Ford is testing the next generation of the Focus using a mule based on the current generation’s body.
Our friends at CarPix have provided us with the first spy shots of the Ford Focus Mk4. The vehicle you see in the attached photo gallery is a fourth-generation Focus platform hiding on a current-generation Focus. As you can quickly notice, some body parts are riveted in, and most body panels have modifications. These changes are not a coincidence, and the vehicle in the images is not a custom car made by a tuner.
As some of you know, the first phase of testing a new car is the mule stage. The term mule stands for a prototype based on a current vehicle, so that the engineers can worry about the new components and how they operate instead of evaluating an entire platform.
This solution is pretty standard across the automotive industry. Mules first start out as rolling chassis in the carmaker’s workshop and on their respective test tracks. Once they decide the rolling chassis has what it takes to become a road-legal car, they strap a production body to it and adapt it to necessities.
As one can surely notice from viewing our photo gallery, the upcoming Focus will be wider than the current model. The hood, roof, and bumpers feature elements using rivets to accommodate the new dimensions within the current design. Naturally, these riveted parts will go away once prototypes evolve to the production body.
We’ll have to wait a while until Ford commences testing the production body of the Focus Mk4, as the new compact model from the Blue Oval is set to launch as a 2018 model. This means it is almost two years away from production, since it could come to market in early 2018.
The prototype seen in the image gallery appears to have suffered from a drained battery. Since vehicles like these use several mock-up components that are experimental, it is normal for prototypes to break down. Furthermore, testing is done in winter conditions, where even modern batteries suffer from the cold.
As some of you know, the first phase of testing a new car is the mule stage. The term mule stands for a prototype based on a current vehicle, so that the engineers can worry about the new components and how they operate instead of evaluating an entire platform.
This solution is pretty standard across the automotive industry. Mules first start out as rolling chassis in the carmaker’s workshop and on their respective test tracks. Once they decide the rolling chassis has what it takes to become a road-legal car, they strap a production body to it and adapt it to necessities.
As one can surely notice from viewing our photo gallery, the upcoming Focus will be wider than the current model. The hood, roof, and bumpers feature elements using rivets to accommodate the new dimensions within the current design. Naturally, these riveted parts will go away once prototypes evolve to the production body.
We’ll have to wait a while until Ford commences testing the production body of the Focus Mk4, as the new compact model from the Blue Oval is set to launch as a 2018 model. This means it is almost two years away from production, since it could come to market in early 2018.
The prototype seen in the image gallery appears to have suffered from a drained battery. Since vehicles like these use several mock-up components that are experimental, it is normal for prototypes to break down. Furthermore, testing is done in winter conditions, where even modern batteries suffer from the cold.