page_title: Ford Focus
section_title: First generation (1998–2007)
hierarchical_section_title: Ford Focus / First generation (1998–2007)
caption_attribution_description: English: 2002 Ford Focus Ghia Saloon 1.8 Rear Taken in Leamington Spa
context_page_description: The Ford Focus is a compact car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company and created under Alexander Trotman's Ford 2000 plan, which aimed to globalize model development and sell one compact vehicle worldwide. The original Focus was primarily designed by Ford of Europe's German and British teams.
  The Focus was released in July 1998 in Europe, succeeding the Ford Escort, and replaced the Mazda Familia-derived Ford Laser in Asia and Oceania along with the Laser-based North American Escort. Wayne Stamping & Assembly started producing the Focus for North America with sales beginning in 1999. The last North American-produced Focus rolled off the line at the Michigan Assembly Plant on May 4, 2018. Production of a fourth generation Focus began elsewhere in 2018.
context_section_description: 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 senior management 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 publisher Burda, ordered Ford to avoid the name "Focus" for the cars in the German market since the name was already taken by one of its magazines (Focus). This eleventh-hour dispute was resolved, however, and the car was launched with the name Focus. The Focus MK1 was awarded the 1999 European Car of the Year award. The project manager for the Ford Focus at Dunton was Rose Mary Farenden.
  Ford of North America began marketing the Focus in September 1999 for the 2000 model year, with some changes from the European version. The car was launched as a three-door hatchback, four-door sedan, and five-door wagon; a five-door hatchback debuted in 2001.
  In 2002, Ford launched its highest performance version of the Focus, called the Focus RS. It came with a 2.0-litre turbocharged Duratec RS engine, a Quaife ATB limited-slip differential, Brembo brakes, and a host of other performance changes, combined with a much more aggressive appearance, and was available only in Ford's Imperial blue. 70% of the components found on the Focus RS were unique, revised or uprated. This original Focus RS was only available in Europe with a limited run of 4501 cars being built; just under half (2147) of these were sold in the UK.
  For decades, in the U.S., small cars like the Focus were seen as a tool to draw in younger buyers looking for a cheap basic transportation and to increase auto makers' fleet average fuel economies to meet U.S. federal standards. Ford was said not to concern about losing money on the Focus so the company could sell gas guzzlers for big profits. However, recent sales of new Focus's have been able to maintain lower or overall discounting incentive rates than many competing vehicles in its class. Many industry insiders view cars like the Focus as 'compliance cars' because of their role in helping to bring up the corporate fleet average fuel economy to meet current fuel-economy standards.
caption: Ford Focus Sedan (first generation)
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