Ford Focus 2013 News

But work is already underway to keep sales ticking along, with a European facelift - headlined by a giant new grille - coming next year.It takes its lead from the new mid-sized Mondeo, but that's even further in the future as Ford switches production to Spain. Here in the second half of 2014 for about the same pricing as today.  

The sharpest knife is wielded by Proton, whose Preve sedan is now the cheapest small car in the country. Proton marketing general manager Billy Falconer says the cut -- which amounts to a 15 per cent shave off the original price -- is a reaction to the aggressive discounting of rivals.The flip is the annual/15,000km servicing cost is now capped for the first five years or 75,000km, rather than the free servicing as previously. "In order to compete with all these offers, we have reduced the price for the Preve range, with the manual starting at just $15,990 driveaway and the CVT auto Preve from $17,990 driveaway for a limited time only," Falconer says.The Preve is the first Proton to earn a five-star ANCAP safety rating and comes with a five-year warranty. The Malaysian brand is relying on the improved safety and features -- all Preve models have 16-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity, and controls for the sound system and phone mounted on the steering wheel -- to help boost sales.The company sold just 856 vehicles last year and is behind that number year-to-date with 353 sales to July. A new hatch and people-mover -- both built according to Proton's improved safety standards -- are imminent.Ford's Focus Ambiente is -- for now -- just $18,990 on the road, including free servicing for the first three annual/15,000km check-ups. Mazda's $19,990 deal on the Neo includes a four-year warranty and three years' roadside assistance. A Mitsubishi Lancer ES with a front and rear spoilers, side skirts and alloy wheels is available for $19,990 driveaway until the end the month.PRICE WARModel                                November 2012     NowCitroen C4                          $22,990                 $20,990Ford Focus                         $20,290                 $18,990*Holden Cruze                      $21,490                 $19,490Mazda3                              $20,330                 $19,990*Proton Preve                       $18,990*                $15,990*Mitsubishi Lancer                $19,990                 $19,990**denotes driveaway pricing

Ford has revealed new performance-boosting tuning packages for European versions of the Focus ST and Fiesta ST hot hatches, courtesy of its semi-official tuning partner Mountune. The kits boost Focus ST’s outputs from 184kW/340Nm to 205kW/400Nm, and the Fiesta from 134kW/240Nm to 160kW/320Nm, while maintaining their full European manufacturer warranty. The upgrade drops the Focus ST’s 0-100km/h acceleration by over half a second to below 6.0, and 50-100km/h happens 0.8 seconds quicker in 4.9. The Fiesta ST makes similar performance gains, reducing its 0-100km/h figure by half a second to 6.4, and its 50-100km/h figure by 0.7 seconds to 5.7. Mountune has an established history with the Focus and Fiesta models, having fettled previous-generation high performance versions of each nameplate.  Ford Australia spokesman Neil McDonald confirmed the possibility of Mountune packages for local versions of the Focus ST and Fiesta ST in future.  “It’s something we’re looking at locally but at this stage it’s too early to put any timings on when it will be available. However, it’s clearly a great opportunity to provide something extra for some of our Ford performance hatch customers.” Mr McDonald would not be drawn on how Mountune-badged models would sit with the existing FPV performance branding, insisting that the Mountune packages would need to be assessed for local warranty and ADR compliance first. In Europe, the kits take between 60 and 90 minutes to fit to the ST models, and the Focus ST kit includes a larger intercooler, upgraded air filter, cast-alloy inlet duct, and a remapped ECU, and costs the equivalent of AU$2025. The Fiesta ST kit is simpler, comprising just an aluminium high-flow airbox with cold-air intake, air filter upgrade and an ECU remap. Fittingly, it’s cheaper too, at the equivalent of AU$990. This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn  

It means a new shape to the grille opening, as well as a large space above the slot for the number plate, but not much else.

The Focus topped the global registrations -- for the second consecutive year -- with 1,020,410 cars.

So much for the push towards greener cars. In automotive terms Australia is about to become the 51st state of the USA.Australians are moving closer to North Americans in their taste in vehicles. For the first time ever there is now almost an exact 50:50 split between the sales of passenger cars – and utes and SUVs. The same ratio seen for decades in pick-up and SUV-loving USA. Twenty years ago passenger cars accounted for more than 70 per cent of all new vehicles sold in Australia.Official figures released today confirm January 2013 was the strongest start to a year in Australian automotive history, eclipsing 85,000 deliveries for the first time – and the previous January record set in 2008 before the Global Financial Crisis.The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries reports 41,957 passenger cars were delivered in January compared to 41,595 utes, vans and SUVs – a slim gap of 362 sales, or the equivalent of just three days of deliveries for the top-selling car, the Mazda3.“The trend towards SUVs and away from classic passenger cars is all to do with their style and versatility and mass-acceptability,” says David Chalke, a cultural change analyst with AustraliaScan. “Everybody’s doing it, there’s now a fear of being left out.”Chalke says SUVs are no longer the heathens of the road thanks to their new levels of fuel-efficiency. “The new ones use comparatively so little fuel most people don’t think they’re driving a 4WD,” he said. “In fact in many cases they’re not. They are often two-wheel-drive with the appearance of a 4WD.”FCAI chief executive Tony Weber says the mining boom is also driving ute and SUV sales. “Part of is the mining boom, part of it is private buyers seeking new levels of flexibility and cars that better suit their needs.”Australia’s three local car makers – Toyota, Holden and Ford – failed to cash-in. January is typically a slow month for sales of locally-made cars but they dropped by 28 per cent to an all-new low.Just 2722 Australian made cars were delivered in January – which means the combined sales of the Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon, Ford Territory, Toyota Camry and Toyota Aurion ranked third -- an unprecedented status. Mazda3 was the top-selling car (3345 sales), followed by the Toyota Corolla (2960), the Toyota Hilux (2747), and the Nissan Navara (2474).The Ford Focus (2364) had its best month ever -- and helped drive Ford to a 33 per cent sales increase – but it outsold the Falcon by three-to-one. The Falcon (778 deliveries) is now selling at the same rate as the Mitsubishi 380 in the year before the factory closed. Ford’s Broadmeadows throughput is topped up by the production of Territory (up 44 per cent) and ute (down 22 per cent), but sales of both models are well down from their peaks.Holden says it has scaled back production of the Commodore (1650 deliveries) ahead of a new model due in showrooms in June. Toyota sold just 557 Camrys and 227 Aurion V6 sedans (down 57 and 77 per cent respectively). The FCAI’s Weber dismissed the weak sales of locally mades cars as “just one bad month, let’ see where it goes”. “We’re going to continue to see more and more market segmentation,” Weber said. “We won’t see just one car reach the massive volumes of years past.”In other highlights:Toyota was down 5 per cent but is set to lead the market for the 11th year in a row;Mazda outsold Holden to be second in the market for the fourth time ever (previous monthly second-placings: April, September and Dec 2012);Nissan is closing-in on Ford, less than 500 sales behind, threatening to push the Blue Oval brand to sixth;Honda had a blinder month, up 141 per cent from a low base – but still well down on its best year;Audi outsold BMW for the fourth January (previous wins were in ’09, ’11, ’12) and the sixth time ever (after previous wins in Feb ’11, Oct ’11) but Mercedes was top luxury brand;Sales of passenger cars fell by 1 per cent in a market that grew 11 per cent driven by surges in utes (up 43 per cent) and SUVs (up 20 per cent);The delivery of 1878 heavy trucks (up 10 per cent) takes January tally to 85,430.Top selling cars in January 2013Mazda3 3345Toyota Corolla 2960Toyota HiLux 2747Nissan Navara 2474Ford Focus 2364Hyundai i30 2006Holden Captiva 2155Mazda2 1665Holden Commodore 1650Holden Cruze 1630Mazda CX5 1625Top selling brands in January 2013Toyota 13,375 down 4.9pcMazda 8912 up 5.1pcHolden 8811 down 2.8pcFord 7721 up 32.3pcNissan 7248 up 35 pcHyundai 6816 up 4.7pcMitsubishi 4449 down 2.6pcVolkswagen 3824 up 13.6pcHonda 3816 up 141pcSubaru 3104 down 3.2pcThis reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

These cars are operating in one of the toughest of all market segments and buyers are being wooed from all directions. Ford has revised the specifications of the entry level model, the Focus Ambiente sedan by introducing the choice of a manual gearbox. The manual option was previously offered only on the hatchback. Ambiente is now on sale with a recommended driveaway price of just $19,990. An excellent price for a fully imported Euro styled car that sits a fair way up in the image stakes. Ford Australia is also offering driveaway pricing, at $27,490, on the Focus Sport and Focus Trend manual for $22,890. To further increase value, the Ford Sync system is now standard across the entire Focus range. Sync synchronises hands-free, voice-activated in-car connectivity, this consists of USB and Bluetooth connectivity including music streaming; access to contacts stored in a connected phone via voice commands. It also lets you access music from a connected USB or iPod device via voice commands, as well as by way of steering wheel controls. You can view music and call information on Ford Sync’s in-dash display. The multifunction trip computer used by the Sync system also give economy-minded drivers information by way of the Ford EcoMode system. Passive safety features on the Focus include ABS brakes with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist; Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and Torque Vectoring Control and Hill Launch Assist. Secondary safety is provided by driver and passenger front and side thorax airbags, and side curtain airbags that aid front and rear passengers. Focus Ambiente is powered by a Duratec 1.6-litre petrol engine with 92 kW of power and 159 Nm of torque. Performance is good without being exactly exciting and our tests show it can get fuel consumption in the six to seven litres per hundred kilometres range on the open road, and seldom used more than nine litres around town even in heavy traffic. Further assisting the low price of buying a Ford Focus is the MyFord capped price service plan where Ford will publish the maximum price you will pay for its standard services at a participating authorised Ford dealer. As an example, the maximum amount the owner of a new Focus 1.6-litre petrol would pay at a participating dealer for the first 15,000 km service is just $320. The new prices of the Ford Focus range, with the previous prices in brackets: Ambiente 1.6-litre manual five-door hatch: $20,290 ($21,990) Ambiente 1.6-litre automatic five-door hatch: $22,590 ($24,290) Trend 2.0-litre manual five-door hatch: $22,290 ($24,490) Trend 2.0-litre automatic five-door hatch: $24,950 ($26,790) Trend 2.0-litre turbo-diesel five-door hatch: $28,090 ($30,500) Sport 2.0-litre manual five-door hatch: $25,890 ($27,890) Sport 2.0-litre automatic five-door hatch: $28,190 ($30,190) Sport 2.0-litre turbo-diesel five-door hatch: $31,690 ($33,690) Titanium 2.0-litre automatic five-door hatch: $32,990 ($33,840) Titanium 2.0-litre turbo-diesel five-door hatch: $36,490 ($37,340) Ambiente 1.6-litre manual four-door sedan: $20,290 (n/a) Ambiente 1.6-litre automatic four-door sedan: $22,590 ($24,290) Trend 2.0-litre automatic four-door sedan: $24,950 ($26,790) Trend 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-door sedan: $28,090 ($30,500) Titanium 2.0-litre automatic four-door sedan: $32,990 ($33,840)  

It was smiles all round at Central Coast Ford when homegrown singing sensation Karise Eden dropped by the West Gosford dealership. The winner of The Voice met staff at the popular car dealership last Friday when she stopped by to pick up the Ford Focus Titanium she won on the Channel 9 show earlier this year.  For general manager Tony Kutlucan, handing over the keys of the popular 2012 vehicle, which was imported from Germany, to the coast's favourite daughter was a proud moment. “My family and I watched The Voice and we were cheering for Karise to win because she was just such an amazing woman and representative for the Central Coast,” he said. “So when she won the show earlier this year we contacted Ford immediately and asked if we could be the ones to hand over the keys to her new car to her.” Despite being one of the biggest artists in the country, Eden hasn't forgotten where she came from and continues to live on the Central Coast. “It was really nice to know that when she heard we asked to be the ones to give her the car she said she was more than happy to come along and support a fellow coastie, which was a bit of a buzz for staff at Central Coast Ford,” Mr Kutlucan said.

So anyone shopping for a Volkswagen Golf GTi has again got a reason to include a feisty Ford on their list of potential rivals. It's not a white-hot Focus RS, which was a sellout success last year despite a $59,990 pricetag, but a new ST turbo that takes the place of the retired-from-duty XR5 that did well during its run down under. Don't let the new name confuse you, for the ST is almost a straight update for the XR5 - with a $38,290 pricetag and a 184 kiloWatt EcoBoost 2.0-litre engine - and a new headline body colour called Tangerine Scream. There are sure to be other ST models, and Ford has already shown a Fiesta tease wearing the Sport Technologies tag as it migrates the name around the world of blue oval vehicles. It says the Focus ST is the first "global performance cars" and plans to sell the Focus ST in more than 40 countries. Ford is trumpeting everything from more power and a six-speed manual gearbox to equipment that runs to sports steering, multi-layer ESP stability control, bi-xenon headlamps and predictable body upgrades. There is also fuel economy of 7.4 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of 172 grams/kilometre, plus a capped-price service plan. Just like the Toyota 86, Ford has added a 'sound symposer' that pipes induction noise from the engine into the cabin. "The price is up a little bit, but there is a lot more equipment. The price puts the car right into Golf GTi territory, and also the Mazda3 MPS," says Neil McDonald of Ford Australia. "This is the replacement for the XR5. The name change is a global one and we're aligning with those vehicles." Ford has cleverly timed the local announcement of the Focus ST for the same day when Opel is revealing its launch program for Australia, including its own warmed-over hatch. It's the Astra GTC, available with both 1.4 and 1.6-litre turbocharged engines from $28,990. But Opel, which is setting up for the first time as an independent brand and not just supplying cars to Holden, believes there will be no comparison with the new Ford. "It's a different buyer and a different car," the product marketing manager at Opel Australia, Min-Sean Chew, tells Carsguide. "Our car is a stylish coupe with brilliant dynamics. Theirs is just a hatch." The Focus ST continues down a road pioneered by the XR5 in April, 2006 when the fast rod arrived with a $35,990 bottom line. It went away towards the end of last year as Ford switched its focus on Focus to the value models and supply from Thailand. McDonald is hinting, but not confirming, more hot hatch action for both the Focus and Fiesta. "I would imagine there will be more on ST," he says. "There has been speculation about the Focus RS but we haven't announced anything." The first Focus ST deliveries will be in October. And, while there is no Fiesta ST yet, Ford Australia is just about to begin sales of a limited-edition Fiesta Metal, with a tuned 1.6-litre Duratec engine that delivers 98 kiloWatts. It also has 17-inch alloys, sports suspension and special black paint with a price of $22,990 for the 250 cars in the run.  

While price and spec will be different here, the keenly anticipated performance hatchback, has gone on sale in the UK priced from $21,995 (A$35,000) on the road. Powered by an advanced, direct-injection 2.0-litre, all-alloy, turbocharged, four-cylinder EcoBoost engine, the powerful ST is capable of returning 7.15 litres/100km and as little as 169g/km of CO2.  Highly developed suspension, non-linear variable-ratio steering and performance brakes have all been specifically tuned, while the striking central exhaust, imposing trapezoidal front grille and even the Tangerine Scream paint option which were inspired by the original Ford Focus ST Concept, have been brought to production. Focus ST will be available in both hatchback and estate bodystyles (in the UK). It will have a high level of comfort, safety and convenience features standard. UK spec' includes Ford Power keyless start, Recaro seats, DAB radio, Bluetooth and 18in alloy wheels, with the range-topping ST3 model adding heated, leather seats, bi-xenon headlights, LED daytime running lights and keyless entry. Additional sports styling options include rado-grey alloys wheels, red brake calipers and illuminated scuff plates. The new Focus ST was developed jointly by Ford's Team RS in Europe and its Special Vehicles Team (SVT) in the United States. The car goes on sale in 40 countries, from this year.