The Blue Oval has said goodbye to a long-standing badge that appealed to commuters, families and enthusiasts alike.
Well, it finally happened. Ford made the last Focus on Friday.
The news is believed to have been first reported by staff at the Blue Oval before being confirmed by the company Engine1 that the final example was a white five-door hatchback.
Now, Ford hasn’t been shy about its plans to discontinue the model. On the contrary, it first pulled the Focus from the American market in 2018, then announced that electrification would eventually kill the nameplate in Europe (applicable this year).
Production of the ST ended in September, but now the ‘regular’ Focus is gone. – Credit: Ford
Still, even with the advance notice, Focus’ exit is a huge loss to the industry. This speaks not only to the state of the Blue Oval model itself, but also to the entire automotive world.
Loss of focus
After all, when in 1998 Ford had big ambitions for the Focus when it first introduced the car. As part of the company’s Ford 2000 initiative, the nameplate was created as a global model to consolidate European and North American models under one strategy.
The first generation Focus was supposed to become a “world car” and a huge seller. – Credit: Ford
Accordingly, the Focus was a huge seller throughout its production run. During the 27 years of the car’s operation, the Blue Oval managed to move more than 12 million examples.
Also, while Ford designed the Focus as an economical compact car, that doesn’t mean the model didn’t appeal to enthusiasts. In fact, quite the opposite.
As expected, Ford couldn’t replace the Focus for performance applications, resulting in hot versions like the venerable RS model. – Credit: Ford
ST first appeared in 2002. as the ST170, bringing improvements such as stiffer suspension, revised styling and bigger brakes. But however the Blue Oval’s intentions may be viewed, it’s the model’s larger sibling that really showcased the company’s capabilities.
That’s because the Focus RS gave rally car owners the thrill of the road. Between a powerful turbocharged engine, a grippy AWD system, a manual transmission and some fancy upgrades, it had all the makings of a proper sliding machine (especially in the delicious limited-edition RS500 form). Ken Block’s endorsement didn’t hurt either.
The Focus managed to impress with its drive even before the ST and RS trims were introduced. – Credit: Ford
Since the RS is a more efficient option, the 2020 was terminated by RS. But Ford kept the ST soldiering on until last September, with a focus on performance almost to the end.
Road ahead
Either way, as both a commuter and a driver’s vehicle, the Focus was extremely valuable to the brand because of its numbers. Although Ford in 2015 was the second largest car manufacturer in Europe, last year it ranked 12th. Car and the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).
The Mustang Mach-E is one of many crossovers in Ford’s non-car lineup. – Credit: Ford
In other words, the decision to ditch long-running cars like the Fiesta and Focus has dealt a huge blow to the Blue Oval’s market share. Since then, the range has been supplemented with crossovers such as the Kuga and the Puma, but these models have not been completely free.
As a result, Ford is in a bit of a bind right now. Even before the Focus was officially discontinued, Bill Ford Jr. admitted that the company’s lineup was “not as strong as we need it to be.”
This is especially true given that the Mustang is now the only new “car” (rather than a crossover, van, truck, or SUV, etc.) that Ford sells in the United States and Europe.
While there are rumors of a Focus revival, nothing has been confirmed yet. – Credit: Ford
While there has already been speculation that the Focus could return, and some that Ford might be preparing new “regular car” models, there’s currently no indication that the two rumors coincide. In fact, the Focus might not even revive as a sedan/hatchback.
Also, with no concrete plan in place, what’s to come is left to guesswork for now. Until a successor arrives, if there is one, let’s pour one Focus and hope Ford finds its (Focus) again.
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