Press Release
Five-door, bio-ethanol flexi-fuel vehicle
Sales of Britain's top-selling Ford car have broken seven figures, with car number 1,000,000 on display at the British International Motor Show.
The 1,000,000th Focus sold in Britain is a five-door, bio-ethanol flexi-fuel vehicle (FFV), and will be handed to its new owner by Ford of Britain chairman Roelant de Waard at the British International Motor Show on Tuesday.
Roelant said: "Ford has developed a real winner with the Focus. Top of the bestsellers list for eight years proves its amazing popularity with British motorists. The Ford Focus was first with a flexible fuel vehicle in its range. I'm delighted we have found another Ford Focus FFV customer who will be joining us on motor show press day."
The Ford Focus has been Britain's best-selling car for its entire lifetime. When the original went on sale in 1998, it transformed family motoring. With cutting edge styling, exceptional driving dynamics, practicality and value for money, it hit 100,000 sales in just 12 months.
The Focus was initially launched in three and five-door versions, but four-door and estate models soon followed. In 2002 the iconic 215PS, WRC-inspired Focus RS rolled off the production line and British customers snapped up 2,147 of the 4,500 produced for Europe. In 2003 the Focus C-MAX multi-activity vehicle was launched.
An all-new Focus arrived in 2004 and just 12 months later the fastest ever production Focus went on sale: the 220PS Focus ST. At the same time a bio-ethanol version of Focus badged Flexi Fuel Vehicle (FFV) was introduced and in 2006 the Focus family will expand once more with the stylish Coupe Cabriolet due to go on sale in October.
Focus facts
- 1,000,000 Ford Focus models from its debut at the 1998 British International Motor Show to this year's show
- Favourite body style is five-door hatch, accounting for 32 per cent of sales
- Next favourite is the five-door Focus C-MAX Multi-Activity Vehicle (27.5 per cent of sales), followed by three-door hatch (20 per cent), estate (14.5 per cent) and four-door saloon (six per cent)
- Blue is currently the most popular Ford Focus colour (33 per cent), with silver not far behind on 31 per cent .
- 15 per cent of Focus cars are black. Red, accounts for five per cent of the range
- Most blue Focus models were bought at Ford dealers in the Hounslow area of Middlesex, Leicester and Uxbridge, also in Middlesex
- Leicester is the number one home of the grey Ford Focus
- Ford employees take the biggest share of racy red Ford Focus sales, which are registered in Brentwood, Essex – home of Ford of Britain HQ
