08 Focus prices finally announced

[igor]

I saw 3 trucks this morning full of them headed both north and south on I-275 so they started shipping. First day I have seen any on trucks. Ford will just do what they did with the '07 Escapes when the '08 came out, throw a huge amount of cash on the hood for a short time and clear the lots.

Ford is officially launching the Focus this week .. so ads and fore-sale models are to appear ..

 

Igor

[old_fairmont_wagon]

One of the advantages to Ford with the new EPA regs is that all the mpg numbers have been brought down a bit, compressing the range between the highest economy models (like the corolla) and the lower economy models. However, the mpg improvements for the 08 Focus are definitely going to have them up there with the top tier of the compat imports. So, now the Focus has competitive gas mileage, better than average handling, better than average options content, competitive safety, and similar overall performance to the mainstream models from all the players. YEah, there's a Sentra SER, and there's still the Corolla XRS, but, you can count that as less than 5% of the whole market. HEck, there's still an S version of the Mazda3, and monster version of the 3, Imprezza and Lancer out there. Doesn't make the base lancer a big seller, nor does it make the imprezza a big seller.

 

People in this market are looking for automotive appliances. The buyers can easily shop based on a laundry list of basic requirements (gas mileage, warranty, purchase price, desired features, safety). Commuters might have their list in a different order than a first time car buyer, but, the net is the same. This will be the first time that the focus has been truly competitive across the board since the early part of the decade. I base that opinion on looking at the alternatives, the new stuff in this focus, and the new focus on economy as well.