The newest Ford Focus may not be the best looking sedan on the market, but its combination of budget pricing, excellent fuel economy and SYNC availability are apparently striking a chord with consumers. On Tuesday Ford announced that it will be ramping up Focus production by 30 percent in 2008 to keep up with demand.
According to Ford, the Michigan-based automaker has sold 49,070 Focuses during the first three months of the year, a 23 percent increase over the same time period a year before. More importantly, retail sales were up 35 percent while fleet sales continue to decline.
Ford sold 191,000 Focuses in 2007, but plans to sell 245,000 in 2008. In order to keep up with demand, employees of Ford’s Wayne assembly plant — where the Focus is produced — will be working overtime and Saturdays for the rest of the year.
