Ford Focus

Focus is Ford's most significant nameplate globally. With over 10 million examples sold since its launch in 1998, the Ford Focus has become a firm favourite with consumers worldwide for its outstanding value, comfort and safety, and above all, for being great fun to drive.

Following an unprecedented global development program under the company's ONE Ford strategy, the next-generation Ford Focus is set to continue the successful tradition of its predecessors and demonstrates how Ford is changing.

Distinguished by its sleek and sporty design, the new Focus is packed with more affordable technologies and features than ever before in this segment. The next-generation Ford Focus also offers customers the highest standards of quality and detailed craftsmanship, outstanding fuel economy, and takes the legendary Ford Focus driving dynamics to a new level.

The three Ford Focus bodystyles models share a sporty and dynamic character, marking the next evolution of Ford's acclaimed kinetic design form language, which has contributed to the growing popularity of the company's latest small and medium cars.

With its striking front end, sleek profile, dramatic rising beltline and athletic stance, the new Ford Focus clearly telegraphs the rewarding driving experience that awaits customers when they take to the road.

The low, streamlined profile with its steeply raked front screen also contributes to an impressively aerodynamic body shape, which helps to minimise fuel consumption.

The slippery shape, plus carefully optimised aerodynamic details throughout the vehicle - the Ford Focus follows the new Mondeo in featuring an active grille shutter to block airflow through the cooling system when it is not required - has resulted in a significantly reductions in drag.

The European 4-door model has a drag coefficient (CD) of 0.27, compared to a figure of 0.30 for the current model.

The dynamic quality of the exterior is reinforced by the distinctive design of the interior. The new Ford Focus has a modern, cockpit-style interior, with the stylish centre console wrapped around the driver and providing outstanding access to the vehicle's major controls and display panels.

Within the cockpit, the most significant innovation is the company's next-generation driver connect technology, MyFord, which provides the driver with a state-of-the-art combination of controls and display screens to operate the key vehicle features. On high series vehicles, the MyFord system includes an 8-inch touch screen, allowing the driver to control a wide range of functions via a clear and intuitive colour display.

MyFord is complemented by a new generation of Ford's powerful SYNC® connectivity package, which includes a sophisticated voice control system, Bluetooth and satellite navigation, along with connection points for a wide variety of external devices and media players.

The interior combines outstanding functionality with outstanding craftsmanship. The cabin's bold and contemporary graphics, the sculptured shape of the soft-touch instrument panel and the choice of superior trim materials all help to give occupants the feeling that they are travelling in a premium-class car.

The new Ford Focus Estate on show in Paris with its interior for the first time enhances this premium feel still further by featuring a leather interior package from the exclusive range of Ford Individual vehicle personalisation options which are being specially developed for the new model.

The show vehicle has luxurious black premium leather trim on the seats, door panels, central armrest and instrument cluster hood, complete with contrasting stitching. The full Ford Individual range for the new Focus will be revealed closer to the launch.

The global scale of Ford's C-car programme makes more technologies and features economically viable than ever before for cars in this segment. This has enabled Ford Focus engineers to make an exceptional range of innovative technologies available to meet the needs of consumers worldwide.

The number of features offered in each market will vary according to local customer demand and acceptance, although because the full range of technologies has been engineered for the vehicle, additional features could be made available in the future to meet changing customer requirements.

In the European market, this substantial technology investment for the next-generation Ford Focus promises clear leadership in the C-segment, and also offers customers an exciting array of advanced features generally found only in larger and more expensive vehicles.

A key innovation in the new Ford Focus is the new Low Speed Safety System, which appears in a Ford vehicle for the first time. The system is designed to help drivers avoid the kind of low speed frontal collisions which are very common in congested urban driving conditions, and operates at speeds below 30 km/h (20 mph).

Using a forward facing optical sensor, this system detects objects in front of the car and continuously (50 times per second) calculates the brake force required to avoid a collision. If the system considers that a collision is imminent and the driver is not taking any action, it automatically reduces throttle input and applies the brakes.

The comprehensive range of smart driver assistance technologies available on the new Focus also includes: