Brand new Ford Focus global car launched in Detroit!
Ford has officially unveiled the brand new Focus at this year’s Detroit Motor Show. This third generation Focus is a global car meaning all the markets in the world including the US will be getting the same Focus. The C-Segment vehicle that is available in both hatchback and sedan forms looks more edgier and aggressive where it has been treated with Ford’s Kinetic design language, even more than the facelifted second generation Focus.
The front end has a very prominent bumper with a three-intake design. Some may think of this as going a little too far but in my honest opinion, it looks fine. At least modders won’t need to do much in this area.
The taillights on hatchback looks a little overcooked with them making their way further into the rear quarter. But the design for the sedan looks really good. The car is slightly longer than the model it replaces but the wheelbase is retained meaning that the interior space should be similar with the second generation’s. The design of the interior is now more modern than ever. The instrument panel has a four-gauge design with an LCD screen fitted in the middle. From the images, the cabin definitely looks more premium.
Suspension wise Ford has changed the way the suspension subframes are mounted. The auto maker also revealed that the Global C platform that underpins the new Focus shares only one third of similarities with the new Mazda 3. The Focus has always been a well balanced vehicle with sharp handling characteristics while offering a high level of comfort. I can’t wait to get my hands on the new model to find out if this still the case with the new Focus, but something tells me it would be.
The car that was featured on the stand in Detroit has a new 2.0 liter DI Ti-VCT powerplant with direct injection and dual variable valve timing on both the exhaust and intake manifolds. Ford did not reveal exact horsepower figures but said that the engine has up to 20hp more than the 2.0 liter Duratec with fuel efficiency increased by a good 10%. There will definitely be an array of engine options when the car goes on sale. The powerplant is linked to a 6-speed Powershift dual-clutch transmission. The new Focus also has an electric power steering which is a good thing for normal city driving but usually not so good for spirited driving.
However Ford assured that this will not be the case with the Focus. The company has tuned the system to enable it to offer a good feel overall. The company also added a Dynamic Cornering Control that counteracts slip on the inner wheel during a corner to improve cornering and turn in performance.
Other features include a MyFord system with voice command function that is an interactive driver-vehicle system like BMW’s iDrive. This system has a 5-way button on the steering wheel for controlling purposes and the system runs on a Microsoft Windows Auto platform. Ford is expected to start manufacturing the new Focus in late 2010, starting in Europe and in North America.
Productions for other markets will start later. Both models are scheduled to go on sale in 2011. Ford is also expected to offer a full battery-electric vehicle (BEV) based on the Focus where a North American debut is also expected in 2011. Continue reading to view four videos and an image gallery.
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i am a big fan of ford but i think the new range they are bringing out looks ugly. i have a ford focus and i am not going to buy the new focus. just look at it. i wonder how many minutes it took to design and are ford getting rid of the best family car they make the ford mondeo. what with all this hybrid stuff?