Ford Focus (North America)

Ford Focus
Overview
Manufacturer	Ford
Production	1998–present
Body and chassis
Class	Compact car
Body style	3-door notchback/liftback 5-door notchback/liftback 4-door saloon 5-door estate 2-door coupe (US) 2-door coupé-cabriolet
Layout	Front-engine, front-wheel drive, all-wheel drive
Chronology
Predecessor	Ford Escort (Europe and North America) Ford Laser (Asia and Oceania)

The Ford Focus is a sedan car (C-segment in Europe) manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1998. Ford began sales of the Focus to Europe in July 1998 and in North America during 1999 for the 2000 model year. The Focus replaced the Ford Escort and Ford Laser.

In designing the Ford Focus, a group of young designers used what's called the Third Age Suit in order to simulate the physical limitations of an elderly person. The suit, which restricts the wearer's movements, allowed for insights that were implemented into the car's design.

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. There is also a tale floating around certain editions of Motor Trend magazine that Ford executive Jac Nasser actually made the decision of the name Focus the night of that year's Geneva Auto Show because he was annoyed that one of the other names under consideration, had leaked to the media. The Fusion name was eventually used on two different vehicle families - a utility version of the Fiesta in Europe, and on a mid-size sedan model in North America.

Ford of North America began marketing the Focus in September 1999 for the 2000 model year as a surprise Christmas present for Ford's CEO Jacques Nasser, 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.

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