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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
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Focus gains momentum with 50 percent sales growth in Chinese market
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New Focus four-door sedan globally unveiled, featuring leading
combination of technology, fuel economy and power
Company Website:
http://corporate.ford.com/
DEARBORN, Mich. -- (Business Wire)
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.
New Ford Focus four-door sedan globally unveiled, featuring leading combination of technology, fuel economy and power. (Photo: Business Wire)
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:
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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
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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
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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.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford
Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in
Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six
continents. With about 181,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the
company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company
provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more
information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.
For news releases, related materials and high-resolution photos and
video, visit www.media.ford.com.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140408006551/en/
Contacts:
Ford Motor Company
Aaron Miller, 313.845.4467
amill226@ford.com
or
Erich
Merkle, 313.206.9164
emerkle2@ford.com
Source: Ford Motor Company
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