Ford Focus Facing Some Stiff Competition

The ford focus is a compact car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1998. Ford began sales of the Focus to Europe in July 1998 and in North America during 1999 for the 2000 model year. In Europe, South America, North America and South Africa, the Focus replaced the various Ford Escorts sold in those markets. In Asia and Australasia, it replaced the Ford Laser. Ford of Europe introduced the Focus in 1998 to the European market as a replacement for the Ford Escort. The decision to name the new car the ford focus was made in early 1998, as Ford’s overheads had been planning to keep the “Escort” nameplate for its new generation of small family cars. A last minute problem arose in July 1998 when a Cologne court, responding to a case brought by the publishers Burda, ordered Ford to avoid the name “Focus” for the German market cars since the name was already taken by the publisher’s Focus magazine. This last-minute dispute was overcome, however, and the car was launched without a different German market name.

The Ford Focus was popular and well-liked when it debuted in 2000, but over time the competition improved, and the Focus lost its appeal. Now, Ford has completely redesigned the Focus in hopes that it will regain its reputation as a top choice among affordable small cars. With well-rounded competitors, Ford has revamped the Focus from the inside out to take on the competition. The interior was one of the first things to change, now featuring more high tech options
The 2012 ford focus also gets MyKey and MyFord, two features that are available on other models like the Ford Edge. MyFord integrates entertainment, navigation and communication into a touch screen console. Ford doesn’t forget the car safety facts, so they added MyKey which is a safety feature that restricts vehicle speed and stereo volume while your teen drives. The industry is also excited about the Focus’s standard torque vectoring control – a first for a car in this class. Torque vectoring control increases vehicle stability by adding brake force to wheels on one side during turns, and is a great feature for driving enthusiasts.

The 2012 Ford Focus is facing some stiff competition. Among them, there’s the Honda Fit, which is regarded as one of the roomiest and most utilitarian hatches on the market. The Fit is also about $3,000 cheaper than the Focus hatch and about $1,200 cheaper than the Focus sedan. Combined, it’s utility and value earned it our Best Hatchback for the Money award. If compare the Ford Focus, Honda Fit is your best bet since it is one of the best combinations of affordability and utility.