- Focus officially dies in November, but it could be replaced by a similar-sized electric and hybrid crossover.
- The new model will reportedly be built in Spain and have a focus on affordability.
- Ford may reuse the Focus nameplate, which is very familiar to European buyers and it could help sales.
The Ford Focus nameplate became synonymous with practicality, sharp looks and having fun when you go a bit too fast around a corner. But after four very successful generations, each with its own highlights, the Focus is now almost dead in Europe (production ends in November). It was once one of the best-selling small hatchbacks there, along with the Fiesta and all other non-crossover or SUV models.
However, Ford is working on a Focus-sized crossover, which will be available with electric and hybrid power, Autocar reported on Thursday, without saying where it got its information.
Ford already sells the Focus-sized Explorer EV in Europe, but that’s built on the Volkwagen MEB platform, and it probably wants to switch to its own platform. Although, considering this is a Euro-only model, it likely won’t be the recently announced Universal EV Platform, since that will first be used in vehicles coming out of the Louisville plant.
The larger Ford Capri coupe-like crossover is also built on MEB, and, like the Explorer EV, it too could be replaced someday with something built on Ford’s own underpinnings. The new crossover could be built on a derivative of its C2 platform used in the outgoing Focus, the Bronco Sport and Escape.
According to Autocar, the new Focus high-rider will roll out of the Blue Oval’s plant in Valencia, Spain, which currently builds the Kuga (known as the Escape in the U.S.). It will somewhat match the Kuga’s size and be offered with both hybrid and fully electric powertrains. Ford will sell it alongside the Kuga as a more electrified alternative to what is a more conventional combustion crossover.
The Kuga is already available with different levels of electrification all the way up to a plug-in hybrid. Ford may be able to sell the Focus crossover at a lower price point than either the Kuga or the Explorer EV, which is how this starts to make more sense.
It would essentially slot in between the Puma (available with either combustion or fully electric power) and the Explorer in terms of both size and price. However, the outlet says, it won’t resemble a typical European-designed Ford, like the Puma, and will instead look more rugged and American. So it may be closer in style to the squared-off Explorer.
There’s also good reason to believe Ford could reuse the Focus nameplate for this new multi-energy crossover. The name holds some weight with European car buyers. And reviving iconic names to reuse them for crossovers—like the Mustang, Capri and Puma—is straight out of Ford’s playbook. Doing the same with the Focus may give the model the best chance of success.
