Ford to Unveil a "Groundbreaking New Vehicle" Along with European Premieres at Geneva Show

As we're nearing closer to the 2011 Geneva Salon, automakers are providing us with more details about their plans. Today, Ford announced that it will display a number of new production and concept cars including what the company simply described as a "groundbreaking new vehicle" without getting into any specifics.

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Top Gear USA Host to Coach Bloggers and Consumers at 2012 Ford Focus Global Test Drive Event in Spain

This young man you're looking at the portrait above is Tanner Foust and he will be on hand to teach bloggers [sic] and consumers at Ford's 2012 Focus global test drive event that will take place in Madrid, Spain from February 18 to 20. And who is Tanner Foust, we hear some of you in the USA and probably all of you outside the North American continent, ask? Well, Foust is one of the hosts of the American edition of the Top Gear show that airs on History Channel.

According to Ford, Foust is also a "rallyist, stunt driver, drift champion and television personality". No offense but we think "an over-hyped racing driver that has been shoved down our throats by PR people and certain websites because he won some low talent events like the X games rally and Formula D drift championship", is a more appropriate description that's closer to reality.

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New Ford Focus Electric: Plug-in EV Unveiled in Production Form, Goes on Sale at the end of 2011

Ford is poised to take on the Nissan Leaf EV and to a lesser extent, the more technologically advanced Chevrolet Volt extended range EV with the all-new Focus Electric that was revealed today in production guise.

The Dearborn company's first-ever all-electric passenger car is based on the latest generation of the Focus five-door hatchback. Hiding behind the very Aston Martin-like grille is an electric drivetrain comprising of an electric motor capable of 123 HP and 181 lb-ft of torque, and a single-speed transmission.

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2012 Ford Focus Electric Teaser Photos Released Ahead of CES

We've known for quite some time now that Ford is preparing an all-electric version of its latest generation Focus subcompact, but the Detroit automaker released a set of cropped teaser images showing the car's plug-in port located on the front fender on its Facebook page today. The company also noted that it will have "big news" about the Focus EV at this week's 2011 Consumers Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

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2012 Ford Focus Gains Torque Vectoring Control for Improved Handling

The 2012 Focus will be available with a new vehicle stability control system, which uses torque vectoring to improve the car’s handling. According to Ford, the system was inspired from downhill skiing and snowboarding techniques.

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2012 Ford C-MAX: Euro-Sourced Minivan Detailed Ahead of Detroit Show Debut

Ford is returning to the U.S. minivan market with the all-new Focus based and European developed, C-MAX, which will get its debut at the increasingly interesting North American International Auto Show in Detroit this January.

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Ford Begins European Production of New 2011 Focus in Germany

Ford announced today that volume production of its all-new Focus range for the European market has begun at the firm's Saarlouis Assembly Plant in South-West Germany. The factory, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, will be the single-source for production of the 2011 Focus in Western Europe, building all three body styles, including four-door, five-door and station wagon, with production of the high-performance 250HP ST model to follow in early 2012.

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LA Show 2010: Ford Displays Tuned 2012 Focus Hatchbacks

Three personalized Focus models will also be on display at Ford's 2010 Los Auto Show stand, giving visitors an idea of how they could improve their stock rides. The cars received a makeover consisting mostly of visual enhancements from Ford Vehicle Personalization, FSWerks and 3dCarbon.

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LA Show 2010: Ford Focus Race Car Concept

Making its world premiere in LA today is the Focus Race Car Concept that will form the base for the Blue Oval's next global touring race car. Powered by a 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the new racing model will get its first shot on the tarmac at the 2011 British Touring Car Championship.

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2012 Ford Focus to get 160HP 2.0-liter with Direct-Injection and 40mpg

Ford today revealed new details on the 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine that will be offered on the North American market 2012 Focus when it arrives in U.S. showrooms next year. This newly designed powerplant marries direct injection technology with twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT) and E85 flex fuel capability. The latter gives drivers the choice of using less-expensive E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.

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VIDEO: Ford Shows Off 2012 Focus ST on the Road

For anyone secretly hoping that the Ford Focus ST Paris Show car would look better in motion, we're sorry to say it does not. Somehow this video makes that 'gaping mouth' grille look even worse, and all the odd creases and curves stand out even more. That 'Tangerine Scream' paintwork isn't doing it any favors either.

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Ford UK Launches New Focus Sport Special Edition

Far more often than not, when a mainstream carmaker like Ford uses the 'Sport' nametag on a special or limited edition of one of its series production models, chances are that some marketing team found another way to abuse the term. And sure enough, that's the case with Ford UK's limited edition Focus Sport.

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New Focus ST: Ford Releases More Info and Pics of 250HP Hot Hatch

Ford has released some more official info regarding its new GTI-fighting boy racer, the 2012 Focus ST, which will make its world premiere in Paris on September 30th. As we've already told you, the golden catfish will be propelled by a 250-horsepower four-cylinder engine and rides on snazzy 19-inch rims spun by 360 Nm / 265 lb ft of torque. The car also rides a centimeter lower than the standard Focus.

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Hot Hatch Smackdown Poll: Ford Focus ST vs Opel GTC

With both the Ford Focus ST and Opel GTC set to debut in Paris, the hot hatch world is astir. If you're in a "global" market and interested in going fast on the cheap, these are looking to be two serious contenders.

The big difference here is shaping to be extra output in a traditionally showy hot-hatch package, or a sleek and sophisticated ride with potentially less power. But first, a joke: what would a diesel Ford Focus ST be called? Think about it.

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Ford Focus ST Paris Show Car with 250HP 2.0L Turbo Unveiled, Available Worldwide from 2012

Revealed today ahead of its planned debut at the Paris Motor Show, is the all-new Ford Focus ST. Shown here in pre-production form, the hottest member of the new Focus family (that is, until Ford decides to present a successor to the RS), will go on sale in "all global markets" from early 2012, following the introduction of the mainstream Focus models in Spring of 2011. We assume that by "all global markets", Ford means the performance version of the new Focus will also be sold in the States, with or without (SVT?) the ST badge.

Based on the five-door version of the new Focus, the ST is visually differentiated from its regular brethren through a dare-we-say (and not in a positive way), tuner-like bodykit.

The styling package includes a new front bumper with a 'gaping mouth' grille and additional air ducts, side skirts, a larger roof spoiler and a rear apron with air vents and central exhaust pipes. The show car is finished in a new color Ford calls 'Tangerine Scream' while the ST also gets a set of beefy 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 235/35 ZR 19 rubber.

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Insider: Ford to Reveal New Focus ST Paris Show Car this Week

According to Carscoop sources, we won't have to wait until the grand opening of the Paris Motor Show on September 30 to catch our first glimpse of the next generation Focus ST as Ford will release photos and preliminary specs on the hot hatch before the end of the week. The almost production-ready show car is based on the new five-door Focus (the three door version has not yet been revealed).

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2011 Ford C-MAX and C-MAX Grand Pricing Announced in the UK

Ford today announced pricing on the all-new Focus-based five-seater C-MAX MPV and its seven-seater sibling, the C-MAX Grand, which will go on sale in the UK this October (U.S. sales of this model will start in late 2011). Both will be offered in a simplified two trim line-up (Zetec and Titanium) with prices starting from £16,745 for the C-MAX Zetec and £18,745 for the C-MAX Grand Zetec.

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First Focus RS500 makes its way to Ford's Heritage Museum

Having finished its motoring press cycle, the first production example of Ford's limited run Focus RS500 hot hatch is heading to the company's museum at Dagenham in east London, UK, joining other famous blue oval models such as the 1970 London to Mexico winning Escort, the RS200 and the 2005 GT supercar.

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BBR Releases Tuning Packages with up to 404HP for Ford Focus RS

The tuning specialists over at BBR, a company best known for its 500HP + RS Cosworth builds in the late 80's and 90's and more recently for its Mazda MX5 turbo conversions, are now offering four stages of performance enhancements along with a series of suspension upgrades for the second generation of the Ford Focus RS hot hatch.

In factory guise, the Focus RS comes with a 2.5-liter forced-fed inline-five that churns out 300-horsepower and a peak torque of 295 ft/lbs (400Nm). The tuning firm's £595 Phase 1 package kicks output to 342HP at 6,150rpm and 369 ft/lbs at 3,350rpm through an ECU remap.

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Ford Focus RS Confirmed for Australia, 315 Units Heading Down Under

We know what you're thinking, but isn't it better late than never? More than a year after its market launch in Europe and as production is nearing to an end, Ford today delivered the blissful news that the Focus RS is on its way to Australia in a strictly limited run.

"Customers, the motoring press, Ford enthusiasts and hot hatch fans have all been constantly asking us about Focus RS and when it might be coming to Australia, so we're very pleased and incredibly excited to be able to confirm for everyone today that it's on its way and will be here soon," Ford Australia President & CEO Marin Burela said.

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