- Ford Focus ranks as the best-selling vehicle nameplate in the world, based on just-released Polk new vehicle registration data for the 2013 calendar year
- Focus gains momentum with 50 percent sales growth in Chinese market
- New Focus four-door sedan globally unveiled, featuring leading combination of technology, fuel economy and power
DEARBORN, Mich., April 09, 2014 - Ford
Focus retains its title as world’s best-selling vehicle nameplate for
2013, according to Ford analysis of the just-released full-year Polk new
vehicle registration data from IHS Automotive. The news comes as a new
Focus four-door sedan prepares to make its debut at next week’s 2014 New
York International Auto Show.
Registrations of the compact Focus were up 8.1
percent with 1,097,618 cars sold worldwide last year. That compares with
global Focus sales of 1,014,965 in 2012.
Market gains for Focus continue to be driven by
consumer demand in China. China registrations were up 50 percent in 2013
to 403,219 vehicles, up from 268,354 vehicles in 2012. China now is
responsible for just more than one out of three Focus vehicles sold
globally, based on Polk data.
The debut of the new Focus four-door sedan and the
Focus Electric in New York follows the Geneva Motor Show debut in March
of the Focus three- and five-door hatchback and wagon. A new version of
the performance Focus ST will be shown later this year.
The redesigned Ford Focus offers a bolder exterior
design, a more intuitive and upscale interior, a host of technologies
uncommon for a compact car and the additional powertrain option of
Ford’s award-winning 1.0-liter EcoBoost® engine with a new
six-speed manual transmission in the U.S.-spec Focus. While U.S. EPA
fuel economy ratings are not yet available, Ford expects the 1.0-liter
EcoBoost Focus to raise the bar in fuel efficiency among non-hybrid
compact vehicles.
For 2015, Focus adds an SE Sport Package, which
includes new body treatments, paddle shifters (requires automatic
transmission), a revised touring suspension, 17-inch black gloss
aluminum wheels and P215/50 HR-17 tires.
The paddle shift feature provides drivers an
additional element of control by allowing them to simulate the manual
gear selection aspects of a manual transmission and extract more power
from their engines.
Also notable for 2015, Ford’s popular MyKey®
feature will be standard on all trim levels. An all-new heated steering
wheel will be available as well as 10 different wheels as factory
options.
“It is remarkable to see Focus again lead the
industry as the No. 1-selling vehicle nameplate on the planet,” said Jim
Farley, Ford executive vice president, Ford Motor Company Global
Marketing, Sales and Service and Lincoln. “With the new car, we’ve
raised the bar again, showcasing Ford’s commitment to continuous
improvement – adding better technology for drivers and a sleeker, more
modern exterior across the entire Focus family.”
While the latest Focus is essentially the same
worldwide, color preference varies. In the U.S. market, Sterling Gray is
the most popular at 21 percent of sales, with Tuxedo Black second at 15
percent. In China, Crystal Solid White is overwhelmingly the most
popular with just more than 50 percent of sales. Candy Red is second at
17 percent.
Fiesta World’s Best-Selling Subcompact
Ford’s analysis of Polk new vehicle registrations
also confirms Ford Fiesta earned the top spot as the best-selling
subcompact car globally, with 735,299 registrations for 2013.
Together, registrations of Ford’s small cars –
Fiesta and Focus – totaled 1,832,917 vehicles last year, which is a 4.3
percent increase from 2012.
Award-Winning 1.0-Liter EcoBoost
In addition to a host of styling and technology
advances, the new Focus will offer the efficient, fun-to-drive 1.0-liter
EcoBoost engine with a six-speed manual transmission. Automotive
journalists globally named it International Engine of the Year for 2012
and 2013.
“The 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine is proof that
excellent fuel economy and performance can come in one package,” said
Raj Nair, group vice president, Ford Global Product Development. “Focus
is already known for bringing together efficiency and fun, and our
latest offering will bring consumers a whole new level of enjoyment – on
the road and in what they’ll save at the pump.”
The smallest engine in Ford’s growing EcoBoost
family – already available in Fiesta - will come standard in Focus with
an Auto Start-Stop feature that automatically shuts down the engine at
stops and instantly turns it back on at takeoff.
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.
New Focus customers also will enjoy a quieter ride,
achieved by thicker carpets and side window glass and improved
engine-bay insulation.
Stylish New Focus
The new Focus arrives with a bolder look. It
features a restyled hood and grille, signature LED lighting for
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 and switches, and an
available heated steering wheel. A new center console incorporating
adjustable cupholders improves storage capacity.
Advanced Technologies
A package of sensors brings a new level of
convenience for compact car customers by adding driver-assist
technologies, including a rear view camera, available Blind Spot
Information System and a 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 advanced multiple-beam
radar modules, the same used with cross-traffic alert, which are
packaged in both rear quarter panels. 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 activated, the 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
to help the driver direct the car back toward the center of the current
lane.
The new Focus benefits from advancements in exterior
styling, interior design, powertrain and technology, as well as
suspension and chassis upgrades.
These include a new shock absorber valve design
providing improved interior quietness, and a change to the rear
suspension to give drivers a more connected feel to the road. The
electric power-assisted steering has been retuned to make the driver
feel even more connected to the road.
Enhanced SYNC AppLink
Focus drivers will have access to powerful new
capabilities thanks to a host of functions developers can integrate as
they modify their apps to communicate with enhanced SYNC® AppLink™.
Android and iOS smartphone users 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 owner 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
Ford builds the Focus in eight manufacturing plants
on four continents. Facilities in Germany, the United States, Russia,
China, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan and Argentina have a combined capacity
to build more than 1.5 million Focus cars annually at a rate of more
than two per second.
Since the launch of Focus in 1998, the best-selling
vehicle nameplate in the world for two years running has sold more than
12 million vehicles globally.
Source: Ford
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