Ford will invest at least $75 million to begin converting a Michigan SUV plant to small car production as part of its strategic shift to sell more of the fuel-efficient vehicles in North America. The 51 year old plant is located in Wayne, Michigan and is currently used to build the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. Begining in November, Ford will start moving equipment to build the big SUVs to the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, which currently makes Super Duty F-series trucks. The move will clear space for Michigan’s truck body shop to be retooled to make Focus bodies. The Michigan factory will be converted entirely to a car plant in 2010.
The changes are part of Ford’s plan to build more small cars in response to the rapid U.S. market shift away from trucks and SUVs. For the past few months, Ford has said it has not been able to build Focuses fast enough.
Remember that Saleen doesn’t just work with Mustangs, but a whole host of Ford products. To help squeeze a little more performance out of a budget car, Saleen has turned its attention to the Ford Focus coupe. The new vehicle called Racecraft Focus RC2 includes a new front fascia, a new grille, side sills, a new rear spoiler and a rear apron with integrated exhaust system. The new suspension system was also upgraded and together with the new 18 inch alloy wheels the stability was improved.
Under the hood a power boost of 15 hp was obtained with the help of the new exhaust system and the cold air intake. With a price under $20,000 the new Saleen Racecraft Focus RC2 promises to be a best-seller comparing it with the Saleen N2O.
Last year’s redesign of the Ford Focus revived sales of the little car, so for 2009 Ford is looking to continue the rebirth of the Focus with a new coupe version. The hatchback’s replacement is now on sale at a starting price of $16,875.
The Coupe version will be powered by a 2.0-liter, Duratec 20 dual-overhead-cam (DOHC), and an inline 4-cylinder engine that delivers 143 horsepower when combined with a five-speed manual transmission and 140 horsepower when paired with a four-speed automatic transmission.
Also available is a super-clean, 130-horsepower Duratec 20E engine that qualifies Focus as a Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) in California emissions states. The 20E’s tailpipe emissions are cleaner than some hybrid gas-electric vehicles’. The Duratec 20 and 20E in Focus Coupe are mated to a five-speed manual transmission and achieve EPA-estimated fuel economy of 35 mpg highway.
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The Ford Focus is the most improved vehicle in the industry’s top study measuring customer-pleasing design, content, and vehicle performance. In J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) StudySM, Focus raised its score over last year by 88 index points – the biggest improvement in the industry.
The popular compact car performed better than the segment average in every category, scoring especially well in the areas of fuel economy, audio/entertainment/navigation, interior styling and exterior styling.
This Focus appeal to buyers bears out in the marketplace: Ford Focus retail sales are up 64 percent year-to-date, while industrywide retail sales of small cars are up 10 percent. In response, Ford is increasing Focus production at the Wayne Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich., where a third shift will be added to the plant’s body and paint shops in September.
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Ford today unveiled the 2009 Focus Coupe on American’s hottest television show – “American Idol.” The 2009 Focus Coupe will go on sale later this summer at a MSRP that starts at $15,920.
The 2009 Focus Coupe is equipped with a 2.0-liter, Duratec 20 dual-overhead-cam (DOHC), inline 4-cylinder engine that delivers 143 horsepower when mated to a five-speed manual transmission and 140 horsepower when paired with a four-speed automatic transmission.
Also available is a super-clean, 130-horsepower Duratec 20E engine that qualifies Focus as a Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV). The 20E’s tailpipe emissions are cleaner than some hybrid gas-electric vehicles’. The Duratec 20 and 20E in Focus Coupe are mated to a five-speed manual transmission and achieve EPA-estimated fuel economy of 35 mpg.
The high-end Focus SES will feature a standard high-mounted spoiler that is incorporated into the design of the roof. The high-mounted design contributes to Focus’ overall muscular stance. A decklid spoiler will remain part Zf the Focus SE exterior design.
Press release after the jump.
>> read 2010 Ford Focus Coupe Picture Gallery
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Ford UK announced that the 2008 Focus ST will officially go on sale from May 1. Created by the performance vehicle division TeamRS the new ST is powered by the 2.5-liter engine which delivers 225 hp and is capable to sprint from 0-100 km/h in just 6.8 seconds while the top speed is limited to 240 km/h.
Ford added three levels of equipping: The ST comes with 18” wheels, Recaro sport buckets, unique sport steering wheel, with the new „Ford Power” starter button and Easyfuel capless refuelling system. The ST-2 has also a Sony audio system, bi-xenon lights, LED rear lights and Quickclear heated windscreen while the ST-3 includes a full leather trim plus an in-dash six CD player. For all the ST fans, the vehicle also set a segment-leading record of 8min 35sec at the Nurburgring race track.
Press release after the jump!
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Ford will launch the next generation Focus sometime in 2010 or 2011. It will be built on the Ford’s global C1 platform.
Kuzak offered the figure for parts sharing on the Focus during a presentation at the SAE 2008 World Congress in Detroit—pointing to the car as evidence that Ford’s efforts to cut costs and globalize its engineering process are beginning to show results.
That figure compares with the redesigned Ford Fiesta, which takes 66 percent of its parts from global sources. The new Fiesta goes on sale in Europe later this year. A U.S. version of the Fiesta goes on sale next year. That car’s development didn’t use the same worldwide plans as the next Focus.
"Our business starts and stops with product," Kuzak said.
Ford has been looking to leverage its global footprint to save money and speed development time. Kuzak said Ford’s engineering costs in North American will be reduced by 30 percent through 2009 as a result of its global product-development strategy.
The Changan Ford Racing Team is looking forward to the 2008 China Circuit Championship (CCC) series and the opportunity to build on the outstanding success of the Changan Ford Racing Focus race car in its 2007 season.
The Changan Ford Racing Focus delivered a strong performance throughout the 2007 season, winning the annual champion of CCC 2007 and the racer’s annual runner-up title. The excellence performance of Focus racing car is fully demonstrated to consumers through the competition which strongly promoted the sales of Focus.
The Focus race cars used by Changan Ford Racing boast reworked versions of the 2.0-litre Focus engine, delivering 270 horsepower and 215 Nm of torque. The Changan Ford Racing Focus race cars demonstrated superior performance in all conditions throughout the 2007 season.
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It seems that Loder1899, one of Germany’s top tuners, have a special passion for Ford models. After the Mondeo, the tuner put its hands on the recently facelifted Ford Focus. and make it looking sportier, and of course with more power.
The tuned Focus features a new front spoiler, rear diffuser and roof spoiler and is complemented by 17 to 20 inch alloys. The output was increased by 30 hp, so the hatchback now peaks at 165 hp at 4,200 rpm.
With the Chicago Auto Show being held this week, here are the most important debuts:
2008 GMC Denali XT Picture Gallery
2009 Seat Bolero Picture Gallery
2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse Picture Gallery
2009 Ford Focus Coupe-Cabriolet Picture Gallery
2009 Ford Edge Sport Picture Gallery
2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid Picture Gallery
2009 Chevrolet Traverse Picture Gallery
2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Picture Gallery
2009 Acura RL Picture Gallery
2008 Volkswagen Routan Picture Gallery
2009 Suzuki Equator Picture Gallery
2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring Picture Gallery
2009 Mercedes SL63 and SL65 AMG Picture Gallery
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