<div id="subtitle">Carmaker offers upscale small car</div><div><p> Ford has been the focus of attention so far at the Detroit Auto Show, in more ways than one.</p><p>The lone American carmaker without a major government investment, Ford has recently impressed Wall Street with its sales and impressed some auto experts with the improved quality of its products. </p><p>At the Detroit Auto Show, Ford rolled out its next-generation Ford Focus, which it bills as a "world car." Virtually the same car will be built for international markets in plants in North America, Europe and Asia. </p><p>"We built the car part by part from start to finish, from the first piece of sheet metal," said Bruce Hettle, Ford's executive director, Global Manufacturing. "And with every step, each plant -- here in North America, in Europe and in Asia-Pacific -- raised its hand to say, 'Yes, we confirm we can do that.' And it wasn't just engineers and executives. It was also the people who will build the cars on the plant floor." </p><p>Plants in Germany, Spain, the United States and Russia are being readied for production of the new C-car family, and ground has been broken in China for a new assembly plant to join the roster in 2012 - positioning Ford to produce 2 million C-cars globally. </p><p>Ford says that North American models of the new Focus will be equipped with a responsive, fuel-efficient combination of a 2.0-liter I-4 engine with Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) and direct injection (DI) plus a dual-clutch PowerShift transmission. </p><p>"Combining a direct-injected engine and the dual-clutch PowerShift transmission will help Focus redefine fuel economy and flexibility in the C-car segment," said Barb Samardzich, vice president for Ford's global power train development. "The refinement and sheer fun-to-drive nature of the new Focus will surprise a lot of drivers." </p><p>The new engine is designed to deliver an estimated 155 horsepower and 145 ft.-lb. of torque to give drivers ample performance and a refined driving experience. </p><p>Noting there has been a market for small cars for at least 30 years, and that Japanese carmakers have been busy filling it, Ford CEO Alan Mulally said the American carmaker is at last ready to compete. </p><p>Ford says the Focus has been redesigned and improved and offers many safety and fuel economy features found on exotic sports coupes. The Focus currently carries an entry price of just under $17,000 and hasn't won over all the experts. </p><p>"The 2010 Ford Focus is a good value among small sedans and coupes, but it lacks the level of refinement and performance found in other top models," said the editors' review at auto site Edmunds.com. </p><p>Among other things, Edmunds faulted the "budget" interior materials and lack of refinement. Mulally says those issues have been addressed with the new Focus, and undoubtedly that will impact the price. Will American consumers pay a luxury price for a Ford compact? Mulally is betting they will. </p><p>And this isn't the first time that Ford has presented the Focus as a "world car." Edmunds.com notes the company promoted the 2000 Focus as "an all new world car that will be sold initially concurrently with the Escort." </p><p>Some of those early Ford Focus models failed to impress consumers. Over the years, consumers writing to ConsumerAffairs.com have called it "the worst car I've ever owned," complained about numerous repairs, and reported ignition problems, among other things. </p><p>But in fairness, the new Ford Focus, to be launched in late 2010, isn't the same vehicle that currently carries its name. And of course, it won't cost the same either.

</p><p></p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=66813741&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

Copyright 2010  <a href="http://content.mochila.com/api/content/asset?assetID=2010-01-13:ConsumerAffairsInc/consumeraffairscom/Ford_Focuses_On_Improvement_At_D-84493/&uname=mochila_api&cert=d1ff44fd2ac969664ae05bf7687cc5d1&bpid=informcom">consumeraffairs.com</a></div></div>