Ford Focus 2007 News

... to take on the most competitive segment in this country. It's up against a classy field including Mazda3, Corolla, Lancer and locally-built Holden Cruze as well as VW Golf. But new Focus has plenty to recommend it ushering in a dynamic new look with real cut-through on the street and a classy new interior featuring Ford's acclaimed kinetic design language. Two distinctive bodystyles are available, sedan and hatch, each with its own appeal. Drivers will no doubt appreciate the cockpit-style driving environment yet the cabin has lost none of the comfort and practicality that has become a characteristic of Focus. Within the two bodystyles there are  three powertrains and four specification levels. The car has an impressive array of smart technologies, outstanding occupant safety and further advances in levels of driving quality. The strength of new Focus's body is down to extensive use of high-strength steels. Fifty-five per cent of the body shell is made of high-strength steels, of which 31 per cent is ultra-tough boron steel, more than any other Ford built to date. Meanwhile, high-strength steel is used in the integrated door opening reinforcement rings and door load paths to provide excellent protection from side impacts. New Focus also features a patented front chassis subframe, which de-couples during severe frontal impacts, avoiding deformation in the passenger cell footwell area. Pedestrian protection has been boosted by the addition of a "soft" cowl design in the front body structure and Ford has also relocated the windscreen wiper system to help further reduce injury risks. Option packages such as the Convenience Pack bring new technology to Focus. The well-specified mid-level Trend model is $24,490 for the 2.0-litre GDi petrol engine with five-speed manual transmission. Focus Sport has a greater emphasis on driving enjoyment. Key features include sports suspension, 17-inch alloy wheels, sports front seats, dual zone climate control and a Sony audio system with 4.2-inch colour screen and multi-function display. Sport also scores the Convenience Pack as standard equipment. It is more comprehensively equipped than the outgoing Zetec model. Focus Titanium has even more goodies and sells from a starting price of $32,590 for 2.0-litre GDi engine and six-speed PowerShift transmission variants. Needless to say, Focus is a key element of the Ford product portfolio in Australia. Expect a "European" feel to the car's dynamics and impressive fuel economy from the diesel model. The double clutch Powershift manumatic would be difficult to overlook for everyday and sporty driving as it offers the best of both worlds and an extra gear over the manual which is five speed only. What happened to the six-speed manual? NEED TO KNOW Four variants; Ambiente, Trend, Sport and Titanium. Engines: 1.6-litre four cylinder or new 2.0-litre GDi (Gasoline Direct Injection) and a 2.0-litre Duratorq TDCi turbodiesel. Dual clutch six-speed Powershift manumatic is available, manual `box is a five- speed. First appearance in Focus of rain sensing wipers, auto headlights and auto dim rear view mirror, follow me home lights. Available in five door hatch and four door sedan. Five star crash rating. Prices start at $21,990.

Two months after Ford Australia fixed a potentially dangerous brake defect on some versions of its Territory, the company is now recalling its Focus and Mondeos to check problem with brake vacuum pumps. The recall for the LV Focus and MA Mondeo, built since last year, only affects those with a diesel engine. Ford says under certain conditions the supply of vacuum to the brake booster may be reduced causing a hard brake pedal and increase stopping distances. Ford is contacting known owners by mail. In March, Ford recalled more than 83,000 Territories to fix a brake hose defect which was uncovered by Carsguide after complaints from readers.    

Developing a convertible version of any modern passenger car is always going to be an exercise in compromises. You can make the body stronger and stiffer to stop it flexing, but that adds extra weight that can also undermine dynamics – and boost the fuel bill. The trick is to find a good compromise point, and the Coupe-Cabriolet version of Ford’s Focus has managed that by coming close to matching the roofed variants’ handling without feeling like it’s been carved from a lead billet. They’ve even met the design challenge of making the car look equally good with the metal top up or down, with help from legendary Italian designers Pininfarina – who have penned quite a few high-end cars, including the occasional Ferrari and Maserati. As you’d expect, there’s a strong Ital-chic flavour to the car from the A-pillar back, the part that Pininfarina developed to accommodate the Coupe-Cabriolet function. What’s surprising is how well they’ve segued the design from what is basically the Focus sedan/hatch nose (with a bit of extra chrome tarting up around the grilles and fog lights). The best example is how the headlight wing sweep – arguably the best line on the donor car – now flows along the rising window-line and blends into the C-pillar’s subtle trailing slice that throws light along the side of the boot-lid, and visually trims what could otherwise be a bulbous butt. It’s hard to decide if the C-C looks better with the powered two-piece roof up or down, but since it takes only 29 seconds to change it, you can indulge any indecision without too much time or effort. Just be careful not to do it when you’re backed close to a wall, because the boot lid slides back about 30cm to accommodate the operation. A cargo separator stops the roof closing if your gear is piled too high, and boot space is excellent, offering a class-leading 534 litres with the roof up and 248 with it down. And unlike some other convertibles there’s enough of a gap with the roof folded to slide a small suitcase in and out, but sadly the spare wheel is a skinny 80km/h space saver. The front row gets plenty of room, and with seats lowered 20mm, even plenty of headroom by convertible standards. The back seat is too snug for adults on a long trip, but the expected buyer for this car will only be taking friends for a chic cruise and very few will be strapping kids in the back – although it might see a lot of use carrying matching luggage or fashionable pets. There’s a premium feel to the interior with quality materials and switchgear, very comfortable heated leather seats, cooled glove-box, automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers, and a perimeter anti-theft alarm The six-speaker Sony audio system has an iPod jack and offers better clarity than most standard systems – especially when you consider it has to fight wind noise — but still tends to diminish some of the high and low nuances. There’s an extensive safety fit-out, including anti-skid brakes (20mm larger than on the sedan) with electronic brakeforce distribution for better effort and brake assist for panic situations, switchable stability control, traction control, twin front and front-side airbags. In a crash, moveaway systems reduce the chance of you being speared by pedals or the steering wheel column, and 20cm rollover bars fire upwards in 0.10sec – breaking through the rear window if necessary — when their gyros detect things are about to go topsy-turvy. Sits on 17” alloy wheels at each corner of an ultra stiff body with a rigid passenger safety shell and McPherson strut front/control blade rear suspension borrowed from the Focus Turbo. The sole engine on offer in Australia is the 2.0-litre Duratec four-cylinder that develops the same 107kW of power at 6000rpm and 185Nm of torque at 4500rpm in the other Focus variants. This is mated to a five-speed manual for $45,490 that Ford says uses a low 7.5L/100km, or a four-speed sequential automatic for $2000 and 0.8L/100km more. Options include metallic paint at no cost, 18” alloys for $1200 or reverse parking sensors for $500. Ford says 100 of the cars are already at dealerships, and they hope to sell that many every month – with about 75 being the automatic option — in a segment that has grown 27 per cent over the past five years of this self-rewarding decade. ON THE ROADThe worth of the body’s extra stiffening shows in it feeling very solid under all conditions, but over rough sections things like the rearview mirror and other bits around the cabin succumb to a touch of rattling, which undermines the pleasure There’s also a lot of top-down turbulence above 80km/h, which can be reduced a bit by putting all the windows up, but might be better addressed with the wind deflector on the accessory list. This would also prevent you leaving the indicator on after accidentally fumbling around the volume control stalk below it – as we did – for at least three postcodes before we heard it clicking its little heart away, probably to the annoyance of following traffic. As with the rest of the Focus range, there’s responsive steering and good turn-in, with just a touch of understeer from the front wheel drive. The short-throw manual shifter is smooth and definite, but at times when one of the five slots is too high and the next too low, you start to wish for an extra gear and shorter ratios However it works well to motivate the engine, which also appears in the sedan/hatch but is working against an extra weight penalty of 150kg in the Coupe-Cab. Add in a couple of adults and a steep hill, and it starts to get overburdened, even with the engine’s otherwise usefully flat torque curve. The four-speed automatic, while quite a good thing in itself – especially with the effortless shifting on the simulated manual side – isn’t quite up to keeping the engine aroused unless you have the revs bubbling, but does make boulevard cruising a breeze. And that’s really the natural habitat for the car. It wants to glide along the café strips with the occasional weekend tour out in the country. And for those purposes it’s a well-sorted and better equipped package rivals at the same price level. Ford Focus Coupe-CabrioletENGINE: 2.0-litre Duratec four-cylinderPOWER: 107kW at 6000rpm TORQUE: 185Nm at 4500rpm PRICE: $45,490 five-speed manual (7.5L/100km), $47,490 four-speed sequential automatic (8.3L/100km)

You could start with the Mazda3, Australia's most popular fully imported car.Indeed, the sedan or hatch that have thrust Mazda to Number four on the sales ladder have at times been our most successful privately-owned cars, period. If that sounds a bit tall for a (not so very) smallish car, consider that the brand doesn't sell a single unit to commercial fleets or rental companies, the sort of knockdown dealing that keeps Holden and Ford above Mazda but destroys resale values.Toyota can claim its perennial Corolla, the most recent generation of which was released earlier this year, does more business than the Mazda, but many base-model strippers wind up with 'for rent' signs on their windshields.Even in a market where used-car values have never been less reliable, the Mazda3's desirability, exclusivity and driveability seem to be keeping it slightly above the skids.For the past few months, though, the Mazda's mantle hasn't seemed so secure. The reasons are two reinvented cars; the new-generation Subaru Impreza and Mitsubishi Lancer.Both offer exceptional value and top-rate safety packages even in their base models, though the $21,000 entry-level Lancer is subject to a slight and quite fair option hike to get the class-leading package of seven airbags.You need to get into the top Mazda3 iterations, the more expensive Maxx Sport and topline SP23, to get comparable packages and even then DSC remains a $1000 option.Ford has had to cut the guts out of its lower-spec Focus price, reducing it to $19,990. The Mazda3 is in some essential respects the same car, but Mazdas have traditionally held their own over comparable Blue Ovals.A new SP23 is priced from almost $30,000, up towards the class-leading Volkswagen Golf FSI dollars. A used SP23, which comes with the full kit and some warranty extant, is an attractive package, not least because it, too, is starting to feel the pre-loved car price wobbles.This weekend, several Sydney dealers will offer MY05 SP23s with 12 months' manufacturer warranty remaining and upwards of 35,000km on the clock from $25,50.That's still steep, but don't be put off, especially as Subaru and Mitsubishi will sell you a highly competitive all-new car for much the same money. Feel free to mention this.While lesser 3s use the 2.0-litre petrol four, the range leader shares the bigger Mazda6's 2.3-litre four-potter, though detuned slightly to 115kW. It is still the drivers' choice in this segment, an aspect enhanced last year when it received an extra ratio each for the previously five-speed manual and four-speed auto.The manual would be our transmission choice, though at least the auto's tip shift mode, unlike most, holds a gear until you decide differently. The pre-facelift models make do with the old transmission and noticeably more raucous level of NVH.There's nothing else to complain of though with 17-inch alloys, six-speaker stereo with six-stacker, ABS with EBD, fully adjustable steering wheel, six airbags, body kit and leather trim.If the Mazda3 is facing fresh challenges, it is as markedly superior to its longer-term rivals used as it was new. You have to go up to the $36,000 XR5 to find a Focus that moves quicker than the 2.0-litre norm. Even then, side airbags aren't to be had.Honda offers a petrol-electric hybrid version of its Thai-built Civic sedan, though at a considerable premium over the underdone and drab conventional four-pot models. The Corolla is new, but it has also gained weight over the last model, while persisting with the old engine.Economy suffers and Toyota's neglect in not offering stability control even as an option makes it look further off the pace. Sure, the Corolla will probably remain Australia's best-selling car in this class but overall, the Mazda3 looks the best bet. It's just that now used-car buyers are holding some cards. 

There have been rumours for more than a year about something new from the British brand, and the confirmation came with the single press picture released at the Frankfurt Motor Show.The shot asks more questions than it answers. Still, it is obvious the car in the picture is a big departure from the chunky off-roaders that fill out the Land Rover line-up from the flagship Range Rover down to the near-new Freelander II.It is lower, much smoother and appears to have only two doors. And it has a swoopy roofline which is more like the new BMW X6 crossover coupe (also revealed at Frankfurt) than a traditional off-roader.It also promises much lower fuel economy, up to 10per cent better than the Freelander II, as well as luring younger buyers to the brand.The newcomer could be displayed at the Tokyo Motor Show in October, instead of fighting for space at Frankfurt in a Ford family group, which included the all-new Jaguar XF, Mazda6 and facelifted Ford Focus, but there is no firm timing for showrooms.“Next year would probably be too early. But we are not talking about the timing,” says Land Rover's Natasha Waddington. “We are just showing this picture for the moment.”The Land Rover teaser comes as another luxury brand, Mercedes-Benz, gets ready to downsize on the four-wheel-drive front.It has a GLK soft-roader ready for next year that will slide in below its existing ML and GL four-wheel-drives as a rival to the Freelander II and BMW's X3. But the GLK, which is based on the mechanical package used for the C-Class sedan, is not coming to Australia.“The GLK is not going to be made in right-hand-drive. We could not make a business case,” Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman David McCarthy says. “There is not enough volume. We would have liked it, but on the right-hand-drive side there is only Australia, the UK, South Africa and Japan. Not enough to make the numbers work.”The sneak peek of the new Land Rover comes at a good time for the company, which is on the auction block together with Jaguar and, most likely, Volvo as Ford looks to cut costs and complications to get it back into the black.It also shows Land Rover wants to follow Jeep into a more-youthful area of the four-wheel-drive business.The American company has been very successful in the US in turning Jeep into more than just a heavyweight off-road company, although its soft-shaped Compass has not done well in Australia. The Patriot, which is even newer, promises better results.Land Rover has its own model to copy, though, as it has done very good business with the city-focused Range Rover Sport. It is much more like a car to drive, even with its boxy body.The other Land Rover news from the Frankfurt show is a stop-start engine system that will be fitted to its vehicles from 2009. It is claimed to improve fuel economy by up to 10 per cent by killing the motor when the car is stopped in traffic, but it is only promised for manual transmission vehicles with more work needed on an adaptation for automatics. 

The shipment of Commodores, rebadged as Chevrolet Omega, also marks the 10th year of Holden exports to Brazil.Brazil joins the US, Middle East, South Africa and New Zealand as markets for the VE Commodore and WM Statesman.China, where the previous long-wheelbase Statesman was sold as the Buick Royaum, is expected to be next on the list.Holden has actively positioned itself as a global manufacturer to help underpin the continuing viability of its local operations.Holden and Toyota are the only local carmakers with an active export program, though Ford has export plans for next-generation Focus, which will be built here from 2011. It expects to ship 15,000 cars a year overseas.Mitsubishi had hoped to enter an export program with Proton for its 380 sedan, but that deal fell through.From next year, cars built by Holden will be sold around the world by five brands.GM-Holden chairman and managing director Chris Gubbey says the company was able to get the investment needed for the VE program because of its export opportunities.Apart from Brazil, VEs rebadged as Pontiac G8s are soon to be sold in the US.Gubbey says VE and WM Statesman and Caprice were specifically developed with design hardware and suspensions that can be easily adapted for different markets.“VE and WM are generating a great response from our global GM partners, so much so that we expect to export 50 per cent of the vehicles we make by the end of next year,” he says.Brazil's media has already praised the Omega after a preview last month.GM Holden export manager Kristian Aquilina says the ethanol E24-capable Omega is sold as Chevrolet's flagship model in Brazil.“The Omega's position as the top model in Chevrolet's line-up confirms Holden's ability to produce a world-class product,” he says.Holden has exported more than 9000 vehicles there since 1998.The Holden export program started in 1954 with a small shipment of FJ Holdens to New Zealand. Last year 46,074 Holdens were shipped, taking the tally to more than 700,000. 

The world's biggest motor show is weeks away, yet the car companies are already scrambling over each other to release clues about their exhibits.Among the highlights of the 62nd Frankfurt International Motor Show are cars made out of bamboo, a boxer diesel engine and yet more “urban crossover SUVs.”Mitsubishi Motors Corporation will unveil its Concept-cX compact SUV at the show.Concept-cX uses interior trim materials made from bamboo and other plant-based resins.The concept is powered by a new high-output, high-efficiency 1.8 litre diesel engine, featuring a variable geometry turbocharger for optimum boost control and a diesel oxidation catalyst with diesel particulate filter, and Mitsubishi's new twin clutch sport shift transmission.Dodge will also launch a crossover wagon, called Crew, which hits Australia late next year.The seven-seater is based on the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring sedan platform but with all-wheel drive and powered by 2.4-litre petrol and 2-litre turbo-diesel engines.The Crew looks like a shrunken Chrysler Voyager people mover, but with a longer nose and higher ground clearance.It will be built at Chrysler's Toluca plant in Mexico with production due to start in December.Subaru will use the show for its biggest new model blitz yet.Leading the line-up will be the new Impreza five-door hatchback in its 1.5 and 2 litre naturally aspirated formats, which arrives in Australia the same month.Other Subarus on show include an Impreza-based World Rally Car Concept, facelifted Tribeca luxury SUV with more efficient 3.6-litre boxer engine and five-speed auto, new Justy one-litre supermini and the world's first horizontally opposed boxer turbo-diesel engine, due to be progressively installed in models from early in 2008.Mazda will debut its Mazda6, the second Mazda new generation product to evolve to the next stage following the new Mazda2.Although Australia is yet to see the Kia cee'd five-door, the Korean company will debut its new sporty three-door Pro-cee'd, the third model in the family of cars designed for Europe and made in Slovakia.Only the bonnet and the front wing panels are carried over from the five-door model.Volkswagen will revive the 'people's car' with a concept Beetle.It is called the City Expert because The Beetle name has been taken by the more expensive new-generation car.The City Expert goes back to Beetle roots with a rear-mounted, flat-four boxer engine and a cheap price tag.VW will also reveal six new models with BlueMotion diesel technology, including the new Golf BlueMotion claiming economy of 4.5 litres/100km down 0.6-litres from the previous model, and CO2 emissions down 16g/km to 119g/km.Range on a 55-litre tank is now more than 1200km.Peugeot's 308RCZ concept will give a big hint towards a future body style for the 308 family.The ultra-light 2+2 coupe uses aluminium, polycarbonate windows and carbon fibre body parts and is powered by a 160kW 1.6-litre twin-scroll turbo jointly developed by PSA Peugeot Citroen and BMW.Renault will show a wagon version of its Clio mini.The Clio Sport Tourer will go on sale in Europe early next year.Mini is also on the bandwagon with the return of the Clubman van.The five-door model has double rear doors and a suicide door on the driver's side.The suicide door, which opens the opposite way, is designed to allow passengers easier access to the back.It would make more sense on the other side, but clearly the former British car now owned by BMW is designed for left-hand-drive markets with the blinkers also on the left.Ford will show its Kuga crossover all-wheel-drive probably powered by a range of petrol and turbodiesel engines, including the 2-litre 100kW/320Nm TDCi that has just appeared in the Focus.The Kuga is based on the Iosis X concept unveiled at last year's Paris Motor Show.In a surprise move, Suzuki will show it's expanding from small cars and SUVs into the family market.Their Kizashi family car looks mean with a massive black grille, sloping lamp clusters and low-level fog lamps.Also looking mean is Saab's 9-3 Turbo X which will rekindle the spirit of the 1980s Saab 900 Black Turbo.It will feature Cross-Wheel Drive allowing torque to be split to either side of the rear axle via an electronically limited slip differential, based on information from the stability and traction control systems.However, the show-stealer is likely to be seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher when he unveils the Ferrari 430 Scuderia, a lighter and faster development of the existing 430 coupe and convertible.Power is up to 380kW, weight is down 100kg and the F1 transmission has new software that cuts shift times to 60 milliseconds. 

Though Ford Australia is concentrating on putting the Focus into local production from 2011, president Tom Gorman says its shared-platform architecture also presents other opportunities. The next-generation Focus, codenamed C2, will share much with the new C-Max multi-purpose vehicle and Kuga crossover all-wheel-drive. Though keen to hose down speculation, Gorman says something like the C-Max or even Kuga could present opportunities. “That might be the case. But right now it's really just about the Focus four and five-door,” he says. “Some of the smaller brands like the XR5 won't be localised." “We'll still take that out of Europe. But it does open up for us more opportunity for success in that small-car segment. If things happen in the future and something like C-Max or other derivatives make sense, you'd have to see what size the volume is. What I don't want to do is be in a position where we're putting 200-units-a-month opportunities into the plant. That's very hard to justify economically.” The Kuga goes on sale next year after its Frankfurt motor show debut in September. Though details are scarce, the Kuga will probably offer a range of petrol and turbodiesel engines, including the 2.0-litre 100kW/320Nm TDCi that has just appeared in the Focus. The Kuga is based on the Iosis X concept unveiled at last year's Paris motor show and introduces Ford's new “kinetic design” language into a compact and distinctive AWD crossover. Ford of Europe executive design director Martin Smith says the company knows image-conscious customers want a very individual car. The Kuga, which uses underpinnings similar to those in the robust Land Rover Freelander and proposed Volvo XC60, will be built at Ford's Saarlouis plant in Germany.    

Ford Australia has committed to continue building large cars alongside the new small car Focus. “I can guarantee you that neither Falcon nor Territory is under any threat,” Ford Australia spokeswoman Sinead McAlary says.“We believe there is an ongoing business case for both models.”Speculation grew when Ford Australia president Tom Gorman announced during a press conference, the decision to build Focus in Australia from 2011 giving the company the opportunity to “walk away from” less profitable segments.“What Tom was talking about was the opportunity for segment managing with production ... the ability to be more flexible in the model mix,” McAlary says.“What will be possible is to manage the mix of cars being built in a far more active way. It could be changed month to month depending on what the demands are for any other models."“The terminology may have led to some confusion but there is absolutely no threat to Falcon or Territory at this stage.”With the announcement that Ford will close its in-line six engine production facility in Geelong by 2010, questions were raised over whether the Falcon and the Territory would be re-engineered to take imported engines.While conceding Territory sales are sliding, McAlary says the large, locally developed SUV remains a key plank of Ford Australia planning.“Territory numbers are down but we believe it is still the right car for the segment ... we believe it is the best SUV available,” McAlary says. “We are currently well under way working on the next-generation Territory.”McAlary would not confirm a 2010 launch for the new-generation Territory, but there would be little point in unveiling a second-generation car before the switch to imported V6s.However, betting has firmed on an earlier arrival of a diesel powerplant for the Territory with McAlary confirming work has begun.“I can't give a time frame or confirmation of anything else specific about it (diesel) but it is something we are planning for and working on,” McAlary says.There has been speculation that an inline five-cylinder turbo diesel sourced from Volvo would suit, or the bi-turbo V6 from the Jaguar family, although that would be expensive.“There are several areas where we can source the engine but I can't be more specific than that at the moment,” McAlary says.There are no plans for a compact SUV model to sit beside the Territory nor are there plans to add any more imported SUV models to the line-up.While Falcon's numbers continue to fall, Ford believes the promise of a new model early next year will revive its fortunes.“Large car numbers are never going to go back to where they were a couple of years ago,” she says. “But there have been some good indicators in the market and with something in the order of 130,000 large family cars being sold this year we can still make a strong business case for a share of that with Falcon, particularly with the new model.” 

Ford delivered some good news this week with confirmation that the Focus will be manufactured at its Campbellfield assembly plant in Melbourne from 2011.It is a ray of hope for the workforce of around 5000 left at Ford Australia following the decision last week to cease production of its six-cylinder engine plant in Geelong at the cost of 600 jobs.The Focus development will add 300 jobs and help secure Ford's future in Australia.The Focus small car which is currently sold in Australia is sourced from South Africa with that operation told the news on Monday that it will no longer make the Focus post 2010.Australia will make hatch and sedan variants for right-hand-drive markets only with South Africa and New Zealand the initial recipients of an export program that will grow with more countries announced closer to the start of assembly in Melbourne.“It's a big opportunity for our local supply base as well as a big opportunity for us,” Ford Australia president Tom Gorman said.“As you can imagine this is a watershed announcement for us.”The Victorian and Federal governments will contribute $20 million each to the project where petrol and diesel Focuses will be made in Australia with imported powertrains. It is expected volume will reach 40,000 a year with 25,000 for Australia and the rest exported.There remains a chance Focus production could overtake Falcon numbers.“You have to keep a close eye on that,” Gorman said. “If we can pick up our volume in terms of overall market share with the Focus it's conceivable.“But at the moment what I like is that we have four very strong products . . . still a very important Falcon, Ute and a very important Territory and from 2011 it will be a very important Focus.”The small car market in Australia has more than doubled on the numbers when Ford pulled the plug on its Laser in 1998 which the Focus ended up replacing when it first arrived here in September 2002.“Ten years ago the small car market was less than 100,000 units and it will probably be 220,000-225,000 at the end of this year.”Ford says engineering and design for future Focus models will continue to be driven out of Europe.But there could be a chance for Ford Australia to have a greater say in product development providing Focus can grow with the “localisation” of the product.“We are a major player in Focus not only in the region but globally,” Gorman said.“I think as we raise our volume and we do better in terms of market penetration we can expect to have more of an input.”Gorman has ruled out niche variations of the Focus for Australian production but admits there is an opening for the Ford Performance Vehicles arm to develop a fresh warmed-over variant along the lines of the current XR5.“With FPV we've always talked to them about extending their reach,” Gorman added.“There is nothing to say we wouldn't have some desire to do stuff with FPV outside of the Falcon and Falcon Ute.“Once you localise, it gives you a whole range of opportunities that don't exist today.”Gorman defended the timing of the Focus deal, saying that it was not signed off until last Friday, two days after the grim news about the Geelong engine plant.“We weren't in a position to finalise the project until Friday.“It's a little early to judge morale (within Ford).“We're trying to be sensitive to the fact we made a very difficult announcement last Wednesday and there are 600 people whose lives have been dealt a little bit of a shock . . . more than a little, a big shock.“We're going to be working with them carefully on redeployment and retraining where necessary.“It's not a feeling of there's a big celebration here at the moment.“I'd say it's relatively muted at the moment given that we made a tough announcement last week.”