- Redesigned Ford Focus delivers new exterior design, completely revised interior and advanced new technologies for improved customer comfort and safety
- 1.0-liter EcoBoost® engine raises the competitive bar for fuel efficiency
- New Focus will offer driver-assist technology including a standard rearview camera, along with available lane-keeping system and Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®)
DEARBORN, Michigan, February 23, 2014 -
The 2015 Ford Focus, the world’s best-selling nameplate, is expected to
hold onto this coveted title with a bold new look that emulates other
recent Ford vehicle designs and more advanced technologies that improve
driver comfort and safety.
The new look and added technologies were revealed
today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the world’s largest
exhibition for the mobile industry.
“We have taken the title of world’s best-selling
nameplate to impressive new heights with the redesigned Focus,” said Joe
Hinrichs, Ford executive vice president and president of The Americas.
“Its combination of compelling, modern design and the most high-tech
interior in the class will appeal to contemporary consumers who desire a
small car with very sophisticated features. What makes Focus so
attractive to consumers today – being great to drive, delivering
exceptional fuel economy and value, and offering leading-edge in-car
technologies – is amplified with the new Focus.”
Award-Winning 1.0-Liter EcoBoost
In addition to a host of styling and technological
advances, the new Focus will offer the remarkably efficient,
fun-to-drive, award-winning 1.0-liter EcoBoost® engine with a
six-speed transmission – surpassing the fuel efficiency of the previous
model, and once again raising the bar amongst the competition. Twice
already, automotive journalists have named Ford’s 1.0-liter EcoBoost
powerplant International Engine of the Year, for 2012 and 2013. The
optional engine will be offered alongside the base 2.0-liter GDI I-4
engine, which currently helps the Focus deliver an EPA-estimated rating
of 40 mpg on the highway.
“The 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine is proof that
excellent fuel economy and performance can come in one package,” said
Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, global product development. “Focus
is already known for bringing together efficiency and fun, and our
latest addition will bring consumers a whole new level of enjoyment – on
the road and at the pump.”
The smallest engine in the company’s growing
EcoBoost family will increase the choice for Ford customers in the
United States, as Fiesta is already available with the 1.0-liter
EcoBoost engine.
In Europe, where it is already on five nameplates,
the 1.0-liter EcoBoost accounts for 32 percent of sales of the
current-generation Focus and 26 percent of Fiesta sales this year.
Robust demand for the 1.0-liter in Europe has prompted Ford to double
production capacity at its state-of-the-art plant in Cologne, Germany,
to more than 1,000 engines a day.
EcoBoost technology combines smaller-displacement
engines with turbocharging, direct injection, variable valve timing and
proprietary Ford software to bring customers outstanding performance and
fuel economy. Ford EcoBoost engines can deliver significantly better
fuel economy than larger-displacement gasoline engines.
Stylish New Focus
The new Focus will arrive with a more stylish, bold
look. It features a restyled hood and grille, signature lighting for the
headlamps and taillamps, new rear lamp clusters and a restyled trunk
lid. Four-door and five-door versions will be available in the United
States.
Inside, colors and materials have a clean, modern
look, with satin chrome detailing, new seat trims, switches and an
available heated steering wheel. Storage is improved with a new center
console incorporating adjustable cupholders, and a new, easier-to-access
glove box.
Advanced Technologies
A package of sensors brings a new level of
convenience for compact car customers by adding driver-assist
technologies including a rearview camera and an available Blind Spot
Information System (BLIS®) and lane-keeping system.
Standard on Focus for the first time, the rearview
camera will appear on either a 4.2-inch screen or the 8-inch screen that
comes with MyFord Touch®-equipped cars.
BLIS uses two multiple-beam radar modules, the same
used with cross-traffic alert, which are packaged in the rear quarter
panels, one on each side. The radar identifies when a vehicle enters the
defined blind spot zone and illuminates an indicator light on the
corresponding sideview mirror, providing a warning that a vehicle is
approaching.
Should a Focus driver start to drift out of the
current lane without a turn signal on, the available lane-keeping system
provides a warning through a series of steering wheel vibrations that
mimic a rumble strip. If the unintended lane departure is not corrected
by the driver, the aid function of the system actively applies steering
torque to help the driver direct the car back toward the center of the
current lane.
SYNC AppLink
New Focus drivers will also have access to powerful
new capabilities thanks to a host of new functions developers can
integrate as they modify their apps to communicate with enhanced SYNC® AppLink™.
Android and iOS smartphone owners can download more than 60 AppLink-enabled apps from the Apple App Store and Android market.
New functions include:
- Connected apps can access a variety of real-time vehicle data such as speed, acceleration, odometer and location information that can be used by the app to further customize and personalize the user experience. For example, access to the in-vehicle GPS signal can enable more precise and accurate location-based services than phone sensors
- More consistent user experience thanks to voice pass-through capability. This enables developers to use on-device or cloud-based voice-recognition systems to evaluate driver commands, meaning drivers can use the same set of voice commands to control an app when connected to the vehicle as they would use when not connected
- Notifications read aloud as a driver enters the car, with no need to touch the phone. Best of all, alerts are available any time a mobile device is connected to SYNC AppLink, even if the app is not currently active. This means a driver could get an alert about a traffic jam ahead while listening to the radio or using another app
In addition to the many advancements in exterior
styling, interior design, powertrain and technology, the new Focus will
also benefit from suspension and chassis upgrades. These include a new
shock absorber valve design providing improved interior quietness, a new
electronic stability program system with less intrusion and improved
comfort, and a change to the rear suspension to give drivers a more
connected feel to the road.
The 2015 Ford Focus goes on sale in the second half of 2014.
Source: Ford
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