Detroit show: Ford comes into Focus

FORD today revealed its third-generation Focus small car at the Detroit motor show, the first model rolled out under the One Ford banner.

The important new model will be sold in 122 countries, including Australia. It will go into production in the US and Europe in early 2012 and will arrive in Australia later that year.

While current Focus has regional variations, including a unique North American version, the new Focus essentially will be the same wherever it is sold, although powertrains will differ.

Ford presented production-ready five-door hatch and a four-door sedan versions of the Focus at Detroit.

Both cars are designed with what Ford calls its Kinetic design language. While the designers were keen to give the sedan its own distinctive look, the Focus shares some family resemblance to the current Fiesta light car.

This Focus would have gone into production in Ford Australia’s Victoria next year under a plan that was announced in July 2007 but cancelled in July 2009.

Ford Motor Company has listed four manufacturing locations for the next-generation Focus – Saarlouis, Germany Detroit, US St Petersburg, Russia and Chongqing, China.

The source of the Australian Focus is yet to be announced. With production of the Fiesta light car due to start in Thailand later this year, there is a good chance that this country would also produce the Focus for south-east Asia after production of the current vehicle ends in South Africa.

The new Focus will be built off Ford’s new C-sized platform (industry-speak for small cars), which the company says is crucial to its sales success. Ford says it will build 10 different models off this base, including the C-Max mini people-mover that was previewed at last year’s Frankfurt motor show.

All up, Ford estimates that it will produce two million C-platform vehicles a year by 2012, up from one million in 2008.

Although Ford and Mazda are now officially divorced, the C platform and the next generation Focus were almost complete before the split.

Ford estimates the commonality between the new Focus and existing Mazda3 at about one third.

The new Focus program was led by Ford of Europe out of its German headquarters, although Ford insists it was a global program from the start rather than a European model that will be sold globally.

Ford was keeping tight-lipped on much of the detail during the presentation and the pre-show media briefing, but did confirm the new Focus would run a similar suspension set-up to the existing model.

Ford C segment line director Gunnar Herrmann told GoAuto that the vehicle would retain a fully independent rear suspension, but added that changes had been made in the name of refinement.

“Without giving you all the technical details at this stage I can say that what we have done is attach the rear sub-frame separately which is a major change, primarily improving road noise. The quietness of the vehicle was very important for us,” Mr Herrmann said.

Ford says the chassis and suspension architecture of the new Focus will be identical through all markets with only minor tuning differences setting them apart.

Ford is predicting great improvements in terms of interior noise. It showed a graph during its Detroit presentation claiming that the new Focus would have far less wind noise than opposition vehicles, including the Volkswagen Jetta, at 80km/h. The graph indicated that the existing Mazda3 would have more than twice the wind noise of the new Focus at that speed.

Ford would not give details on engine and transmission choices for Australian cars, saying it was too early.

It did say North America would get a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine with dual variable camshaft timing and direct injection, with a dual-clutch six-speed Powershift automatic transmission.

Ford said an EcoBoost 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine and common-rail diesels would be offered in Europe.

The new engines would offer fuel-economy improvements of between 10 to 20 per cent on current Focus engines.

The company talked up the stiffness of the Focus’s body, saying 55 per cent of the shell would be made of high-strength steel. It said 26 per cent of the vehicle would be made of ultra-high-strength steel, including Boron steels – more than any other Ford model.

It pointed out that eight different gauge thicknesses of steel were used on the B pillars, allowing engineers to optimise them for side impacts.

The new Focus will use electric power steering instead of the existing electro-hydraulic system, which is expected to bring significant fuel savings.

Ford said it would also introduce Active Torque Vectoring, a system used by Porsche among others to brake individual driven wheels to improve traction – a form of electronic limited-slip differential.

Ford refrained from giving many dimensions of the vehicle, but said both the sedan and hatch were a similar size to the existing models.

In terms of design, the new Focus is Ford sportier than the current car and sits 20mm lower, said Ford Europe design director Martin Smith.

“That gives them a more sportscar like profile,” he said. “I think that you will agree that what you see here couldn’t be more different to what we have currently on the road.” Mr Smith told GoAuto the new Focus was quite different to the existing model.

“Put these two cars together and, I hate to use the word boxy, but it (the current car) is taller and it has got more volume visually. These cars are lower, sleeker and the surface detail and graphic is far more expressive,” he said.

“Our objective was to give our customers something brand new and ultra modern, just as we have done with the new Fiesta.” Both the sedan and hatch feature a bold nose featuring a large trapezoidal grille with vertical split lines in body colour. A slim rectangular higher grille opening has an enlarged Ford badge mounted on single chrome bar.

Two design creases interact on the side of the vehicle, behind the prominent front wheel arches. This Z-like shape is what Ford creatively refers to as the ‘Zorro Flip’.

The show cars feature 18-inch alloy wheels, which will be the largest size offered.

The hatch has moved away from the vertical tail-lights of the existing model, which sat at either side of the rear hatch. Ford has opted for tail-lights instead with a section that wraps around the side of the car.

In the case of the sedan, the new Focus runs two-piece tail-lights, a feature usually reserved for more expensive models.

From some angles, the tail-lights bear some resemblance to a 3 Series BMW, an observation Mr Smith clearly feel is incorrect. When asked if the 3 Series lights influenced the design, Mr Smith said: “We try to create our own look. I don’t personally see that connection myself.” The sedan also has a raised bootlid, which Mr Smith said was necessary to meet the demands of aerodynamics and practical bootspace.

Both the sedan and hatch feature wrap around headlights, although shaped differently.

The interior of the vehicle marks a dramatic step up from the existing model, said Mr Smith.

“There are massive improvements in craftsmanship, in terms of fit and feel and finish,” he said.

These include new soft-touch plastics, vastly reduced gaps between panels, improved centre console surface plastic and a large centre entertainment and information display screen measuring up to eight inches in the high end Titanium model.

The cabin is more driver-oriented, with controls situated accordingly. Ford has switched to a Z-handbrake, which does not require a large flap underneath and therefore takes up less space. It is located to the side of the gear shift, freeing up space in the centre console.

In the show car, the handbrake is on the left of the centre console, closer to the driver. Mr Smith said the handbrake, and the entire centre console, would be ‘flipped’ over for right-hand drive markets.

The show car has a Power ignition button and keyless entry system, satellite navigation and a voice-control system. The radio and entertainment display is fully integrated within the dashboard and was developed with Sony. Ford will also offer an automatic parking option for the new Focus.

Ford’s global product development vice-president Derrick Kuzak said C-segment cars such as the Focus and B segment cars like the Fiesta were becoming more popular all around the world, which meant a global vehicle made good sense.

“The B and C segments were growing in North America as they have been around the world for years,” he said.

“We saw a convergence in demand for higher levels of craftsmanship and quality and technology expectations as well as improved fuel economy and reduced CO2.

“Increasingly we realised that C cars were going to be the right size, even here in North America.” Mr Kuzak, who has just overseen the debut of the Fiesta in the US, said Ford North America’s model range had been unbalanced.

“Our product range in North America had become skewed towards pick-ups and SUVs, a lack of balance that the fuel crisis really heightened,” he said.

Looking to Europe, Ford found the small car expertise it needed to lead the new Focus development.

“Our experience in Europe became a major asset,” he said.

“Our European small cars, which are among the most generous as an interior package, are an ideal base for a new range of global product.” The next product to be developed under the One Ford plan is a mid-sized model to replace the European Mondeo and the North American Fusion in 2013.