July4
Following the leak of photos online on Thursday, Ford officially revealed its Focus RS concept, which will be on display at the British Motor Show later this month. As with other high-performance variants, Ford is testing the new RS at the Nurburgring track in Germany. And just like in the first RS, a limited-slip differential will be used to help reign in the added power.
Although it’s being billed as a concept, this car is really a pre-production preview of the second-generation Focus RS for 2009. “The time is right for Ford to deliver a new high performance model for the legions of loyal Ford RS customers around Europe,” said Jost Capito, head of Team RS, which sadly sounds like there are no current plans to bring the hot hatch Stateside anytime soon.
It’s not clear why Ford won’t offer the model in America. It would certainly make a good rival to the Mazdaspeed 3, Dodge Caliber SRT4, Chevy Cobalt SS, and others.
The car will have enough juice to run with the cars mentioned above — rated at 295 horsepower and 302 pound-feet of torque, it trumps them all. The engine responsible for these numbers is the Duratec turbocharged 2.5-liter inline five cylinder borrowed from Volvo’s parts bin. The first-generation RS, launched in 2002 in Europe, used a 2.0-liter inline four with 212hp and about 230lb-ft of torque, which many thought was the limit of a front wheel drive platform back then.
Ford of Europe already offers a Focus ST, which uses the same 2.5L engine to generate 225 hp.
Front end is decent, but beyond that, it doesn’t do it for me. Sorry. I mean, it’s not bad, but it’s just not to my liking. Maybe in yellow.
Actually, I like it! For what it is, Ford did well. (Okay, the color sucks a wee bit.)
FYI if you think this one is sweet. Fords 2008 Focus is #1 in domestic sales so far this year. Ford is definately moving in the right direction, unlike GMAC and the soon to be bankrupted Chrysler. There sales continue to improve. The Edge is the #1 CUV in the market, and obviously the F150 continues to crush its nearest competitor(GMAC-CHEVY)Who report truck sales together remind you, by 37 thousand. Thats alot
GMAC is a financing company, not an auto maker.
*sigh* We’ll never get it over here… so why bother thinking about it. Ford just doesn’t have the brains to market a competitive compact car in the USA.
Its changing the emissions to fit US standards.(Retraction)GMC not GMAC,my bad im actually working right now. The European market is totally different then the US market. Being while the styles are different. FORDS first priority is the US. It pisses me off when people say stupid stuff. There are facts and opinions, what you speak on raineman is opinions. Like @$$holes everyone has one. FYI the new focus is european inspired and is #1 in domestic sales, so when you say competitive, it really holds no ground.
It’s good that you corrected the GMAC thing, iHustle. The GMAC lawyers were getting ready to file the libel suit against you, but since you fixed your mistake, they have decided to back down.
ihustle
Focus is NOT No1 in domestic sales
Focus - 2008 sales to date - 123,449
Toyota Corolla / Matrix 194,488
Toyota Camry / Hybrid 239,881
Honda Civic / Hybrid 204,961
Honda Accord / Hybrid 205,862
Ford F - Series PU 274,713
Chevrolet Silverado 231,320
Nissan Altima / Hybrid 158,006
Ford Focus 123,449
Chevrolet Impala 138,952
Dodge Ram PU 128,944
Ford shipped 17,950 Focuses in june 2008, comapred to
Toyota Corolla / Matrix 42,180
Toyota Camry / Hybrid 41,572
Honda Civic / Hybrid 39,967
Honda Accord / Hybrid 39,704
Ford F - Series PU 38,789
Chevrolet Silverado PU 34,290
Nissan Altima / Hybrid 24,541
Chevrolet Cobalt 20,888
Are you dumb DOMESTIC- NOT FOREIGN. It was my fault for not saying small sized sedan. I thought you would figure that since THATS WHAT CLASS ITS IN
#1 IN ITS CLASS. hahaha silverado they still makes those, i thought chevy would stop production by ford embarassing them the last 32 years
ohhh im sorry the “FORD” F-series is #1
I happened upon a nice SVT Focus the other day tucked safely in the back of the parking lot where us doordingaphobes tend to nest. I’m of the opinion you don’t need close to 300 hp, ground effects and paint jobs out of an ice cream bucket to have fun in this class of car. For a daily driver I’d take about 200 horse, a completely unadorned exterior, with a nice 6 speed, good seats and proper rubber. Please don’t laugh me off the site, but Ford could do this with the current 2 door Focus. It’s selling well, so why not take a shot at something less tame?
Um, ihustle, you wouldn’t happen to work for Ford, would you?
I agree with RaineMan. Domestic automakers seem to think that good looking and efficient European cars that have decent performance won’t sell in North America. It’s time to wake up. The older generations that buy the Crown Vics and Impalas won’t like hatchbacks, but the younger generation is a different story.
The upcoming Fiesta is a good example. Europe will get a 65+ MPG diesel version and the US gets a sedan option. Hmm, something doesn’t make sense here. Take a proven, successful car and modify it extensively for the US market. It just doesn’t make sense.
i like it- just get rid of the wing- and probably the color- but it is in your face, aggresive and looks like it would take a crap on the SRT-4 Caliber, MS3 and Cobalt- they should have brought over the Cosworth Ford Escort a longggggggggg time ago- why can’t Cosworth and Ford pair up and make a Cosworth Focus
Gehr Were you born dumb or just smoked to much weed? There is not a big enough market in the US for these cars. How many does the evo sell?Or the Matrix? im waiting…… Ford is going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars for a young generation. You know the “fast and Furious” type crowd? For one they have no money, or credit. So how do you suppose they pay for it? Ohhhh i know have there parents co-sign, the same american parents that can’t even pay there own car payment because of a slumping economy. Do you know Forclosure is at a all time high? Smart move GEHRHARDT thank god you dont work for FORD. Europeans have a bigger market for vehicles like these. I dont see a Family dad driving this thing around. Like you said, its a kids car. Kids dont have money. Europeans have different taste. Case proved, go suck a D!CK
ihustle,
First, you know, you can put your comments into just one post, that would work, too.
“Domestic sales” means “domestic sales”, as opposed to international sales. You see, as sales on the US market as opposed to sales on foreign markets.
Stating that Ford Focus is the best of the domestic manufacturers is something different - and nothing to brag about. It’s no longer about Chevy vs Ford, it hasn’t been for a while. They’re both loosing.
At least Ford is staying a-float. 50 billion in capital compared to gmc 15 billion in capital. What you stated it seems FORD still has the #1 vehicle in both cars and trucks. SOmething the “Foreign” brands cant claim
We all know that ford EU products are way better then NA products, why must we read 3 articles a week reminding us of this senseless mickey mouse operation that is Ford marketing and dev.
ihustle, if there is no market for European cars, why is it that the foreign companies like Honda and Toyota are growing and the domestic are fighting to stay alive? It just makes sense for Ford to consolidate its lineup, and since the average European car seems like the best bet for current market conditions (high gas prices) they should just stick with those models. If they started this process earlier they would have been in a much better position, and not trying to hold up a company with the #1 selling truck in America.
It’s nice. It Just needs its remote control, and a 5-year old is ready to race it across the kitchen. Batteries hopefully included.
EUROPEAN CARS WONT SELL HERE.Look at this focus hatchback, who the hell is going to buy it. KIDS— are you people dumb?> dont you think Ford thought of this. There is a reason this hasnt been brough here.. Oops im wrong HANNO you are the smartest person alive and you deserve a seat on the board. HAHAHAHA you guys make me laugh.
I thought the focus RS was AWD??
i suspect that the reason ford will not sell the focus rs in the states is because of the ford mustang. ford may believe there is simply not enough room in the american market for both. the european built focus rs would most certainly be within a couple of thousand dollars of the mustang (give or take) and would offer better performance better fuel economy and better overall quality. ford is not willing to castrate the image of its iconic pony car (and i dont blame them). ford would have to make significant improvements to the mustang before bringing the focus rs here.
This specific model is supposed to be over the top, it’s an RS. These are halo cars, and not representative of the “normal” models. I think the color is vulgar, but that’s not the point. Hatchbacks like this, the Rabbit and the Astra make a ton more sense than a mustang for example. ihustle, how do you justify Ford hanging on to the VERY old-spec Focus in favor if the newest iteration? Clearly no-one had a problem buying the US spec Focus, so why would they not buy this model (which comes in sedan as well). ihustel ,when you can debate the topic with me on its specific points and merits, let me know, otherwise I don’t have time for childish ramblings from idiot like you.
The US-spec Focus is build on an older platform than the current european focus. Instead of bringing the new Focus over from Europe, Ford modified the old platform, adding new styling (that looks like crap in my opinion compared to the Euro model) that is distinctive for the US market. It ended up costing MORE than bringing over the Euro-build model and having it certified for the US market.
.
Yeah, thats one smart company right there…
Everybody shut the hell up. ihustle, you first.
http://www.leftlanenews.com/ford-to-convert-truck-and-suv-plants-to-produce-cars-and-crossovers.html
June 11th, guys. For **** sakes.
yeah oldraven i read that weeks ago. hopefully ford doesnt screw things up. even though they sell the euro focus here doesnt mean the will sell the rs version. 2010 or 2011is too long for me to wait lol.
That’s not a color, that’s eye rape!
Thought we were kind of done with the Fast and Furious tuner cars.
It will not make it to the states, The European Focus was a completely new design for 2005.
The US focus is just a reskinned first gen focus. After trying a uk focus and a us focus within 6 months of each other I couldn’t believe how cheap and nasty the interior of the US focus was (and still is).
I reckon that if Ford dose not want to import European Ford’s into America as Fords because they want to produce said vehicles designed for the American consumer. Then, they should pull in cars like the Modeno, Focus Hatch, etc., and re-brand them as Mercury vehicles. That is one craptastic brand which is nothing more than over priced Ford scraps.
It’s green…like the envy americans have of “our” european Ford!!! Nice Focus you have there…
Oh man if Ford had this over here instead of the ****ING POS FOCUS that is soo beloved to ihustle, (we know it is because that’s what he drives HAHAHA) I’d actually buy it…
I like.
Interesting. A Focus that doesn’t focus on sucking balls. EU Focus vs NA Focus…FIGHT !
This is OLD NEWS.
I have this article with full pics in my issue of Autoexpress from TWO WEEKS ago.
At the risk of looking like a repost… of my repost, I’ll give the link again. Catiadesigner, and VictorRaikkonen seemed to have missed it.
http://www.leftlanenews.com/ford-to-convert-truck-and-suv-plants-to-produce-cars-and-crossovers.html
So they will be building US focai at a US plant, it will still have a US spec interior not the EU one, and as far as I know the 2010 focus is going to be the third gen focus. The point I was trying to make is that the EU built focus is far superior in terms of material quality than the US one and anyone that has driven both will agree, I am certain that will not change. I would imagine the same will be the case with the next Fiesta, the EU one will be far better quality and a different body to the US built one. The plain truth is that Ford know they can get away with a cheaper product in the US as these particular types of vehicle are far less likely to become sole family transport as they are in Europe, Then again if I only had to pay the US cost for a Focus in England I would put up with the cheap nasty interior.
US - 2008 Ford Focus Base Invoice Price: $13486 - $16570
UK - 2008 Ford Focus Base Invoice Price: £12,195 - £20,845 ($24,182.61 - $41,335.51)
And the price of gas in the UK is well over $8 a gallon, no wonder its called rip off Britain.
It is a nice car for Europe. I doubt it will make its way here with any motor. Just because its Ford and the most talented guy in their employ is trying to sell cars on this blog. Imagine the rest of talent pool.
BTW, I just came from London and no one there except US military personal can get gas for $8/gallon. Gasoline is £1.25 a liter and diesel £1.3 a liter. Per latest currency conversion it is near $10/gallon (give or take a few pence).
Welcome back, autonut. I can call off the search party now!
“”*sigh* We’ll never get it over here… so why bother thinking about it. Ford just doesn’t have the brains to market a competitive compact car in the USA.”"
reality is most people buy the focus for the simple fact it needs to go from a to b, and not many people would willing pay $35,000 for a Focus, as that’s mustang area, and lord knows Ford USA is hell bend on keeping the mustang image alive.
The front looks too much like a ****-subishi. Redesign that wing thing, maybe move it a little lower or something. Move the anntenna to one of the rear corners. Actually they need to make the middle of the car a tad lower and then make the rest a little longer, looks kinda stubby as it is. As for bringing it to the US why bother…. Americans won’t buy it anyway.
Signed Merkur XR4Ti
Hey WTF??? There censoring this thing now??? **** **** bitch!
johnny, as you know those over the pond trips take a toll on you. With energy markets going crazy I have a lot of biz in Europe. You don’t want to turn biz down when you get it, so less blogging for me.
WE won’t get it. FORD has already made up their addled minds that the next real all-new Focus is going to be the third generation Focus, built, it is said, on the same platform as the VOLVO C3.
Kitko (#8),
The sales figures of one month mean remarkably little in the long run. But I would not doubt that the Focus is on the shorter end of the stick because, as I think we all know, it is the first generation Focus with new skin and amenities. It’s an eight year old car already and compact cars are like, high level sports cars they need to be turned over frequently to stay competitive.
Also, one months sales figures are not important. But if you are going to make such an argument, stay within the cars class. Including truck and mid-sized and large family cars really loose the point. Truck s are on the way out or at least back to where they should be sold to people who actually need them, and mid-sized and large family cars are different classes all together. Also never include Hybrid models in the sales figures unless the car being compared against has a hybrid model as well on sale. The Focus does not.
DialM4Speed (#43),
This Focus RS looks more like it takes after the Falcon than a Mitsubishi. Further this is the Second Generation Focus. FORD is NOT going to ship the 2nd gen Focus to the US. GO buy a MAZDA 3 if you just have to have the 2nd gen Focus. The 3rd Gen Focus will ship to the US. Also the styling is more in line with those ever-beloved auto sports in Europe, Autocross and rally car racing. It looks grand… though day-glow green is not my thing.
Also if you don”t want to be censored then lay off the ass-mouth. After that mess before with those two jackasses stealing other people’s handles and using them to to espouse the most vile hateful and crude things, I’m sure there is a good deal more oversight than before.
Hey, how about they proofread the articles with as much zeal as they are now editing posts?
Btw, I like cold ice cream on a hot day.
man, I like the whole package…I’ll take mine in white though
Blakkarr (#46)
I wasn’t saying I want the car I was commenting on it’s looks and the fact that lots of people cry to bring it to the US. My point is why? Ford did that once and nobody bought the cars! Also most of the time I don’t bother with forums because there’s always some little #$% who thinks he’s holier than everybody else censoring the posts. Gets really lame! But it’s there site so it’s their right and it’s my right to bail out when I get tired of it.
Im comment to the “iHustle” argument on the focus…
The focus is a good seller, obviously. Maybe not a good car but a good seller. If (as YOU say) European cars don’t sell well here…. Isn’t the Focus ORIGINALLY a European Ford anyways??? As in years ago when Ford released it here… It was basically the EU version. The current gen version is really the only one i DONT see as a good EU version. Its Americanized. [& ugly].
DialM4Speed (#50),
I’m not sure you are seeing to whole picture as to the “why” only the “what”.
There is no doubt that the FORD RS500/Merkur XR4Ti and the Scorpio tanked. That is the “what”. The “Why” is a number of factors. The first being marketing. Mercury was a strong mark when FORD made the ill-considered idea of trying to open another division to import their European cars. If FORD really wanted to make these cars work it would have behooved them to ship the XR4Ti and Scorpio as Mercury cars and not some ham-handed attempt to expand on the number of line ups, tiring to emulate GM ad their Seven divisions.
Recall that the first Tracers were Australian and Asian cars while the Escort was a nice rehash of the MADA 323. A much upmarket alternative to the Escort at the time.
FORD tired to start up a division with a name to similar to one that was well regarded as if it slight it. This could be a first step toward Mercury’s decline. The FORD RS500 was the car in its class to beat… and today if FORD had such a killer app and shipped to America everyone one and their grandmother would want one. Tuners would not be able to leave it alone. The cars, coupe and sedan, were well ahead of the curve
But FORD did not. They did nothing with it and it went largely no where except on the ever-growing list of FORD disappointments. This was FORD’s Killer App in the late 1980s to early 1990s and FORD let it tank with bad or worse no, marketing not really keeping to the slant FORD was slowly moving in and that was making MERCURY FORD’s import division, a path started with the Tracer and the FWD Capri (not the Mustang clone).
The FORD Contour/Mondeo. This European car was just redundant. it wasn’t any larger than the Escort and it cost much more. I believe it did better as a Mercury only because those customer expected to pay a little more. It was not much better, from what I understand, than the Escort of Tracer and so it failed because FORD again did not handle the product well. Here, FORD could have killed the Tracer unceremoniously for the Mystique and later, to the chagrin of us all, the Cougar.
But here it would have worked to shore up Mercury’s place as the importer division. But the car was plagued with poor sales redundancy, crappy marketing and, in the case of the Cougar, worse sales and changing perceptions of Mercury and the word “Cougar” (What guy would be caught driving a “pretty little coupe” with that name?).
Now to the Focus. A European FORD that was the car to beat in Europe and America when it shipped in 2000. The Escort was in need of an update, but instead was dropped for a car that could have comfortably worn the name, but for FORD’s erroneous “F-word” marketing gimmick. On the upside, FORD did not ruin too many good legacy FORD nameplates.
But the Focus it a genuine success for FORD importing a European car. But, go figure, that success was the result of strong and consistent marketing and not being redundant. the ESCORT ZX2 remained in production until 2002 while the sedan adn wagon were ceased in 2000 and the remainder allowed to sell gracefully out. But it is now 2008 and the Focus which was called aged in 2005 is ancient by compact car standards today.
Strong sales and huge gains int he market place were to be had if FORD had opted to ship the 2nd gen Focus and offered he hot versions as well, tapping into those tuner and youth markets. How often have we desired the 2nd gen Focus ST and now this RS?
But FORD is willing to toss that away to hold out for the 3rd GEN Focus. This when so many want the 2nd Gen car.
It is not the cars fault they did not sale as your statement implies, but that FORD fowled up every chance they could get.
The RS500 , a killer app for FORD, treated like they did not care. It was worthy to be FORD’s direct answer to the BMW 3-series.
The Mystique (slag the Contour) would have made a strong alternative to the Escort and later the Focus, especially as the Mondeo continued to improve.
The Focus, currently is starting to look like a failure in progress. With things as bad as they are for FORD, they really can’t wait until the 3rd Gen car.
Again, it is FORD’s fault and not the cars. People will buy them if FORD makes the case convincingly. Something they are not that good at doing.
dibs. ill wait till 2010. just bring it here for goodness sakes
DialM4Speed (#50),
Also… not to poke, but I think you meant #47 and I did not mean to imply that you wanted the car.
Also, just don’t swear. You don’t swear you don’t get censored.
After all, if you can not say it without swearing, then you can not say it at all.
Blakkar: swearing is a part of everyday life. Very few of us don’t swear. This is not radio or television, so we should be allowed more leeway than those two mediums. I’m as guilty as anyone of occasionally stretching the boundaries of good taste and, yeah, I’ve had many a post edited or deleted.
I don’t blame LLN. It’s their site and their rules. It would be nice, however to hear their take without having to stumble along like a blind man in gopher country.
This forum is a hell of a lot better than it used to be when I first started posting, and I’m sure I speak for virtually every regular contributor that we’d rather have a modicum of decorum than no forum at all.
“Joshy” Every european concept has changed before it has come to America. Proving my point the European taste differs then that of america. This vehicle will eventually venture over seas and be a great seller. The look will change though. Ford is in desperate need of a hatchback. But how well do hatchbacks sell anyway?
johnnycanuck (#55),
Trust me I swear, now and then, but I don’t go off maliciously dropping swears and slurs in the place of intelligent discourse. There are times when one can swear as a matter of punctuation. But these censorship slaps seem to be coming when someone just goes off mindlessly abusing the English language.
I can understand that some people want to stand out, even when they do not have anything to say, but to replace thoughtful and intelligent comments with slur and swear saturated toilet rags of mental feces should be wholly unacceptable and apparently the admin thinks so too.
Before swearing in text was somehow acceptable, people had to be more mindful and clever if they wanted to be nasty. This actually makes it easier to respond intelligently without emotional vitriol so the conversation could go on… constructively.
As you said it was out of hand before and yes I can swear like hell if I have a good reason even here, but if I really want to say something, if anyone wants to really says something, do NOT swear. It just works out better in the end.
Blakkarr I do agree with you I also try not to swear to much on this site, I don’t care if other people do but I think it distracts from what I’m trying to say. On the other hand jonnycanuck is worth his weight in gold for his fun insight and comedy value!
and i mean that in a good way
As someone who’s owned a Focus SVT, this was the car all the Focus owners wished for. That color however, is a little too “Paul Walker 2002″ for me. Sports cars look classiest in simpler colors in my opinion. Ford needs this here in the States…I suppose they’ll slap that big three bar steak-griller on front so it will have model continuity, but put an SVT badge on it too.
autonut - you’re right about fuel for the most part - in some places it IS that bad…
Most places its £1.19 - £1.20 for Unleaded.
Just don’t fill up at donington park services: £1.24 a litre when it was £1.18 everywhere else!
Oh, but we Brits generally get paid more basic salary… What’s minimum wage in the US?
Here it’s as follows:
There are three levels of minimum wage, and the rates from 1st October 2007 are:
£5.52 per hour for workers aged 22 years and older
A development rate of £4.60 per hour for workers aged 18-21 inclusive
£3.40 per hour for all workers under the age of 18, who are no longer of compulsory school age.
That’s around $11 an hour for people over 22…
Over $6 for anyone under 18 who has left school (compulsary school age is to 16)
$5.85 is the national minimum wage in the US, although its state dependent right?
I see Washington has one of the highest minimum wages at $8.07… :/
In Nevada, it’s $6.55 this year, and in the summer of next year, it will increase to $7.25.
Whereas here the equivalent for most people in the UK (22+) is $11… And where I work I don’t know anyone on less than $20 an hour (in the main part of the business, not cleaners and office servicing staff - can’t vouch for them…)
Hell, I bet the FC is on something like $280 an hour here… I dread to think what the head honchos are on :/
Still, although the pay we get is more than in the US, the cost of living is skyrocketing here also… not just fuel and food but everything!
I was having lunch on a boat the other day and a pint of Peroni Nastro Azzuro was appx $8… AT LUNCH TIME?!
Club prices at midday… not good.
I don’t know how one can get bye on minimum wage. You always hear “richest country in the world” refering to the US. Thats getting pretty hard to believe these days. Maybe they should cut back forein aid some. Whens the last time someone helped us with finacial relief during our disasters? (katrina,911,ect….)
meant to write by not bye
monte I do believe a Blues Katarina fundraiser took place in the UK
Small as it is some people do care