Ford Reporter

Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt were the best electrical vehicles presented in 2010, and Ford hopes to take the first place in 2011 with the first electric vehicle passenger car ever made by them, the Ford Focus Electric. The Car will debut this year at Consumer Electronics Show and, as the name suggests, it has zero-emissions. The official launch date will be around the end of 2011 in North America and 2013 for the European customers.

They made some improvements to the aerodynamics package, and the car looks even better than before, being somehow similar with Aston Martin. The charging port cannot miss, nor the LEDs above the headlamp.

The electric motor can develop up to 100-Kw, 123 hp and a top of 181 Nm torque. The entire engine is powered by a 23-kWh battery. Accordingly to Ford, the car has a top speed of 135 km/h and the car can travel up to 160Km until it will run out of energy. You can charge the car completely in around 3 hours from a 240-Volt station and in 20 hours from a 120-volt station.

Ford will build the North American version of the new Ford Focus Electric in the Michigan Assembly Plant, while still discussing the place where the Euro version of this car will be built.

Before the Paris Motor Show, Ford introduced the new generation of FOCUS ST, a sport hatchback that comes with a lot of improvements.
As expected, the new Focus ST has received a smaller Ford EcoBoost engine, the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that develops nearly 247 hp (by comparison the current generation is powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder that delivers 225 hp). The new model will also have a completely new body kit consisting of an aggressive new front spoiler, large grille meant to suggest the power car, new side skirts, new roof and new rear bumper with integrated diffuser central exhaust system.

Inside, the Focus ST and features Recaro sports footprint preserved, fortified with a new sports steering wheel. The car will be on display at Paris will light “Tangerine Scream,” a beautiful color designed to attract every respect. Ford will also Paris, the new Mondeo and C-MAX, and visitors will get also the debut release Mondeo ECOnetic, with particularly low CO2 emissions.

Ford presented the first official pictures of the new generation Focus model will be released world premiere during the day, in the Auto Show in Detroit. Unlike previous generations, the new Focus is a global model, planning to look the same both in the U.S. and Europe, which is also why the model is presented to a room across the ocean. Moreover, Ford has chosen – for this very reason – to present in the same time, the hatchback and the sedan versions of the new model, the U.S. market is rather used with the four-door version of its Focus than the  hatchback  version found mostly on the Europe streets .

On the aesthetic, the new Focus highlights very clearly it`s belonging to the new line of models of the Blue Oval, being practically a larger version of the Fiesta subcompact model. Focus’s design is a purely European design center was developed in Germany that it owns the mark in Michigan. Remained in high dimensions the same for sedan, hatchback and the dimensions of the chassis and the suspension hardware is also borrowed from the old generation with the necessary improvements.

“This is Fords new face . It’s sport and more sport, with a lower figure, but with the same interior volume that pulled in front of the market model”, Said Ford officials first notified about the next generation Focus.

Chassis and the entire suite of mechanical elements that make up the new model will be the basis of a series of 10 different models of family Focus, these will be launched by 2012. Engines, great new appearance will be represented by a unit Ecoboost 1.6-liter turbo that will rise to the same performance figures as the 2.0 liter it replaces, provided that consumption will be, say those at Ford , “an exceptional”. Duratorq diesel units won`t escape from improvements, but these will be presented only in March, when the new Focus will make its European debut in the Geneva Motor Show. Both in U.S. and Europe, the new model from Ford will have a new automatic transmission with six-speed dual-clutch that promises, in turn, consumption figures interesting.

The new generation Focus will be made in parallel in Ford plants in Saarlouis (Germany), Michigan (USA) and Chongqing (China), following the later to play the game and production sites in Spain and Russia. The new Focus will go on sale in 2011.

Well, we`ve lived to see this happening. Ford made an off-road  version based on the Ford Focus 3.  This car, named X Road has 17 inch wheels, silver paint  and a new body.

They say the suspensions remained the same but the car is a bit bigger. The engine is 1.8-liter 125 hp , enough for this car but we`d like to see a bigger engine available as well.  The car will be available in Netherlands and only 300 units will be sold.

We have to admit it – VW Scirocco is a beautiful car which made a lot of heads turn around as it was driven down the road. Now most of the Car producers in the world will compare their coupes with Scirocco. Ford wants to do the same thing with their new Focus Coupe, and they surely want to win this competition.

In 2010 Ford want to launch Focus Coupe  with diesel and petrol engines with powers between 89 and 197 BPH. Of course there will be special versions of this coupe like RS and maybe ST with powers up to 300 BPH similar with the actual Focus RS.

Some rumors says that we`ll see two hatchbacks  – one in 5 doors for family type drivers and one in 3 doors for younger clients.