Press Release
Ford's 'Focus' on Global Cars
The anticipated appearance of the all-new Ford Focus Family lends a great deal of excitement to the forthcoming Bangkok International Motor Show 2005. Said John Felice, president of Ford Thailand: "After generating excitement via the four-door Ford Focus Concept unveiled at the Bangkok Motor Expo in December last year, the whole range of Ford Focus family now comes to Thailand where car enthusiasts will get their first personal encounter with the latest Ford Focus."
Definitely a must-see, the event will feature the unique blend of style, craftsmanship and German technology this exciting new range delivers. The Focus range is built on the reputation of quality and outstanding driving dynamics established by its predecessor. Just when the original Focus had set the benchmark for superior driving dynamics in the compact car segment, here comes the new Focus - raising the bar even further.
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Sleek European styling
According to Mr. Felice, "the design of the new Focus is contemporary and distinctive, and yet maintains clear ties with the first generation, with sleek and sculpted lines flowing across the new Focus range." It is still unmistakably a Ford Focus, with the trademark high gear lamps and characteristic side window graphic.
Slightly larger than its predecessor, the all new Focus has a more muscular stance - highlighted by flared wheel arches that are more prominent and yet more integrated into the overall design. Sitting lower than on any other Ford vehicle, the 'family' nose is steeply raked. From it, the key lines of the body structures sweep up towards the rear - creating a hunched and athletic profile. From the low, wide styling of the nose, a power bulge arches back from the radiator grille to the A-pillars, setting off the prominent "cheekbones" shared by all Focus models.
The New Focus 4-door is clearly an evolution of its earlier counterpart, and was uniquely designed to deliver a more refined sophistication to Asian consumers. It maintains its bold design in sharp and sporting lines of the front and rear pillars. The front view shows the prominent shoulders and bold wheel arches. Overall its lines are more refined, fluid and more integrated.
The new Focus hatch features a distinctive silhouette, emphasized by the angle of the windscreen and by the fast, sporty rear end outline. Probably providing the most dramatic and obvious difference between Focus and its predecessors, the rear, through ingenious packaging of the components beneath, has created for Ford Focus an innovative fast contour, allowing the 3-door to look believable as a coupe as well as being a full-value 5-seater - a silhouette also found in the 5-door model.
The profile features two distinctive lines. First is the sharp crease that comes very tightly around the front wheel arch and actually runs the full length of the vehicle, giving it a milled-out-of-solid-metal look. Secondly, the very sharp line from the center of the nose back over the whole length of the vehicle highlights the fast lines of the A-pillar and the C-pillar across the range of body styles.
The sharp and sporting lines of the front and rear pillars give the new Focus its bold personality, every bit as dynamic as its precursor but in a more refined and integrated manner.
Sheer driving pleasure
The first generation Ford Focus set the benchmark for smooth, sporty driving quality in its class. The new Focus extends that strength to encompass the entire driving experience. "To establish a benchmark for best in-class agility, precision, comfort and stability, the strongest ride and handling characteristics of the competitors were evaluated," said Mr. Felice. "It quickly became clear that the best benchmark was still the Focus."
No doubt the new Focus has been engineered to build on the dynamic capabilities of the original - carrying on the tradition of providing an ultra-stiff body shell, enhanced WRC-patented Control Blade rear suspension and stiff, new front chassis sub-frame - while promising to make strides in comfort and refinement.
Focus 2006 RS World Rally Championship Concept on high gear
Another exciting attraction at the motor show is the new Focus 5-door Concept version of the 2006 Ford Team RS World Rally Car for the upcoming season.
The new-generation Focus continues a motorsport heritage where the Focus has been the backbone of Ford's motor sport activity since 1999. The dynamic lines of the new Ford Focus, and especially the coupe-like stance of the 3-door and 5-door models, provide the perfect base for the dramatic looking 2006 Focus RS WRC Concept.
It is appropriate that a car so widely praised for its driving quality will continue to provide the base for Ford's future rally activities, and the WRC will be the perfect showcase for the dynamic attributes of the new Focus from 2006 onwards.
The all-new Focus will debut in the 2006 WRC circuit to signal the start of a 14-month program that will see the fully developed rally car compete in the opening round of the 2006 season. It is also the start of a four-year program to develop the new Ford Focus into a challenger for WRC success.
Most Sophisticated Focus To Arrive in Thailand
Already the best-selling car in Ford's history, with more than 75 awards to its credit including Europe and North America, the all new Ford Focus has been further improved and refined as the most sophisticated Focus ever.
After six years and four million sales worldwide, the first generation Focus is still one of
The New Focus presents a bold statement with its European sleekness, German engineering and superior driving quality that will appeal to the new generation Thai drivers!
The 2005 Mustang at BIMS
Ford has a long-standing history in cutting-edge design, innovation and performance. From its dramatic introduction in 1964 The Mustang was been the icon of American performance with its bold style, brawny engine and rear-wheel drive excitement. The legend continues in the 2005 model with an all-new platform and design that makes it faster, more agile and better looking than ever. Its accolades continue, having been named to Car and Driver's Top 10 list for 2005.
Creating instant sensation the world over, the 2005 Mustang GT has a very attractive classic look with long hood, short rear deck and forward thrust with pushed forward wheels, all communicating motion even when standstill. Its 4.6 SOHC 3V V8 engine enables the sports car break into the 300 hp arena at 5750 rpm while the V6 engine produces up to 210 hp.
