Blue Oval's All-New Compact Surprises With Maturity Ironically named little car, the Ford Focus. While you could surely argue we're drawing too literal a line between the car and its moniker, we have to chuckle a little when we recall just how far afield Ford drifted with its compact offering over the last several years. Suffice it to say that Ford lost its way somewhere after the original Focus was introduced as a so-called 'world car' back in 1999. At the time, the spunky Focus shared the same C170 platform no matter where in the world it was sold. Sadly, such platform sharing ... Read More

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Ford gets ready for 900 EV-certified dealers by this spring 1360176900

About one in three US Ford dealers will be certified to sell plug-in vehicles by this spring, as the automaker gets ready to increase sales of its Focus Electric vehicle and C-Max and Fusion Energi plug-in hybrids, Automotive News reports, citing the company. Ford, which had 200 plug-in certified dealers in November, will expand that number to about 900 ...
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Official: Ford reveals Fiesta ST race car, points at road ahead for bigger things in Global RallyCross 1360164660

The 2014 Ford Fiesta ST doesn't go on sale until this summer, but fans of Global RallyCross will be able to catch the car in action before then. Announced ahead of the Chicago Auto Show, the Fiesta ST will be the car run by Ford GRC teams this season, and the model on display in Chicago will be the racecar built by Swedish tuner OlsbergsMSE driven by ...
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Report: Ford Focus EV's slow sales trigger massive incentives 1359146700

The Detroit News reports Ford is having real trouble moving its new Focus Electric. As a result, the automaker is offering substantial incentives in an attempt to lure in more buyers. How substantial? Try $10,750 off of a three-year lease. What's more, the EV can now be had for $37,995 ($2,000 less than its original base price) on top of an additional ...
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Honda giving away free Civics in Forza Horizon to celebrate launch 1358360940

Just a friendly reminder from Honda: The Honda Challenge Pack DLC is now available for Forza Horizon. To reward you for the trouble of pressing a few buttons on your Xbox controller, you'll get the 2013 Honda Civic Coupe, an HPD Rally Fit and a 1986 Honda Civic Si Coupe in your garage, and you'll get them free. The event of the new DLC has also kicked off ...
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Detroit: Shelby unveils tuned Ford Focus ST, widebody GT500 Super Snake 1358280180

Shelby American has made its name tuning various Ford products, and now the Focus ST can be added to this list. Just introduced at the Detroit Auto Show, the Shelby Focus ST doesn't add any extra horsepower under the hood, but it should still make sizable gains in performance thanks to an upgraded suspension, brakes and exhaust systems. Also on hand at ...

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Official: Ford sales in China up 21% in 2012, 43% in Dec. alone 1357910880

Ford went into the Beijing Motor Show last year talking big about its "15 by 15" plan for China – introducing 15 new models to the market by 2015, doubling production capacity and its dealership network. Its stand at the show showcased four new vehicles – the EcoSport, Kuga, Edge and Explorer CUVs – along with the launch of the 1.0-liter ...
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Official: Forza Horizon announces Rally Expansion and Honda Challenge DLC packs [w/video] 1355931840

The guys at Turn 10 Studios have more DLC served up for Forza Horizon. On January 15, 2013, we'll get the Honda Challenge Car Pack that puts the 2013 Honda Civic Coupe, an HPD Rally Fit and a 1986 Honda Civic Si Coupe in our garage. Part of Honda's effort to return the Civic to its former place in everyone's hearts, we presume. The Challenge part of the ...
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Official: Car and Driver lists 10Best for 2013, same as it ever was 1354732200

Forgive us for having the distinct feeling of déjà vu, but it certainly feels like we've been here before. By that we are referring Car and Driver and the announcement of its annual 10Best vehicles for 2013. To be sure, it's an impressive selection of cars that combine heart-pounding performance and frugal sensibilities, but it also ...
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Report: 2013 Ford Focus rings up five stars in NHTSA crash test 1353947520

The 2013 Ford Focus in ST trim recently beat the Volkswagen GTI in our head-to-head comparison, and now the Focus has another feather in its cap: earning a five-star Overall Vehicle Score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's New Car Assessment Program, something it failed to do in this generation's first year of production. Already ...
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Comparo: 2013 Ford Focus ST vs. 2012 Volkswagen GTI 1353430680

Can The Blue Oval Bad Boy Dethrone The Hot Hatch King? About three years ago to the day, fellow Senior Editor Seyth Miersma and I – during our respective tenures as editors at Winding Road – met on a cold, wet autumn morning to put the then-new sixth-generation Volkswagen GTI up against a slew of hot hatches for a comparison test cover story. ...