is the largest global segment, with more compacts sold around the world than any other kind of car — and China is rapidly becoming the biggest market for such cars. In China, however, the compact car segment is further divided into three types: low, mid and high.

Ford has the high-compact segment covered with the fairly expensive Focus, and now it's looking to see how it can get into the even bigger midcompact segment with a new concept car just unveiled at the Shanghai motor show. Behold the Ford Escort Concept, a thoroughly new car with a classic Ford name.

Ford Offers Big Deals on Focus Electric

Hoping to spark consumer interest in the Ford Focus Electric — one of the weakest-selling electric vehicles on the market — the automaker announced deep discounts, including $10,750 off a three-year lease, according to The Detroit News.

With the so-called Red Carpet leases, customers can get a 36-month lease with 10,500 miles a year for $285 a month (a nearly 20% discount from last year's price) and $930 due at signing, the newspaper reported. In addition, Ford has lowered the EV's base price by $2,000 for cash sales, and for cars purchased through Ford Motor Credit, there's a $2,000 discount and zero-percent financing for 36, 48 or 60 months or 1.9% financing for 72 months. Ford now lists the Focus Electric with a cash-only base price of $37,995, a $2,000 discount from last year, according to the newspaper.

In 2012, Ford sold only about 42% of the more than 1,600 Focus Electrics built, the newspaper reported. The automaker's price reduction follows news of Nissan's 18% discount on the 2013 Leaf after disappointing sales.

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NHTSA Adds Six Models to Five-Star Award List

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a crop of new crash-test scores for several all-new or recently redesigned vehicles.

Audi's A4 sedan earned five stars across the board, including in front, side and rollover crash tests. Other vehicles earning the safety agency's top overall score are the 2013 Dodge Dart sedan, the 2013 Ford Focus sedan and hatchback, the 2013 Buick Verano sedan, Acura's new 2013 ILX and ILX Hybrid sedan, and Hyundai's redesigned 2013 Santa Fe Sport SUV.

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Recall Alert: 2012 Ford Focus

Ford is recalling more than 140,000 Focus sedans and hatchbacks due to problems with the windshield wiper motor, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In these cars, a seal in the passenger-side wiper motor's wiring harness connector may be missing. This could lead to water or other contaminates accumulating in the connector, rendering the wiper inoperable. Reduced visibility could result, increasing the risk of a crash.

A total of 140,310 vehicles manufactured between Aug. 1, 2010, and Oct. 18, 2011, are affected. You can find your vehicle's build date on a sticker on the driver-side doorjamb.

Ford will notify owners starting May 21, and dealers will clean and seal the passenger-side wiper motor connecter free of charge. Owners can call Ford at 866-436-7332 or NHTSA's vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236 for more info.

Cars.com Buzz Index: March 2012

Welcome to the Buzz Index, where we rank the hottest cars that consumers search on Cars.com. These cars have seen the biggest increase in searches and dealer contacts since last month.

Top cars in March were an eclectic bunch. Summerlike temperatures across much of the country had consumers thinking sports cars, but rising gas prices — the national average price for regular gas eclipsed $3.90 a gallon last week — brought several high-mpg redesigns alongside. Consider some numbers: Three cars in the top five have 300 horsepower or more — one has nearly double that — and five of the top 10 have an EPA city or highway rating of at least 40 mpg.

Unsurprisingly, eight of the 10 also have been redesigned or received significant updates in the past year.

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: February 2012

Chrysler and Hyundai saw big increases in February sales as shoppers, spurred by positive economic news and rising personal income, hit dealerships to find incentives remain high. Dealer and manufacturer discounts, including trade-in bonuses and discount financing, totaled 16.1% off the average car's MSRP in early February, CNW Market Research reports. That's about even with January but much higher than February 2011's 13.3% in total discounts.

Sales for Ford's F-Series improved 25.9%, with the V-6 model — both naturally aspirated and EcoBoost (turbocharged) models — accounting for nearly 60% of sales. The Escape, an SUV that made the best-selling list for nine months running, dropped off as sales increased a modest 3.7%. Ford keeps piling on Escape incentives — up versus February 2011 — but perhaps enough shoppers are waiting for its replacement.

The redesigned Toyota Camry maintained a thin lead over the Nissan Altima to remain America's best-selling sedan, despite the Altima selling nearly 60% better. Nissan is cleaning up: Altima incentives are just a tad higher than they were a year ago, and the car is selling despite being in its twilight years. A redesigned Altima will debut at next month's New York auto show.

2012 Ford Focus: Up Close

I'm really impressed with the new Focus' styling. It's not different just for the sake of being different, and it incorporates a lot of intricate design cues that come together to form a cohesive look. The large triangular grilles in the lower front bumper draw your eye immediately, but I worry the look will be marred in states that require a front license plate.

2012 Ford Focus at 2010 Detroit Auto Show

• Competes with: Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Chevrolet Cruze, Mazda3
• Looks like: Ford has built a small car that will have competitors scurrying back to the drawing board
• Drivetrain: 155-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder with six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission; front-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: Early 2011

Ford is in the middle of a domestic renaissance, being the only U.S.-based automaker to gain market share in the tumultuous industry downturn. Ford succeeded with just a few new products — none as big a volume seller as the compact Focus, which gets a complete overhaul for the 2012 model year.

The all-new Focus represents the first fruits of the automaker's "One Ford" strategy of building vehicles that can be shared around the world. That's not how things worked previously at Ford, as evidenced by the three unique versions of the Focus before this model sold in different parts of the world. The strategy seems to be paying off, as the new Focus sedan and hatchback offer a level of style and substance that should appeal to small-car buyers the world over.

After seeing the new Focus at an event before the Detroit auto show, I would say it has a much more premium appearance than its predecessor, and it's one that should resonate with small-car shoppers. Both the sedan and hatchback have a nice stance, and the car has lots of interesting body-panel creases. A trio of large front vents and a raked windshield give the Focus a sporty look.

Electric Ford Focus To Race on Jay Leno Tonight

Jay Leno’s new show may not be a hit with critics but the admitted car fanatic is hoping to get auto enthusiasts and greenies on his side with a new “Green Car Challenge” segment launching tonight — Friday at 10 p.m. EDT.

The first car to be tested — and driven by actress Drew Barrymore — will be a European Ford Focus seen here that has been converted to an all-electric car. This is one of the cars Ford has been testing in advance of a consumer version to go on sale in the U.S. in 2011.

Ford says the battery powered Focus has 236 lb ft. of torque — almost as much as a V-6 Mustang — 50/50 weight distribution and a number of other race ready parts supplied by Ford’s performance division.

That’s a lot of go while Ford also says the test-car can travel 80 miles on a single electric charge.

The Ford may also have an unfair advantage to future cars in the challenge. It has been tweaked and tested specifically for Leno’s custom race track he had built for the new show. Ford went as far as designing its own version of Leno’s track in Michigan for its testing.

Tune in to NBC tonight to see how Barrymore and the battery-powered Focus handle the pressure.

Ford Focus, Volvo C30 Are Top Safety Picks

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has been expanding its crash tests to more and more segments. The very influential tests were recently applied to compact coupes, including the Honda Civic, Scion tC, Volco C30, Ford Focus and Chevy Cobalt. The group as a whole performed well considering the severity of the tests. None rated lower than Acceptable in front or side tests, while the Ford Focus and Volvo C30 scored top marks of Good in front, side and rear tests, earning the Top Safety Pick nod.

While the sedan version of the Civic is a Top Safety Pick, the coupe version earned an Acceptable side crash rating. This illustrates the point that safety ratings for one version of a model can’t be applied to others.

The Scion tC faired the worst, earning Acceptable front and side marks and only a Marginal in rear crash tests. You can see the full chart below, including previously tested sedan versions of the Civic, Focus and Cobalt.