concept car 2011 Ford Focus

Before the unveiling of the all-new 2011 Ford Focus at Detroit, we were privy to an early showing. It happened in the Michigan assembly plant where previously Lincoln Navigators and Ford Expeditions were produced. The irony that this plant would soon be producing the 2011 Focus was not missed. Ford’s best-selling vehicle was and still is the F150 pickup. Change in the auto industry seems to come slow, but once it arrives it’s clear. Ford’s statement was clear that day: There’s a lot of emphasis on small.

This new Focus is a completely global car and will be sold around the world—sharing 80-percent of its components with other Focuses. So we will effectively now have the European Focus on our soil. This C-size platform supports 10 distinct models.

The exterior of the U.S. Focus was designed in Cologne, Germany, with the 5-door and sedan being styled concurrently. Our show car is clearly a well equipped model rolling on low-profile Pirelli PZero Nero tires. The raked-forward stance of the 2011 Focus gives the car a sense of motion. Ford calls this “kinetic design language.” I call it a vast improvement over the 2010 Focus.

Beneath the hood is a direct-injected aluminum 2.0-liter inline-4 engine that promises 155 horsepower and 145 lb.-ft. of torque. Variable cam timing on both exhaust and intake allows for optimized fuel economy and with a 12.0:1 compression ratio there’s more power extracted. Better power and efficiency, who doesn’t like that? Much like on the new Fiesta, Ford has abandoned the conventional automatic transmission and is instead offering only the PowerShift transmission. The dual-clutch unit acts like an automatic but should provide fuel economy numbers better or equal to those of the standard 6-speed manual. No numbers are out yet, but expect something close to 25 mpg city/36 mpg highway. A PowerShift transmission is not a performance option, as it doesn’t come with a mode of operation that allows manual gear selection. We’ll probably get a variation of this technology on a performance RS model with paddles.


The majority of the mechanical components on the 2011 Ford Focus remain familiar. But buyers of this little front-driver will notice a big change from the driver’s seat, particularly when checking out the upgrade options available. A semi-automated parallel-park system, Hi-Fi Sony audio system and 8-in. touch-screen navigation system are but a few examples.

Drivers will likely notice improved handling. A Dynamic Cornering Control system that modulates torque at the front wheels is said to aid in driving feel and cornering performance. We’ll be the judge of that, and we look forward to finding out just how much European tuning has really made it to our shores.