Global car manufacturers and politicians are slowly reassessing very ambitious plans for complete electrification. However, the compact Ford Focus will not save it, it will jump already next year.
Focus arrived in 1998 as a revelation. After the conservative and outdated Escort model, Ford presented an aesthetically very avant-garde car, which seemed incredibly timeless in the flood of competitors at the time. After all, more than a quarter of a century since the premiere of the first generation, the Ford Focus is still doing well.
The professional and lay public also appreciated the driving characteristics of this model, which made it stand out from other cars in the lower middle class. It is worth mentioning the sporty version of the ST and the ultimate RS, which in its last generation received a turbocharged four-cylinder 2.3 EcoBoost from the Ford Mustang with an output of 257 kilowatts.
But the world has been changing in recent years, perhaps too quickly. Classic car concepts first displaced crossovers and SUVs, now the politically accelerated transition to electromobility is pushing the entire industry and society as such.
It is the transition to cleaner modes of transport together with declining interest that is behind the announced end of the Ford Focus. Production lines in Saarlouis, Germany will be shut down in the middle of next year, while the boss of Ford’s European branch, Martin Sander, confirmed that the company is not interested in extending Focus production. He says he sees the future mainly in electricity.
Sales of locally zero-emission cars are rising, but slowly, so manufacturers are quickly reassessing their over-ambitious plans for the end of internal combustion engines. Or at least a reasonable majority of them.
For example, Mercedes-Benz plans to keep the currently produced A-class alive at least until 2026. Renault, in turn, canceled the IPO of its Ampere electric division, and Jaguar Land Rover confirmed that it will slow down its path to electric cars and focus more on plug-in hybrids. The Volkswagen Group is currently reducing the production of its locally emission-free models, as supply exceeds demand, which applies mainly to Volkswagen IDs.
At Ford, however, they are adamant and intend to continue phasing out cars with internal combustion engines. After all, the production of the legendary fiesta ended last year on July 7, so the focus will be another notch of the once iconic model with the blue oval emblem.
