The Next (American) Focus

[YSSMAN]

Well, I'm not exactly sure what to make of all of this. Reports had originally suggested that America was due for a German-sourced MKII Focus as early as next year, but with the way things are looking, this may be a no-go.

Spy photographers have nabbed more revealing images of a prototype 2008 Ford Focus, giving us our first true look at the new car's face. The Focus features an adaptation of the Fusion's grille design, going with a chrome two-bar treatment which sits atop a thin, wide trapezoidal grille.

The headlights have an interesting kick-up which rises to meet the grille, and what appears to be a dramatic sweep up the fender not unlike the "eyebrow" treatment on the BMW 5-series. A large blocky lower intake and big rectangular fog lights add a chunky, aggressive chin to the new Focus' face.

So, to say the least, this isn't what I was hoping for. Certainly, it is good to see the car updated to some extent, but I want to see a brand-new car... Not the same one we've had since 1999 with a slightly different exterior and interior. The "new" car can probably already be pegged as "crude" against the Rabbit, Civic, and Elantra.

But it will be interesting to see how the "Gillette Grille" works out on the Focus. Until then, I'll be waiting for the MKII Focus for a while...

 

[Sage]

I thought it was already confirmed that we wouldn’t be getting the Euro Focus? (Something about it being too expensive blah blah blah.)

 

[Tornado]

Since it is all too clear that Ford isn't going to bring Focus Mk. II to the U.S. of A., I like this restyling. The Gillete front seems to fit the Focus better than the Fusion, and it is far better than the "Lets use up the old Mondeo body panel molds" look the current one has.

 

[JohnBM01]

How come we couldn't get anything similar to the European Focus? I've always said that my emphasis was on style with cars, and I do have a soft spot for most European-styled cars. I think its overall design sort has moved away from the Focus we known and loved back in 1999. I think most American designs are about boldness. Surely this design is as bold as they come for a car like this Focus. This newer model seems to get some people to like the Focus a little more from not being so much of a cutesy car. But as I always say- if you go bold, make sure the end product is wonderful. And this car is wonderful for the most part. I can't say I'm in love with this deal, but I'll be modest in offering approval. So make my approval for this deal as 87% approval. Maybe if we had some designs similar to the European Focus, I'd probably direct it at 90 or higher.

 

[YSSMAN]

I thought it was already confirmed that we wouldn’t be getting the Euro Focus? (Something about it being too expensive blah blah blah.)

Well, reports have said that the MKII could and probably is coming to America, but nothing was official. Of course, the reports were based on things said by the head of Ford UK (if I recall correctly), and he too was pointing towards having the Mondeo and S-Max come to America as well. We will see I suppose, but I'm still holding out for the European models. Ford is going to have to do something if GM is brining over the Astra, and even the less-than-stellar Caliber is better than the current Focus.

...Ford is running out of time, and they need to fix things, otherwise it may be lights-out in the small-car game once again...

 

[Dave A]

I thought it was already confirmed that we wouldn’t be getting the Euro Focus? (Something about it being too expensive blah blah blah.)

something about it not catching fire ect ect . The MK II Euro Focus is a very solid and well built car, I don't see why Ford just don't build that in the US to the same spec and standard as over here, GM seem to be doing okay taking Vauxhalls to the US, granted they re-brand them but mechanically the cars are pretty much the same (at least as far as I'm aware). It's one of the best cars in it's class and rightfully so.

 

[Philly]

I'll have to agree that we need a new Focus over here. A am thrilled that GM is bringing Opels over here, and Ford might be well advised to do the same. I'm just curious if they have a branding issue; maybe they want to be an "All-american" brand and having a European car would "contaminate" that image?

The Fusion does not look that bad IMO, so I would assume that if this car is based bodily on that, this would be a great looking car. I German flair would be better. We'll have to wait and see what the car is capable of.

 

[exigeracer]

So make my approval for this deal as 87% approval. Maybe if we had some designs similar to the European Focus, I'd probably direct it at 90 or higher.

How can you not say anything good about the car and give it a 87%? Man, I wish my schooling was that easy...

I saw a euro Focus over here a couple of weeks ago. I was so shocked to see it on North American streets. Well, it was on a TTX rail car along with a lot of war machines. Beats me why, but it did surprise me...

 

[YSSMAN]

Story Update!

Earlier, we brought you the first spy photos showing the semi-undisguised face of the 2008 Ford Focus. Before that, we brought you evidence of both coupe and sedan variants, all due at the Detroit auto show this January.

Now, we've got the first glimpse of the new car's interior, which is significantly revised from its predecessor. It's unclear prototype picture represents a finished interior, or a work in progress.

Earlier, we brought you the first spy photos showing the semi-undisguised face of the 2008 Ford Focus. Before that, we brought you evidence of both coupe and sedan variants, all due at the Detroit auto show this January.

Now, we've got the first glimpse of the new car's interior, which is significantly revised from its predecessor. It's unclear prototype picture represents a finished interior, or a work in progress.[/IMG]

Wow, the interior looks very Volvo-esque, and that is a good thing. But with the interior hurdle now jumped, it will come down to how well they can package the performance with circa-1999 designs still riding beneath. Certainly GM has been able to drag the circa-1988 W-Body along for the ride for this long, but in the small car segment, Ford is going to need to update, soon...

 

[JCE]

Ok since I'm the first "American Focus" owner to reply let me voice my disgust. I don't CARE how good this model is, Ford is either smoking crack or just flat out ignoring the immensely awsome Euro Focus MkII. I'm quite disappointed that they didn't even TRY to adapt the Euro Focus for the American market FOR AT LEAST ONE MODEL YEAR! The Mazda3 is on that platform...so why can't the new American Focus share that platform? [/rant]

Ontopic: I like the aggressive front end look, with exception to the headlights..they look odd. But I guess I'll have to reserve my final judgement until I drive it. And I will, the first new Focus that arrives at my Ford dealer employer I will test drive it.

Exterior rating: 85%
Interior rating: 99% -- wow what an awsome interior for a cheap car

 

[a6m5]

Interior and exterior shots looks great..... except that pics are tiny and most of the body's covered up. Looks promising, but when did this car first come out in Europe? Wasn't it like 1998? I just hope Ford knows what it's doing. History shows otherwise. Good luck, Ford. But you look like the biggest idiot in auto industry right now.

P.S. I hate the Mach 3 grille on Fusion, Edge, but if a grille of that style could work on a car, I think it would be a compact like Focus.

 

[V1P3R]

So... Where is the Focus. All I see is another typical boring sedan.

 

[niky]

Am I still the only one here who's driven the Mark II Focus (on a racetrack, I might add... )... lucky me... Bwahahaha!

I still think Ford's just poo-pooing about the "too expensive" thing... they sell the effing' Mazdaspeed 3, for crying out loud. While they're not exactly the same, the tooling is similar, and they spent the money to tool up for the 3... why not the Focus?

I realize they're scared of the loss of volume they'll incur by moving upmarket from the Mk I to the Mk II (yes, it is a move upmarket... pretty high upmarket... as the Focus competes nearly eye-to-eye with the Golf in Europe)... but they've got to get their heads out of the ground. The market's changing. Ford can't rely solely on budget and fleet buyers anymore. They've got to convince people that Ford stands for something besides discounts.

C'mon, Ford. Sacrifice the sales for the quality. Get smaller, get aggressive... get some damn respect!

 

[SlipZtrEm]

What confuses me about all this is Ford USA couldn't stop saying that MKI Focus was the solution to their small car problems the world over, and it was intended as a true "world car" since inception. Yet we're back to the same thing that happened with the Escort; different markets have vastly different versions of the car.

Is it at all possible that the MKII is just under a far different-looking body? I've really been wanting the newer car over here, ST definitely included, and I think Ford could pull off the move upmarket, since the Rabbit was just reintroduced (well, the name, anyways). Niky has a good point though; Ford is probably worried about lost money from potentially less buyers. But is that worth prematurely killing the Focus' chances in North America by stunting its evolution?

 

[Jim Prower]

Wow, there must be some sorta slugfest going on at Ford...I haven't heard a clear direction in their plan yet.

 

[YSSMAN]

I still think Ford's just poo-pooing about the "too expensive" thing... they sell the effing' Mazdaspeed 3, for crying out loud. While they're not exactly the same, the tooling is similar, and they spent the money to tool up for the 3... why not the Focus?

Good point. The Mazda 3, based on the same chassis as the MKII, starts off here at a little over $13,000. I think Ford could knock it down a grand if they really wanted to, but I'm not sure what they are griping about either.

I realize they're scared of the loss of volume they'll incur by moving upmarket from the Mk I to the Mk II (yes, it is a move upmarket... pretty high upmarket... as the Focus competes nearly eye-to-eye with the Golf in Europe)...

Even if they were to position it against the Golf/Rabbit, it wouldn't cause prices to be that astronomically high. Considering that the three-door Rabbit starts at $14,990 here, Ford could package it however they want and still sell at a reasonable price, assuming they have figured out how to get the cars here, cheaply of course.

Is it at all possible that the MKII is just under a far different-looking body?

I would suppose that it is a realistic possibility, one that I've never really sought to compare... Lets get some photos, shale we?

...Interesting. Maybe Ford is only "slightly" restyling the MKII for sale here in America, but not giving us the entire European-sourced package. Hmmm, I just wish we had a less-covered car to go off of here...

 

[a6m5]

I'm just thinking out loud here, but could this be because of that union story about them costing manufactures like over $1,000 per every car they sell?

They could build the MkII, but it will have to be priced $1,000 more than the Mazda 3s or something? That would explain the Ford's thinking here.

 

[niky]

It honestly doesn't matter if they would be about a thousand bucks more than the Mazda3. They certainly feel a bit more expensive.

As to whether that's a Mark II in sheep's clothing, would be hard to tell.

 

[a6m5]

It honestly doesn't matter if they would be about a thousand bucks more than the Mazda3. They certainly feel a bit more expensive.

You could be right, but you could also be dead wrong. Budget priced cars are very strong in this class. I wouldn't be so sure about Ford switching from one of the cheapest(in price and quality)in class to more premium, without changing the name of the car, and the design being similar, to win over enough customers. I can see uneducated customers(most of buyers, probably) just going, "I'm not going to pay that much for Focus!". It would boost the sales of Korean and Japanese cars for sure(probably couldn't save Cobalt or Caliber ).

A thousand dollars more than a Mazda 3 is thousands more than the current Focus.

 

[YSSMAN]

If we look at prices for a moment, the Mazda 3 and the Ford Focus both start right around $13,000 here in America, so we really wouldn't be losing out on much at all. Considering that the Caliber starts in the same range, and the Cobalt is just a bit more beyond that, Ford wouldn't be in any kind of "hot water" even if the price had to see an increase, as even the Golf/Rabbit starts at $14,990.

...Hell, Honda still charges between $13-16K for the Fit, and that has always seemed a bit high...

 

[a6m5]

If we look at prices for a moment, the Mazda 3 and the Ford Focus both start right around $13,000 here in America, so we really wouldn't be losing out on much at all. Considering that the Caliber starts in the same range, and the Cobalt is just a bit more beyond that, Ford wouldn't be in any kind of "hot water" even if the price had to see an increase

It would be a leap of faith for Ford for sure.

Mazda 3 starts just over $14,000 according to their website. If it really does cost Detroit over $1,000 per vehicle due to the union, you are looking at about starting $15,000 MSRP for MKII Focus.

Ford website says Focus also starts around $14,000. But seriously, this is how these guy operate. Focus doesn't really start at $14,000. At this moment, incentive is at $2,500, but they always have an incentives of around $2,000. With Focus, you can't look at how much Ford Motor Company says they are worth thru their MSRP. They always have rebates to adjust the price of those cars, accordingly. Ford do realize that they couldn't sell Focus at the same price as the Mazda 3s.

This is the current starting price, after incentives/rebates. I know for fact that Ford rebates are always around. Cobalt and Caliber's, I just checked for the first time, so keep that in mind.
Cobalt - starting @ $12,740($13,740/ -$1,000 rebate)
Caliber - starting @ $13,635($14,135/ -$500 rebate)
Mazda3 - starting @ $14,390(no rebate that I can find.)
Focus - starting @ $11,575($14,075/ -$2500 total rebate)

Again, Focus price would infact jump from around $12,000(starting) to little more than Mazda 3, according to the "union" theory, which would be around $15,000. $3,000 jump in starting price, which would be acceptable to you, me, and niky. To average consumers who aren't hot for Ford right now, I'm not so sure, and that could possibly be what led to Ford to do another extreme makeover on the old, tired Focus, instead of finally bringing in the long overdue, completely redesigned Focus.

I also think the "long, overdue" is a key. We finally bring in the MKII, but how old is that design? I mean, Mazda 3's been out for almost 3 years in the States!

as even the Golf/Rabbit starts at $14,990.

...Hell, Honda still charges between $13-16K for the Fit, and that has always seemed a bit high...

I don't think I agree.... Do you really think the new Focus will compete with the Golf/Rabbit, if they were similarly priced? With Volkswagen, I think people are willing to pay the premium for the style and the name. I honestly don't know anybody exluding some enthusiasts who'd do the same for a Ford car. Around where I live, VW's are kind of poorman's *insert premium European import here*. You and I understand that MKII Focus is a cool European compact, I don't think the 90% of the consumers do. I think they see a cooler Escort.

On Honda, well, it's Honda. Toyota and Honda gets away with a lot right now, but you already know that. That does not mean Ford can pull off same stunts.

 

[Dave A]

The Focus MKII is a better car than the Golf, but I think your right, people will pay more to buy the VW Golf name.

 

[Poverty]

The Focus MKII is a better car than the Golf, but I think your right, people will pay more to buy the VW Golf name.

I agree. For the golf your just paying extra for the badge and a slightly better interior. Neither cars are very exciting to look at, except in top spec and I hope the next gen focus and golf becoming more appealing to the eye.

If I was a family man, or just needed a normal everyday car ie nothing flashy to get me from a-b competently it would be the focus straight away.

 

[harrytuttle]

something about it not catching fire ect ect . The MK II Euro Focus is a very solid and well built car, I don't see why Ford just don't build that in the US to the same spec and standard as over here, GM seem to be doing okay taking Vauxhalls to the US, granted they re-brand them but mechanically the cars are pretty much the same (at least as far as I'm aware). It's one of the best cars in it's class and rightfully so.

There's no reason Ford can't get their act together. There's a direct spot for each car from Europe in the US, and vice-versa. It would be both the most obvious and most insightful thing for them to do if they unified their global product line: one Focus, one Mondeo/500, one Fusion/whatever....

Come to think of it, is Ford the only company to separate things like this? If so, is it any suprise that a company with so much brand recognition is doing so poorly?

 

[niky]

I agree. For the golf your just paying extra for the badge and a slightly better interior. Neither cars are very exciting to look at, except in top spec and I hope the next gen focus and golf becoming more appealing to the eye.

If I was a family man, or just needed a normal everyday car ie nothing flashy to get me from a-b competently it would be the focus straight away.

Slightly better interior? And here I thought you were a VAG-man!

But seriously, besides the utterly conservative looks, that's about the only problem Ford has left with this new Focus... the quality of the plastics aren't quite up to European standards. Which is a shame, because an hour into the drive, it doesn't matter... it's about as Euro as they get.

@a6m5: The problem, really, is that this isn't the Focus as we know it. It's as much a leap over the current Focus (maybe more) as the Mazda3 is over the Protege. With the Mazda3, though, you get the looks that communicate this leap pretty well... while with the Focus... oh... I fear you might be right. Maybe America can get this during a (hopeful) Mid Model Change or facelift, but currently, it doesn't look as good as it really is.

Which is a shame.

 

[JCE]

I have a question. Is the new "American" Focus on any kind of Euro[Volvo/Ford]/Mazda platform? IE the C1 platform? If Ford (US) decides to stick with the dated MkI Focus platform then I will be disappointed. Not that it is a bad platform--it is just that the C1 platform is much better...and available for them to use.

 

[YSSMAN]

Come to think of it, is Ford the only company to separate things like this? If so, is it any surprise that a company with so much brand recognition is doing so poorly?

There is still a lot of separation between the lineups of GM cars and trucks between America and Europe, but there are several models that are at least similar enough where they are nearly interchangeable. Chevrolet's product line in Europe is VERY disappointing by comparison to it's American line, as most of the cars are basically our Suzukis (by way of Daewoo) with gold bowties on the hood. I think the only model that is actually directly compatible between the US and the EU with a Chevy badge is the Aveo/Kalos, which isn't a horrible car, but it isn't that great either...

Most of this is done because we Americans are apparently so different from our European counterparts that we simply cannot handle their product lines. Of course, the Germans sell all of their cars unchanged in the US, and for the most part the Italians do too. However, American companies decide to do things differently for some strange reason, particularly Ford.

A good guess is that Ford has learned enough in the past with models like the Merkur XR4Ti and Contour that European models do not always succeed in America. However, the Focus would appear to be the exception to the rule. But, the ball is in Ford's court, and it is up to them whether they wish to backhand it out of play, or give us a good volley back with the Focus, Mondeo, and S-Max in tact.

 

[TheCracker]

I think there are very few companies, especially at the more bread-and-butter end of the market that sell different cars in certain markets, even when these cars look as if they would do well in different markets. From what i can see, it's only the premium German brands (Merc, BMW, Audi & Porsche) that can get away with selling the same cars the world over.

Other 'world market' brands, like Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Ford, GM all make mostly seperate model ranges for each different market - with little overlap. Platform sharing is about as successful as cross-market selling gets.