Ford Celebrates 350 Millionth Vehicle

From Ford.com:

• Ford Focus is best-selling car model in the world for the first half of 2012
• New Focus built today in Thailand marks milestone as 350 millionth vehicle produced in Ford Motor Company’s 109-year history
• Customers around the world are benefiting from One Ford plan, which is creating the industry’s freshest lineup with a full family of vehicles offering leading quality, fuel efficiency, safety, smart design and value

“Producing 350 million vehicles is equivalent to producing one vehicle every 10 seconds for our 109-year history. If placed end to end, the vehicles would stretch to the moon and back – twice,” said John Fleming, Ford executive vice president of global manufacturing. “Producing this vehicle in Thailand also is significant. It underscores the power of our One Ford plan to deliver profitable growth with great products built in ultra-flexible and efficient facilities everywhere around the world.”

Read entire article here.

Stop by Lakewood Fordland to see the best-selling Ford Focus.

Video: 2012 Ford Focus Introduction

Learn more about the popular 2012 Ford Focus with this in-depth introduction video.  Then contact Lakewood Fordland to schedule your test drive!

Ford to Add Optional Stick-Shift to Focus Titanium Series

From Ford.com:

A key objective for the 2012 Focus was to offer customers more choices by extending the models offered in the marketplace. Previously announced models include the highly anticipated Focus Electric and the high-performance 250 hp ST model. Additionally, in response to customer demand, Ford will now offer a five-speed manual transmission in the range-topping Titanium Focus models. Buyers migrating from higher-price import brands frequently prefer manual transmissions, especially automotive enthusiasts. Now those buyers can have a manual and their creature comforts.


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2012 Ford Focus Makes Best Redesigned Vehicle List

kbb.com has named the 2012 Ford Focus to its '10 Best Redesigned Vehicles' list. 

"The Ford Focus has been more than just redesigned for 2012; it's been reworked, restyled and completely changed from the model it replaces."

Read the article here.

Learn more about the Ford Focus at Lakewood Fordland.

2012 Ford Focus Featured on DriveLiveTV

Watch a video about the 2012 Ford Focus on DriveLiveTV.  Then schedule your own test drive at Lakewood Fordland. 

High Gear Media Named Ford Focus a 'Best Car to Buy 2012'

High Gear Media has named the Ford Focus as one of its recommended 'Best Cars to Buy 2012':

High Gear Media, the fastest growing automotive publisher on the Web, today named three cars as its “Best Cars to Buy 2012”–the Ford Focus, the Porsche 911 and the Toyota Prius. The awards were named by expert editors from High Gear Media’s premium destination sites The Car Connection, Motor Authority and Green Car Reports.


The Ford Focus was named The Car Connection’s Best Car to Buy 2012 after being chosen by the site’s editors from amongst a field of 40 nominees using the site’s unique “meta reviews” that combine reviews by staff journalists with opinions gathered from around the Web – all presented together with a simple rating. “The 2012 Ford Focus has great looks, gas mileage and handling, plus some of the most advanced technology features in its class,” according to Marty Padgett, editorial director of High Gear Media. The Focus earned the highest rating from editors this year, topping other brand-new vehicles such as the Hyundai Veloster, Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, and Chevy Sonic.

Read entire press release here.

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2 Ford Vehicles Make Back-to-School List

Two Ford vehicles have made kbb.com's Back-to-School list:

Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com has announced its picks for the 2011 Top 10 Back-to-School Cars, a mix of both new and used cars and trucks. Ford has two vehicles on the list, the 2012 Focus and the 2007 F-150. Young drivers love the Focus, kbb says, because “it looks cool on the outside, modern on the inside, handles with more than a hint of sportiness and offers advanced audio and information technology.” For those who subscribe to “bigger is better,” kbb says the 2007 Ford F-150 is their back to school ride. It “boasts five-star NHTSA front crash ratings, beefy good looks and all the practical hauling and towing abilities afforded by a proper pickup truck.”

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2 Ford Vehicles Named to Top Green Car List

The 2011 Ford Fusion Hybrid and 2012 Ford Focus were named to the kbb.com 2011 Top 10 Green Car List.  Read more about it here.

Stop by Lakewood Fordland to learn more about Ford's green technology.

2012 Ford Focus Offers Colorful Customization Options

The 2012 Ford Focus will offer a colorful variety of customization options:

•Ford Fiesta continues to deliver personalization options for customers, with the debut of three new packages for 2012. The offerings include two interior packages and one exterior package


•Forty percent of buyers purchase at least one accessory for their Fiestas, with more than 26,000 Ford Custom Accessories items already sold

•The new interior package delivers a custom look with two-tone seating surfaces, door trim inserts, steering wheel and interior components, and is available in both Race Red and Oxford White

•Inspired by the European Ford Focus RS, the premium sport appearance package offers customers several blacked-out components, along with a performance improvement when ordered with a manual transmission

Read entire article here.
Learn more about the Ford Focus at Lakewood Fordland.

Motor Trend First Drive: 2012 Ford Focus

Motor Trend recently took their first test drive of the 2012 Ford Focus and had a lot of great comments:

Going down the road, the 2012 Focus is a solid, confident performer. Steering through the meaty, well-shaped wheel is quick, precise, and nicely weighted, though the feel is a bit lacking. Set course for the apex and hold on, because the Focus will turn in and take a line better than any economy car should, even if you don't spring for the Sport model or the Titanium Handling package. It really is a joy to drive this car hard, even if that's not the point. Push too hard and the front tires will start to give way to understeer, but it's mostly avoidable if you set up the corner right. The trade-off, should you go for one of the sportier packages, is a ride that is firm by economy car standards, but not punishing.

As has been the trend amongst compact sedans lately, the Ford Focus has vaulted from forgettable to formidable in one fell swoop. The improvements to the new car are night and day compared to what we had, and we'd expect no less from an all-new car. With both sedan and hatchback models available and an impressive-looking electric model on the way (and possibly a wagon as well, if the rumors are true), Ford has planted a very large flag on the compact sedan hill.

Read the entire article here.

Learn more about the Ford Focus at Lakewood Fordland.

Ford Brings Superior Shifting to Ford Focus

The 2012 Ford Focus will feature an inventive transmission technology that will offer superior shifting:

•2012 Ford Focus, featuring a 2.0-liter direct-injection gasoline engine and PowerShift dry-clutch six-speed automatic transmission, incorporates Ford’s patented Torque Hole Filling (THF) technology for smoother, more seamless shift quality


•THF uses a combination of mathematical modeling and computer-aided engineering tools, along with other enabling transmission technologies to deliver smoother upshifts

•Originally penned in 1986, the Ford-developed THF invention disclosure came to fruition as computing power and transmission technologies caught up with the pioneering idea

•In internal evaluations, THF improved shift quality ratings by up to 2 points (out of 10) in comparison to baseline shifts with conventional controls

Read entire article here.
 
Learn more about the Ford Focus at Lakewood Fordland.

Torque Vectoring Control Comes to Ford Focus

The 2012 Ford Focus will include Torque Vectoring Control to provide increased vehicle stability.  This was developed based on the principals learned from downhill skiing and snowboarding. 

•The all-new 2012 Ford Focus features standard torque vectoring control to increase vehicle stability in turns by applying slight braking force to one side


•Torque vectoring control is a Focus class-exclusive feature that serves as a confidence-builder for novice drivers, while pleasing enthusiasts with added control when cornering

•Torque vectoring control provides stabilizing braking force to an individual drive wheel in a similar way that a skier or board-rider would shift weight to carving edge when turning

Read entire article here.
 
Find out more about the Ford Focus at Lakewood Fordland.

Recycled Clothing Finds its Way to 2012 Ford Focus

Ford's committment to the environment is showing in the use of recycled clothing in the interior of the 2012 Ford Focus:

•Ford is using recycled cottons in the interior of the new 2012 Focus as part of carpet backing and sound absorption material


•Cotton from post-consumer, recycled blue jeans is an example of the material used in the new Focus as part of the drive to find creative eco-friendly materials

•The use of environmentally friendly materials is part of the company’s commitment to “reduce, reuse and recycle”

The 2012 Focus, on sale early next year in North America and Europe, uses these cottons from recycled clothing in areas such as carpet backing and sound-absorption materials for interior quietness. Using environmentally friendly materials, including recycled clothing, is one part of Ford’s overall green strategy.


“Ford is continually looking for greener alternatives,” said Carrie Majeske, product sustainability manager. “One of our key goals is to use more recycled or renewable materials without compromising performance or durability. Recycled content is a way to divert waste from landfills and reduce the impact of mining virgin material.”

Ford’s “reduce, reuse and recycle” commitment is part of the company’s broader global sustainability strategy to reduce its environmental footprint while at the same time accelerating the development of advanced, fuel-efficient vehicle technologies around the world.

Read entire article here.

Learn more about the Ford Focus at Lakewood Fordland.

2012 Ford Focus Named Official Car of 2011 International CES

The 2012 Ford Focus has been named the Official Car of the 2011 International CES to be held in Las Vegas in January:

•The new Ford Focus will be the official car of the 2011 International CES held on Jan. 6-9 in Las Vegas


•The all-new Focus is an ideal matchup for CES; demonstrating that high-end, high-demand tech features such as Ford SYNC, MyFord Touch, HD Radio, and in-car Wi-Fi capability can be expertly blended into a fun-to-drive car expected to deliver 40 mpg on the highway

•Focus four-door sedan and sporty five-door hatchback models are set to go on sale in early 2011

Read entire article here.
 
Learn more about the Ford Focus at Lakewood Fordland.

2012 Ford Focus to Add SE Sport and Titanium Packages

The 2012 Ford Focus will bring even more choice to consumers with the addition of the SE Sport and Titanium packages:

•All-new 2012 Ford Focus range elevates driving dynamics with standard electric power-assisted steering (EPAS), Control Blade rear suspension and torque vectoring control, making the vehicle feel more responsive and agile in corners



•Top-of-the-line Ford Focus Titanium model features standard sport-tuned suspension in addition to offering an optional Titanium Handling Package with 18-inch alloy wheels and summer performance tires


•Mid-range Ford Focus SE offered with available SE Sport Package featuring alloy wheels, sport seats, rear disc brakes, piano black grille, unique interior appointments and five-speed manual transmission

Read entire article here.

Find out  more about the Ford Focus at Lakewood Fordland.

2012 Ford Focus Will Offer Power & Fuel Efficiency

The 2012 Ford Focus will offer one of the most powerful, fuel-efficient engines in its class:

•All-new Ford Focus will be powered by a fuel-efficient 2.0-liter DOHC I-4 engine with twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT), direct gasoline injection and E85 flex fuel capability that will deliver a projected 40 mpg highway


•New 2.0-liter is one of the most powerful, fuel-efficient and refined engines in its class and one of the most advanced non-turbocharged four-cylinder powerplants Ford has ever offered

•New engine reinforces Ford powertrain strategy that delivers on fuel economy leadership without sacrificing driving fun throughout its global offerings

The 2.0-liter engine coming early next year to the North American version of the 2012 Ford Focus will be one of the first on the market to combine the technology of gasoline direct injection (DI) with twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT) and E85 flex fuel capability.

The combination of these technologies help make the dual-overhead-camshaft (DOHC) Focus 4-cylinder one of the most powerful, fuel-efficient and refined engines in its class and one of the most advanced non-turbocharged four-cylinder powerplants Ford has ever offered. Horsepower is rated at 160 and torque 146 lb.-ft.
Read entire article here.

Find out more about the fuel-efficient Ford Focus at Lakewood Fordland.