SPORTY NEW LOOK FOR 2009 FORD FOCUS COUPE TO DEBUT ON WEDNESDAY ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ EPISODE

* The 2009 Focus coupe is set to debut on “American Idol” on Fox on Wednesday.
* Sporty updates inspired by customer feedback, including new front and rear fascias, a new roof-line spoiler and standard 17-inch aluminum wheels on the SES series, enhance the car’s profile and further differentiate the Focus coupe from the sedan.
* Performance improvements include increased horsepower on 5-speed manual versions and quicker acceleration, thanks to a new final drive ratio on models with four-speed automatic transmissions – without any compromise to Focus’ 35-miles-per-gallon fuel economy rating.
* Focus posted an 88 percent increase in retail sales in April versus a year ago.
DEARBORN, Mich., May 13, 2008 – The hot-selling Ford Focus debuts a new coupe version for the 2009 model year Wednesday on American’s hottest television show – “American Idol.” This marks the first time Ford has ever revealed a new product on prime time television.

“Focus is the little car that delivers in a big way for customers, with 35 mpg fuel economy, cool features including SYNC, a fun drive, strong quality and the right price,” said John Felice, Ford Division group marketing manager. “We’ve built on those strengths to deliver an even sportier coupe version for 2009 and thought the ‘American Idol’ debut would be a new way for customers to see the upgrades for themselves.”


The new Focus coupe can be seen for the first time during the Wednesday broadcast of “American Idol” on FOX, which airs at 9 p.m. EST.


The Focus coupe will be part of the “American Idol” Ford Video featuring this season’s remaining contestants. Episodes of American Idol typically draws an audience of more than 20 million viewers. The 45-second music video also will be featured on the “American Idol” Web site at http://www.americanidol.com under the Ford Music Video page.


Sportier Design
Focus retail sales were up 88 percent in April versus the prior year, and a growing number of younger customers have been buying the new Focus model that was launched in late 2007.

“We’ve spent a lot of time talking with small-car customers and Focus enthusiasts,” said Sam De La Garza, Focus marketing manager. “Their overwhelming feedback was that a sportier exterior design could attract even more Millennials, or those people born between 1980 and 1995 – 11,000 of whom reach driving age every day in the U.S.”

With that in mind, the Focus team sculpted the coupe’s new front and rear fascias to provide a sportier appearance. The lower front fascia incorporates a larger open area that bares a strong resemblance to the acclaimed design of the new global Ford Fiesta subcompact. The fog lamps – now standard – are better integrated into the overall design of the front fascia, and its signature two-bar chrome front grille and chrome accents around the headlamps have been darkened for added differentiation.

“The new coupe looks really sporty,” said Thomas Tang, co-founder of http://www.focusfanatics.com and Ford Focus owner. “It is great to see that Ford values our feedback and is willing to make quick changes.”

“The new front fascia, 17-inch sport wheels and fog lamps remind me of the old Focus SVT models,” Tang added.


For differentiation, the high-end Focus SES will feature a standard high-mounted spoiler that is incorporated into the design of the roof. The high-mounted design contributes to Focus’ overall muscular stance. A decklid spoiler will remain part of the Focus SE exterior design.

New premium-painted Dark Chrome 17-inch aluminum wheels, also standard on SES, complete the coupe’s redesigned exterior.

Sounds ‘Bad’ and Goes Faster -- With More Control
The 2009 Focus SES coupe features more horsepower and a throatier sound, thanks to a new sport-tuned exhaust. The SES coupe with a four-speed automatic transmission will have a new 4.2 final drive ratio to deliver quicker off-the-line acceleration for a faster 0-60 mph time.

A new option for 2009 is electronic stability control (ESC), which uses sophisticated sensors and the anti-lock braking system to help correct skids that can lead to accidents.

Fuel-efficient Powertrains
The 2009 Focus Coupe is equipped with a 2.0-liter, Duratec 20 dual-overhead-cam (DOHC), inline 4-cylinder engine that delivers 143 horsepower when mated to a five-speed manual transmission and 140 horsepower when paired with a four-speed automatic transmission.

Also available is a super-clean, 130-horsepower Duratec 20E engine that qualifies Focus as a Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV). The 20E’s tailpipe emissions are cleaner than some hybrid gas-electric vehicles’. The Duratec 20 and 20E in Focus Coupe are mated to a five-speed manual transmission and achieve EPA-estimated fuel economy of 35 mpg.

SYNC Standard on Focus SES
Also setting the Focus coupe apart from other small cars is Ford’s industry-exclusive SYNC technology, which will be standard equipment on the SES series and optional on the SE. SYNC is a fully integrated in-vehicle, voice-activated communications and entertainment system for customers to use their Bluetooth cell phones and digital media players.

SYNC was first introduced on the 2008 Focus and was an immediate hit with customers, helping to increase Focus’ share in an extremely competitive small-car market. Nearly 50 percent of the 2008 model year Focus units sold during April included SYNC. SYNC-equipped vehicles sell nearly twice as fast as those without.

SYNC also was a feature that helped motivate editors of Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com to name the 2008 Ford Focus one of the “Top Ten Coolest New Cars Under $18,000” in April.

The 2009 Focus Coupe, available later this summer, will have an MSRP that starts at $15,920. All Focus models are built at the Wayne (Mich.) Assembly Plant.





http://media.ford.com/article_...28227



Jalopnik's opinion: http://jalopnik.com/389809/200...a-pig



Before....after only 1 year

 

Good old focaljet...haha memories

Its nice to see the focus has grown up a bit since the 1st gen, but I would still take a used 2003-2004 SVT over a brand new one any day.

 

Ha, they ditched the stupid fender vents. Good I thought they looked horribly out of place anyway.
The Focus is so horribly ugly. I hate the rear end. It's just like the Lancer, the taillights take up far too little room on the rear so that the trunk is barren of any design. Just two tiny tails pushed to the corners and than a huge blank space.
The whole design just screams horribly cheap to me.

 

+1..............

 

So, is this like the reincarnation of the old Ford Fiesta? I heard Ford was trying to bring that back...

 

the last gen focus was so much better.. It was more on par with the youth market more so than this cheapened version. Once Ford ditched John Colletti and the SVT division, I knew they would head down hill The fun is gone.

 

I think I like the 4 door better.

And replace that 4 AT with a CVT already. Maxamize efficiency.

 

I still like the International Focus better (the one that I was used to in Mexico), especially the turbocharged version (below), which gave SRT4 Neons a real run for their money at my track in Mexico, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Focus_(International)

This is a video I took at the track behind one when it took off, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i-NGjZB0A8

 

^^^ That looks a lot better than the first photos at top of the page. Why is it that American car makers continually design, and produce cars that just don't look good?? There are a few exceptions, but not many!

 

I agree completely. There are great Ford cars but they never seem to get it right and market them elsewhere. Here's an idea, save money and market the same car globally.

 

haha, piece of ****

 

j/k, never put my money on anything american but the z06 or the f350 7.3 powerstroke dually.

 

Well of COURSE they did.

 

I have not even seen the coupe out on the road before and they are already giving it an update! Please tell me the interior looks better too than the one I test drove earlier this year.

 

so fast? after a year? well I guess the round fogs look better than the huge square ones.

hmm for some reason, I expected the '09 to be painted in army green.. I guess the grille and rims sorta gave me that impression =P