Ford released full details about 2011 Focus, after their unveiled Focus ST Concept. The most disappointing thing is that, the company doesn’t plan to build 3-door variant.
“Having taken the decision to adopt such a sleek, coupé-like design for the five-door hatchback, there was little space in the line-up for a three-door version. The three-model Focus range (sedan, hatchback, and wagon) provides the ideal blend of sporty, dynamic looks and every-day practicality.”, (more…)
Its official now! Ford has published a pack of hi-resolution images and a short doc regarding its new high-performance flagship ride – the 2012 Ford Focus ST. (more…)
BBR tuning company reveals a new range of performance conversions for the most powerful hot hatchback on the market – Ford Focus RS MK2. Furthermore, BBR offers suspension upgrade package to match the improved power of the engine. BBR Ford Focus RS has been tested for year and a half, so it is ready to hit the road.
There are several phases of tuning from BBR for RS MK2.
Phase one is BBR StarChip Software upgrade, which improves the power of the car by an ECU remap. The engine becomes more responsive, the mid range torque is improved as well as the peak horsepower. However, the car is much quicker without any mechanical changes. (more…)
In 2005 Ford unveiled one of the hottest hatchbacks on the market – Focus ST, which was available in either three or five door variant. The vehicle is powered by Ford Duratec ST turbocharged engine – 2.5 liter 5 cylinder developing 225hp.
In 2008 the company introduced power kit, which raises the power to 260bhp. The performance package consists: K&N sport air intake, larger intercooler and ECU remap. (more…)
Less than three weeks before the start of the famous Le Mans Classic race, Ecurie Ford France, one of the partners of the event has dressed five Focus RS cars in specially-designed color schemes, each paying tribute to the Ford cars which made the brand one of the most reputable at the Le Mans 24 Hours. (more…)
To mark in proper way the Focus RS superhatch’s final examples for the UK market, Ford is now offering a unique 19-inch wheels set in WRC-look. Priced at £500 per set, including VAT, the racy white-shaded alloys are styled exclusively to bring the visual impact of the award-winning Focus even closer to that of Mikko Hirvonen’s stunning ride. (more…)
The stylish next-generation Ford Focus estate makes its global debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show alongside the sporty Focus five-door, appearing for the first time in Europe.
More than 1.3 million Ford Focus models have been sold in the UK since its launch in 1998. The five-door is the most popular model (83 per cent) and the estate version currently makes up around 10 per cent of all sales. Diesel engines account for 36 per cent of sales and the most popular petrol choice is the 1.6-litre 100PS Duratec. Focus drivers in the UK prefer highly specified vehicles with 55 per cent of them opting for Zetec trim and 16 per cent choosing top-of-the-range Titanium. (more…)
At the 2010 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Ford is premiering the next-generation 2011 Ford Focus, offering huge variety of features and innovative technologies, as well as striking craftsmanship, outstanding fuel economy and a new standard for driving quality. (more…)
The actress Drew Barrymore will accept the “Green Car Challenge” – a rubric part of “The Jay Leno Show”. The car, which will be used through the first season of the Challenge will be the new Ford Focus powered only by electricity. The celebrities will be behind the wheel, driving quickly to establish a fast lap time. (more…)
The German tuners JMS Racelook in co-operation with Stoffler Autotechnik proudly presents two new bodykits for the Ford’s 2008 models: Focus Facelift and Focus ST Facelift. (more…)
Renault’s Megane R26.R continues to set benchmark lap times at UK tracks. Last year, the Megane R26.R established a new lap record for a front-wheel drive production car at the 13-mile Nürburgring circuit in Germany with a time of just 8 minutes 17 seconds. Following its arrival on UK shores, the R26.R has now set benchmark times at Silverstone, Bedford Autodrome, Millbrook and Bruntingthorpe. (more…)
As car manufacturers start to feel the economic pinch, they are looking to outsource more and more of their product development work to suppliers. That’s the view of Austrian-based Magna Steyr, best-known for its contract manufacturing for the likes of Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz.
The company is keen to show off its design and development capabilities, especially when it comes to electric vehicles. Magna Steyr already has a contract to help Ford develop an electric version of the Focus – and at Geneva it showed an entirely self-designed electric prototype, the Mila EV.
Magna Steyr describes the Mila EV as a “fully integrated electric vehicle platform which can be used by every OEM to realise their own products, drive and design strategies in the shortest time.”
The platform is fully engineered and can be built as pure battery-electric car, a hybrid, a natural gas-powered car or even a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. It’s designed to meet all crash testing standards, while the platform is flexible enough to be ‘right-sized’ to any customer OEM’s requirements.
Magna Steyr is hoping a manufacturer will buy the basic design “off the shelf” – which would allow it to get a fully engineered electric car into production far more quickly than if it were to start developing such a vehicle on its own.
The design is so flexible that Magna Steyr believes more than one manufacturer could build distinct cars on the same basic architecture, thus leveraging economies of scale which could be shared. And of course, Magna Steyr wants the contract to build the cars “With the proven Flex Plant concept, all versions can be made on one single production line,” said a spokesman.
The Geneva show car is a 4m-long five-door version, with a 67hp electric motor powered by Magna Steyr-developed lithium-ion batteries. It has an average charging time of 2.5 hours, and it has an ranges of up to 150km. Solar cells integrated in the glass roof provide additional energy generation, and the drag-inducing wing mirrors have been replaced by rear-view cameras.