New Ford Focus Estate Goes into Production

American manufacturer Ford announced the new Focus range has just been expanded with the estate version of the all-new Focus, now going into volume production in Europe.The new German-built model is being shipped to dealers for sale from late May, when customers will get to choose between two bodystyles, namely a five-door and the new estate variant.

“Customer and media reception for the all-new five-door Focus has been exceptional, and we expect an equally enthusiastic welcome for the estate model,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing Sales and Service, Ford of Europe. “Ford dealers across Europe are seeing strong demand as they launch the new Focus range, with well over 20,000 customer orders by early April – and this figure is rising fast."

“New Ford Focus brings class-leading levels of technology, design and driving quality to the medium car market, and the estate will deliver these same qualities to an even broader group of customers,” he added.

At 2,648mm, the estate shares the same wheelbase as the five-door model, but to accommodate a larger load area, while overall length is increased by 198mm to 4,556mm.

Key highlights of the new Focus Estate include standard polished aluminum roof rails (for a complete roof carrier system, including dedicated cross bar fittings to transport everything from bicycles to skis), rear seat belt reminders and power operated rear door child locks.

"The estate has always been a key strength of the Ford Focus range in Europe and its popularity is second only to the five-door," said Gunnar Herrmann, who oversaw the development of the new Focus as Ford's global medium car line director. "Customers want the extra space and flexibility a traditional estate provides, but still expect all the technology, great driving dynamics, and superb styling of the five-door.”