The arrival of Ford’s third generation Focus looks like shaking up the compact-medium (C) segment here in Brazil but it will soon face new competition.
In this market, sedans are more popular than hatchbacks and that’s what Ford will focus on with the new line – competition includes the locally produced Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla sedans and the Chevrolet Cruze.
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On the hatchback front, the outgoing Focus had not had to face up to a contemporary VW Golf rival for years – VW’s near-zero investment here saw the Mark IV – replaced elsewhere in 2004 – remain in production, albeit updated. But the latest Focus will soon face new competitors: VW is to build the new Golf VII locally and a redesigned Corolla is due out in the first half of 2014.
Along with other automakers, Ford has made a strategic decision to align its Brazilian model range a little more closely with those sold overseas. The gap is about two years currently but will drop to 1.5 years on average. The Focus will get a restyle in Europe next year.
The model will be the first car made in South America (it is built in Argentina) to achieve five stars in the Latin America NCAP crash test.
The two litre, 175 bhp engine is a flexfuel unit with direct injection that can run on pure ethanol in Brazil – the same engine can cope with a 15% petrol mix in the US. The direct injection allows it to start from cold in temperatures as low as -10°C/14°F so there is no need for a petrol start system or ethanol pre-heating. Power output is up 13% and average fuel economy is up to 15% better. The optional automatic transmission is Ford’s Powershift six speed twin clutch unit.
The 1.6 litre port injection engine, available only in the hatchback, has gained 4.9bhp (133bhp now) and is rated A-grade for fuel consumption under the local Inmetro standards.
An eight inch touch screen and hands free parking assistant are available for the top Titanium versions. The saloon’s boot has, however, lost 105 litres compared with its predecessor: it is now the segment’s smallest with 412 litres of capacity.
Prices range from BRL60,990/US$27,100 to BRL87,990/$39,100 (hatch) and BRL69,890/$31,100 to BRL89,900/$39,900 (saloon).
