Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of 2009 Ford Focus Coupe

We do not consider ourselves experts on the buying habits of small car shoppers anymore, not after watching the redesigned 2008 Ford Focus streak to extremely strong sales despite sporting what we considered to be deal breaker bad looks. You can credit the car's success to good marketing, exclusive availability of SYNC, a big car ride with small car fuel economy, whatever... regardless, the Focus is selling better than it has since the car first debuted in 2000.

Ford has heard all the criticism thrown at the 2008 Focus for its electric shaver looks, and in a very unusual move has solicited feedback from Focus fans and tweaked only the Coupe for 2009 and not the Sedan. The newish 2009 Focus Coupe features a front end with a larger lower air intake that's supposedly inspired by the new Fiesta, and those garish faux fender vents are now completely gone (hopefully the sedan gets stripped of these, too). The flanking foglamps are also now better integrated into the body and the two-bar grille and other accents feature a dark, almost bronzed look rather than bright chrome. There are also new Dark Chrome 17-inch aluminum wheels and a roof-mounted spoiler, both standard on the top-shelf SES Coupe in addition to electronic stability control and SYNC, that make the Focus look more sporty than before. The overall effect of these changes reminds us of the last-generation SVT Focus Euro package. You can make up your own minds and let us know in the comments.

Though the Focus SVT is surely not returning, Ford did give the new coupe a new freer-breathing exhaust on models equipped with the five-speed manual to free up some horsepower, and also added a new 4.2 final drive ratio to make off-the-line acceleration a bit quicker. The 2009 Ford Focus Coupe will have a base MSRP of $15,920 when it goes on sale in late Summer, and you can check it out later tonight when Ford officially debuts it in a video on American Idol. We want to hear what supercar collector has to say about the new look Focus Coupe. Is it a Clay Aiken or a William Hung?


[Source: Ford]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the new Ford Focus ST

Today's reminder of how much more awesome the Euro-market Ford Focus is than our own comes from Ford UK, where the latest, greatest Focus ST goes on sale starting Thursday. As you're probably well aware, in ST trim the newly-restyled Euro Focus gets the once-over from Ford Europe's in-house tuning arm, TeamRS. The standard engine offerings are replaced by a turbocharged 2.5L five-banger underhood that's good for 225 PS (around 223 hp), is mated to a six-speed stick, and lets the Focus ST do 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.8 seconds. According to Ford, the new ST also lapped the Nordschleife in 8:35. The exterior is dressed up with 18-inch wheels, the expected body kit and available racing stripes. Inside, the proper cockpit gets a push-button starter and Recaro seating. Depending on the ST trim level selected (there are three) and available options chosen, you can add all manner of comfort and convenience features to the spiffy-looking pocket rocket. Even Bluetooth... but not SYNC. Something tells us the Brits aren't crying in their beers over this.

Yes, we know that the next-gen Focus will be global and that the U.S. will share the same car sold in Europe. No, that doesn't make looking at this any easier in the meantime. Ford's official missive is pasted after the jump.


[Source: Ford]

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe

We'll admit it. We didn't think sales of the 2008 Ford Focus would take off like they have, even after we had a 2008 Focus SES Coupe in the Autoblog Garage and for the most part liked it. The redesign for 2008 just left a bad taste in our mouths, and we didn't think anyone would fall for those garish fender vents. For whatever reason, be it the car's smooth ride, competitive pricing or exclusive availability of the SYNC system, the 2008 Focus is selling like crazy. Ford says that it sold 49,070 Focuses this year through March alone, which is up 23 percent compared to last year. More importantly, all of those additional Focus sales were to retail customers, not fleets. Last year the Blue Oval built 191,000 Focuses, but today it has announced that production will be ramped up at its Wayne Stamping and Assembly Plant so that 245,000 units can be built in 2008.

For comparison's sake, Toyota sold 371,390 Corollas in 2007, while Honda sold 331,095 Civics and Chevy sold 200,620 Cobalts. The Corolla and Civic are both handily outselling their domestic competition so far this year, but the Focus is now slightly ahead of the Cobalt, which sold 48,024 units through March.


[Source: Ford]

Click above for a gallery of the 2008 Ford Focus ST.

During the SAE World Congress in Detroit, Ford's product chief, Derrick Kuzak, told attendees that the next generation Focus will benefit from the joint efforts of FoMoCo's engineers here in the U.S. and abroad. The redesigned Focus is set to debut sometime in 2010 or 2011 and will be built off the C1 platform that underpins the current Euro Focus. According to Kuzak, 87-percent of the parts will be sourced from Ford's global parts bin in a move to cut costs and globalize Ford's engineering process. While we've heard this numerous times before, this is the first time a definitive timeline has been outlined for the official entry of the superior C1 platform to the U.S. market. Here's hoping that Ford sees the light and we finally get ST and RS variants of the Focus here in the States.



[Source: Autoweek]

The arrival of the production version of the Focus RS won't be happening until 2009, but during the London Motor Show in July, we'll get our first glimpse of Ford's newest road rocket. Top Gear conjured up some unofficial renderings of what the new RS would look like based on the teaser image that was released earlier this year, and by all accounts, it's mix of restrained aggression and planted purposefulness hits all the right spots and leaves us even more frustrated that we won't be seeing it here in the States.

As for output, informed speculation still pegs the RS as making around 280-300 hp from its turbocharged, inline five-cylinder and sending that grunt to the front wheels. Ford has decided to opt out of equipping the RS with an all-wheel-drive system – something that may prove problematic if it still wants to compete with the Evo and STI – but Ford is assuring enthusiasts that a semi-active limited-slip differential will keep torque steer in check.

[Source: Top Gear]

We've already seen the teaser put out by Ford of its new Focus RS, but the crew at Autobild – a bastion of journalist integrity in Germany – has reportedly dropped the first ever shots of Ford's hottest of hot hatches. Rolling on 18-inch OZ wheels and sporting many of the front-end elements seen in the teaser, our first reaction to this supposed exclusive first peek was, "That looks like a Focus ST with a nose job and some photochopped wheels."

The profile shot is the most glaringly obvious design foible. It's hard to imagine any production model with its wheels shoved that snug up against the fender liner – not to mention the horrid lighting. Another noteworthy skepticism includes the fact that the OZ rollers don't have the blue center-cap that's shown on the rolling shots. So we're calling "foul," unless one of our German-speaking readers can give us translation of the text where Autobild admits that it's a mockup. Top tippage Joe!

[Source: Autobild via FocalJet]

Volvo has been trying its darnedest to reinvent itself, but the Swedish automaker is finding it can't escape its own image. Rather than trying to fight it, then, emerging reports suggest that the company will go with the flow while refocusing its model line-up to include more wagons, which already account for some two thirds of its languishing sales.

Among the new models Volvo is reportedly preparing is the V30, a sport-wagon aimed at the Audi A3. Expected to be a little taller and longer than the A3 Sportback, the V30 could incorporate the kind of flexible seating layouts we've seen in minivans, but in a smaller, more upscale package. Based on the European Focus platform, the V30 would slot in above the C30 sport-hatch to where the S40 and V50 fit currently. Those models, meanwhile, would grow slightly larger to take on the likes of the BMW 3-Series, but smaller than Volvo's own next-gen S60 and V70. An XC30 off-road version would likely also fall into the mix, with all-wheel-drive, higher road clearance and more rugged body-cladding.

Gothenburg (home to Volvo's headquarters, not Batman's Swedish cousin) is also tipped to be considering replacing the flagship S80 sedan with a new range-topping V100 wagon, as well as a Smart-style city-car and electric powertrain packages. One way or another, Volvo needs to find its niche and run with it, or it could find itself up for sale like its erstwhile Ford Europe/PAG sister companies Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover.

[Source: Autocar]

While Ford keeps on cranking out newer, faster versions of the Mustang for American customers, Ford of Europe is preparing new packages for the Fiesta ST and Focus ST hot-hatches to do the same thing.

The £950 package for the diminutive Fiesta ST pushes power up to 185 hp from its 2-liter four, which is expected to come from upgraded engine management, cylinder heads, a new camshaft and exhaust. All that adds an extra 37 hp to the standard Fiesta ST's 148, dropping a sprint to 60 down half a second to eight flat.

Meanwhile, the larger, more powerful Focus ST gets treated to a similar upgrade, worth about £1,500. This package is tipped to include a new air filter, ECU and exhaust, amounting to a similar 38-horsepower increase in power for a total of 260 that drops the 0-60 blitz down to 5.5 seconds. Thank heavens Ford sells a version of the Focus here that's just as fast. Oh, wait...

Get this: current ST owners in Europe can also get this package retrofitted to currently-owned cars, along with a full-factory warranty on the parts. Europeans, then, will just have to make do with these hot hatch packages a while longer before the 300+ horsepower Focus RS arrives in 2009, at which point Blue Oval fanboys from the U.S. will invade your countries with the intent to drive.

[Source: Auto Express]

It's been rumored, spied and denied, but the Blue Oval boys have finally made it official: the Focus RS is on its way. The successor to the Escort RS Cosworth and the last generation Focus RS will be based off the current Focus ST and come equipped with a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-five producing around 280 HP and 295 lb.-ft. of torque.

The suspension and chassis will be tuned to compete with the new Evo X and Subaru Impreza STI, and will include plenty of rally-inspired kit, blistered wheel arches, hood vents, spoilers and a driver-centric interior fitted with deeply bolstered seats.

You can now count Ford among the automakers that still haven't understood releasing a darkened teaser of the newest hotness is only a few Photoshop minutes away from being unmasked, and the image above shows a huge front air dam, restyled headlamps and plenty of imposing exterior elements that are likely to give VW R32 owners a shock when it rolls up at their six.

The only questions now are how power will be sent to the wheels and what kind of gearbox the new RS will be fitted with. Expect answers when the Focus RS makes its debut sometime during the 2008 auto show season, right before the RS goes on sale in Europe in the spring of '09.

[Source: Ford]

click above image to view high-res gallery of the 2008 Ford Focus SES Coupe

A car's design is simply a composite of curves, creases and kinks. A good design will elicit an emotion that urges people to buy the car. The affected just have to have it, often blind to any faults the car may exhibit by the way it makes them feel. The design of the 2008 Ford Focus makes us feel an emotion, too. Unfortunately, it's pity.

We honestly feel bad for the latest iteration of Ford's small car. We fear that its strengths will go largely unnoticed on account of a few bad design choices. Of course, we're speaking of the redesigned front end and those fauxest of faux fender vents. It isn't fair to judge a book by its cover alone, or in this case a car by its design, but a bad first impression is difficult to overcome. Ford has made a lot of improvements to the Focus for 2008, but will anyone notice? Follow the jump to find out.


Live photos Copyright ©2007 John Neff / Weblogs, Inc.