It's a roll of the dice but Ford is
betting that building cars that can be sold everywhere on the planet is
the way of the future. Of course, Toyota and others have been doing
this for years. The new head of Ford, Alan Mulally, has wrested
control of the company and is staking his reputation and the company's
future on this theory.
The first car to come out of the world
pipeline is the new Focus, introduced this week at the North American
International Auto Show held in Detroit. The sexy looking hatchback and
sedan carry the hopes and dreams of the American auto companies.
People don't make purchse decisions based on global sales strategies
that will save a company money. They buy because they like a car.
Ford's betting that their existing customers, the ones who bought a
generation of SUVs and pickups will come back for Focus and that
they'll peel some Honda, Nissan and Toyota buyers away too.
Both the four-door sedan and
five-door hatchback body styles of the next-generation Focus are previewed
prior to their production start for Europe and North America late in 2010 and
market launch early in 2011.
The new Focus will be nearly identical in all markets,
with 80 percent parts commonality around the world.
“The new Ford Focus is a clear demonstration that our ONE
Ford strategy is providing global consumers with great products that harness
the best of Ford Motor Company,” said Alan Mulally, Ford’s president and CEO.
“The efficiencies generated by our new global C-car
platform will enable us to provide Ford Focus customers with an affordable product
offering quality, fuel efficiency, safety and technology beyond their
expectations,” he added.
Simultaneous launch in
Europe and North America
Production of the
next-generation Ford Focus will begin simultaneously in Europe and North
America in late 2010, with individual market launches starting early in 2011.
Launches in Asia, Africa and South America will follow. Initial production will
be concentrated at the Saarlouis (Germany), Michigan (United States) and
Chongqing (China) Assembly Plants.
The new Focus will be one of up to 10 unique models to be
built from Ford’s new C-car platform, which is expected to generate total sales
in all regions of 2 million units annually by 2012. The first of these will be
the new Ford C-MAX and Ford Grand C-MAX – unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor
Show – for launch in Europe in the second half of 2010.
“Global customers increasingly want smaller cars with
outstanding fuel economy, but without sacrificing any of the style, technology,
connectivity and driving quality they demand from larger vehicles,” explained
Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of Global Product Development.
“Our next generation of C-cars – led by the exciting new
Focus – will clearly show that Ford is ready to meet that challenge,” said Kuzak.
Engineered without compromise
The new Ford Focus has been developed by a global team,
led from Ford’s European small and medium vehicle center of excellence in
Merkenich, near Cologne, Germany, with powertrain development led by a similar
team at Ford’s technical center in Dunton, England. The vehicle has been
engineered without compromise to meet all customer and legislative requirements
of the major worldwide markets.
In developing the vehicle for global markets, the product
team in Europe was able to call on the experience acquired from recent programs
like the much-acclaimed new Ford Fiesta, and was supported by the expertise of
vehicle and powertrain technology specialists located in Ford’s engineering
center in Dearborn, Mich.
Ford’s global development and sourcing strategy made it
possible to provide a level of performance and feature content that is
unrivaled for this vehicle segment and surprising even to drivers of larger,
more premium vehicles.
Taking kinetic design to the next level
The no-compromise approach to the new Ford Focus is
immediately evident from the striking exterior design of the four-door sedan
and five-door hatchback models that take center stage at the 2010 NAIAS.
“The all-new Focus is at the center of convergence for automotive
trends,” said J Mays, Ford group vice president of Design and chief creative
officer. “We’ve designed it with an acute understanding of global customers,
yet it’s tailored for each individual region. Focus combines the best from
Europe, North America and Asia to deliver a level of emotional driving
enjoyment never before experienced in a car this size.”
The two 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.
The kinetic design approach uses bold vehicle designs to
capture the feeling of energy in motion, so that cars look like they are moving
– even when they are standing still.
With its striking front end, sleek profile, dramatic
rising beltline and athletic stance, the new Focus clearly telegraphs the
rewarding driving experience that awaits customers when they take to the road.
This dynamic quality is reinforced by the distinctive
design of the interior. The new Focus has an extremely modern, cockpit-style
interior, with the stylish center console wrapped around the driver and
providing outstanding access to the vehicle’s major controls and display
panels.
A key
element of the interior is the quality of 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 traveling in a premium-class car.
Unmatched
driving quality
When it was introduced in 1998, the original Ford Focus
brought new levels of agility and responsiveness to the C-segment. The all-new Focus plans to raise
the benchmark once more, targeting class-leading driving quality that blends
outstanding steering precision and road feedback with significantly improved
refinement and ride control.
To
deliver this performance, engineers have updated the innovative suspension
concepts from prior models, developing optimized new designs for the “control
blade” multilink rear suspension and the semi-isolated front and rear subframes.
The
chassis design is complemented by a completely new Electric Power Assist
Steering system, which has been carefully tuned to deliver pure and precise
responses at high speed while remaining light and maneuverable for parking.
Ford’s
European driving dynamics specialists have also enhanced cornering stability
and agility with the introduction of an advanced Dynamic Cornering Control
system, which uses “torque vectoring” techniques to transfer power between the
drive wheels to deliver reduced understeer, improved traction and better
turn-in.
All global customers will benefit from the same quality
of dynamic performance in the new Focus. Identical chassis and suspension
architecture is being used for all markets, except for minor regional tuning
differences, such as local tire specifications.
Efficient powertrains
deliver performance with outstanding economy
The engaging driver appeal of the new Ford Focus is
magnified by a powertrain range that delivers spirited performance and targets
outstanding levels of fuel economy and CO2 emissions.
The global powertrain lineup for the new Focus will
include a range of state-of-the-art Ford EcoBoost™ four-cylinder
turbocharged direct injection (DI) engines – including the 1.6-liter unit in
Europe and a choice of advanced and improved Duratorq TDCi common-rail diesel
engines, all of which offer reductions in fuel consumption of between 10 and 20
percent compared to the outgoing models.
For the NAIAS preview, Ford is showing a completely new
2.0-liter gasoline engine for the North American market that features DI and
Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) for enhanced performance and
fuel efficiency. The new 2.0-liter DI Ti-VCT engine is up to 20 horsepower more
powerful than the current 2.0 Duratec I-4 unit while contributing to projected
fuel economy gains of more than 10 percent.
To maximize the performance and economy advantage enjoyed
by the new Focus, the 2.0-liter DI Ti-VCT engine is mated with the latest
dry-clutch six-speed Ford PowerShift automatic transmission. This transmission
uses an advanced dual-clutch design, which alone can help to reduce fuel consumption by up to 9
percent compared to a traditional four-speed automatic.
The dry-clutch PowerShift
transmission is based on more efficient manual gearbox technology, and does not
require the additional weight and complexity of torque converters, planetary
gears and oil pumps used in conventional automatics. Electronically controlled
twin clutches shift gears quickly and smoothly, providing the seamless flow of
torque plus the refinement and ease of operation customers expect from a
premium automatic transmission.
Ford also has confirmed plans to begin building a full, battery
electric vehicle in 2011 at its Michigan Assembly Complex, for sales in North
America. It will be the company’s first battery electric passenger vehicle.
Intuitive technology enhances
convenience and safety
The next-generation Focus will bring C-segment customers
around the world an exciting array of advanced technologies generally found in
larger, more premium vehicles. The global scale of Ford’s C-car program makes
more technologies and features economically viable than ever before for cars in
this segment.
The technology package of the new Focus promises not only
clear leadership in the C-segment, but also includes features customers in
larger, more premium segments would find surprising.
The new technologies have been designed to be simple and
highly intuitive to use, while enhancing both convenience and safety for the
vehicle occupants.
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 color 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.
Other available safety and convenience technologies
include keyless entry and “Ford Power” start button, a rearview camera and a
semi-automatic parallel parking system that automatically steers the vehicle
into a parking spot.
Strength and safety
The Focus platform provides an incredibly strong and
stiff structure, which not only benefits vehicle dynamics and refinement but
also provides the basis for enhanced crash performance.
High-strength steels are used extensively in the
next-generation Focus body shell. High-strength steels comprise 55 percent of
the body shell, and more than 26 percent of the vehicle’s structure is formed
from ultra-high-strength and Boron steels – significantly more than any other
Ford product. These advanced materials help the structure meet the most
stringent crash legislation across world markets, while minimizing the
vehicle’s weight.
The structural integrity of the body shell is also
reflected in its torsional rigidity, which is 25 percent greater than the
current North American Focus.
Quality and craftsmanship in every detail
With global customers now demanding a more premium
experience from small- and medium-sized vehicles, achieving outstanding levels
of quality and craftsmanship was a primary objective for the new Focus.
The new Focus will make significant strides in reducing
cabin noise, promising a quiet cabin environment. This refinement complements
the fresh new interior design and higher craftsmanship levels to create a
premium feel akin to larger vehicles.
Each component in the vehicle that the customer will
touch, see, hear or even smell has been subjected to rigorous analysis to
ensure that it will exceed an owner’s expectations. Particular attention has been
given to the quality of interior trim materials, and the color matching, gaps,
flushness and tolerances where one part meets another.
Across the majority of vehicle attributes, Ford has
developed a global DNA standard that defines the exact attributes a part should
have to meet the quality requirements of the brand. Examples include the sound
the door makes when it is closed, requiring special attention to the door
structure and latch mechanism, and the design of a steering wheel, right down
to the thickness of padding and size of stitching on the rim.
This meticulous attention to detail is also reflected in
Ford’s global manufacturing strategy for the Focus, with consistent standards
and processes being applied in every one of the assembly plants, wherever they
are located in the world.
“We
believe the new Ford Focus will provide consumers with an unmatched driving
experience, together with an unrivaled ownership experience,” said Jim Farley,
Ford group vice president, Global Marketing. “The Focus brand always has been
very special to Ford, and this new global model shows our commitment to
developing another generation of exciting and appealing cars.”
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