2022 Ford Focus Facelift Revealed

[rperez817]

13 minutes ago, GearheadGrrrl said:

But some of the folks here are pretty invested in Ford, and I don't mean just in stock. I include myself in these Ford fans, but with the sobering realization that Ford has fallen a long ways from the glory days of the 60s. Having a fan base is a good thing for Ford, but look at the HOG(NYSE) fan base or more accurately, cult- While it was nice to have a reliable stream of Harley customers, the Harley cult chased away new customers and doomed innovative products like Buell and the V-Rod to failure. Hopefully Ford is not following HOG(NYSE)'s bad example...

 

I don't own Ford stock like you do GearheadGrrrl, but am invested in Ford as a Ford "sheeple" who buys Ford vehicles out of loyalty to the Blue Oval.

 

The reason Ford has fallen so far since the 1960s is because their corporate culture tolerates making the same mistakes over and over. With U.S. market Focus for example, Ford messed up some aspect of the vehicle whether quality, design, marketing strategy, etc. ever since the 1st gen came out over 20 years ago and kept messing things up until the 3rd gen was discontinued. 

 

 

That culture is finally showing signs of change for the better. I think that the steep drop in market share that Ford experienced in the U.S. market so far in 2021 is a temporary thing, and that globally in the regions where Ford still does business, things may stabilize in the next few years especially with the transition to 100% electric vehicles.

 

[rmc523]

2 hours ago, GearheadGrrrl said:

Since when is killing off high volume products whose development and tooling was long ago paid for and spending billions to replace them with a bunch of niche products a viable business strategy?

 

Tooling long ago paid for?  So you want them to continue producing the same vehicle for decades like Crown Vic?  That approach was already failing with Fusion and Focus.  You know they'd have to invest billions to produce a new model of the existing nameplate too, right?  The choices aren't just "free Focus" or "billions on Bronco Sport".

[rperez817]

2022 Ford Focus price lists and spec sheets are now available for the Germany market. Base prices range from 22,450 € for Focus "Cool & Connect" hatchback with 1.0L 100 hp 6-speed manual to 42,600 € for Focus ST X wagon/estate with 2.3L 280 hp 7-speed automatic.

• Regular Focus. PL-ford_focus_NEW.pdf
• Focus ST. PL-ford_focus_st_NEW.pdf

[DeluxeStang]

On 10/19/2021 at 10:06 AM, GearheadGrrrl said:

If VW and Toyota can made a profit on cars, what's Ford's problem?

Toyota has a very positive consumer perception of their sedans and hatchbacks. The idea is, you'll pay more for this, because it's a Toyota, and will last a long time. By comparison, Ford sedans and hatchbacks aren't perceived as positively. So dealerships have to offer generous incentives to appeal to consumers. Destroying the profit margin for ford's car lineup. This isn't exactly fair imo, because it seems like the fusion and tarus were genuinely well built, reliable, and compelling cars, albeit outdated. 

[DeluxeStang]

19 hours ago, akirby said:

 

They’re also the only mfr with a BEV utility/full sized pickup/full sized van, 2 off road utilities and a full range of pickup trucks.

 

You guys act like they just killed cars and didn’t replace them with anything new.

Precisely, imo, what they've done is killed off decent, but somewhat bland products, and replaced them with far more compelling options.

[DeluxeStang]

6 hours ago, GearheadGrrrl said:

Since when is killing off high volume products whose development and tooling was long ago paid for and spending billions to replace them with a bunch of niche products a viable business strategy?

Well, in N. America at least, the Bronco, Maverick and other similar vehicles that replaced things like the focus will almost certainly outsell the focus over the life of the vehicle. Not just outselling the focus, but outselling it at a higher price. Not to mention, to keep the fusion, focus, and fiesta competitive in the US would have almost certainly required designing and engineering new generations for all three nameplates, and retooling the plants that build them. The other option would be to import the existing focus and fiesta from Europe. Which would only serve to drastically increase the price of ford's hatchbacks in the US. Hurting their sales potential.

[DeluxeStang]

4 hours ago, GearheadGrrrl said:

But some of the folks here are pretty invested in Ford, and I don't mean just in stock. I include myself in these Ford fans, but with the sobering realization that Ford has fallen a long ways from the glory days of the 60s. Having a fan base is a good thing for Ford, but look at the HOG(NYSE) fan base or more accurately, cult- While it was nice to have a reliable stream of Harley customers, the Harley cult chased away new customers and doomed innovative products like Buell and the V-Rod to failure. Hopefully Ford is not following HOG(NYSE)'s bad example...

I'd argue the opposite, just like in the 60s, Ford is introducing a ton of new vehicles that have already garnered a significant amount of interest. The brand is innovating more now, than they have in decades. The products themselves have never been better in terms of things like design, performance, tech, or reliability. Ford is far from a dead or washed out brand. The brightest days for this company are still ahead of it imo.

[rperez817]

19 minutes ago, DeluxeStang said:

Ford sedans and hatchbacks aren't perceived as positively. So dealerships have to offer generous incentives to appeal to consumers. Destroying the profit margin for ford's car lineup.

 

This is the vicious cycle that Ford got caught in with its U.S. market sedans and hatchbacks. The company absolutely did the right thing exiting those market segments. By the late 2010s, Ford was at the point where the expenditures necessary to make those vehicles competitive would never produce an appropriate return.

[DeluxeStang]

9 minutes ago, rperez817 said:

 

This is the vicious cycle that Ford got caught in with its U.S. market sedans and hatchbacks. The company absolutely did the right thing exiting those market segments. By the late 2010s, Ford was at the point where the expenditures necessary to make those vehicles competitive would never produce an appropriate return.

Exactly, and if we did get a new fusion, or focus here right now, it would probably be half-baked honestly. I'd rather have Ford invest it's resources into products it believes in, and actually wants to put effort into.

[FordBuyer]

1 hour ago, DeluxeStang said:

Toyota has a very positive consumer perception of their sedans and hatchbacks. The idea is, you'll pay more for this, because it's a Toyota, and will last a long time. By comparison, Ford sedans and hatchbacks aren't perceived as positively. So dealerships have to offer generous incentives to appeal to consumers. Destroying the profit margin for ford's car lineup. This isn't exactly fair imo, because it seems like the fusion and tarus were genuinely well built, reliable, and compelling cars, albeit outdated. 

 

I remember many negative stories about the Focus and they continue, but very few negative stories about the Fusion. Most reviewers praised the Fusion for its looks and many engine options. It was a winner and even had to expand production at one point to keep up with demand. Ford dealers were very upset to learn of Fusion demise.

 

Now Ford promised a "white space" vehicle to replace it called the Fusion Active and keep Ford dealers happy. I'm starting to question this as time passes and no word yet. L.A. Auto Show is only weeks away and we shall see. Seems like suppliers would have talked by now if Fusion Active was almost here. Maybe it got axed as Ford moves into electric mode. 

[rmc523]

1 hour ago, FordBuyer said:

 

I remember many negative stories about the Focus and they continue, but very few negative stories about the Fusion. Most reviewers praised the Fusion for its looks and many engine options. It was a winner and even had to expand production at one point to keep up with demand. Ford dealers were very upset to learn of Fusion demise.

 

Now Ford promised a "white space" vehicle to replace it called the Fusion Active and keep Ford dealers happy. I'm starting to question this as time passes and no word yet. L.A. Auto Show is only weeks away and we shall see. Seems like suppliers would have talked by now if Fusion Active was almost here. Maybe it got axed as Ford moves into electric mode. 

 

I was under the impression the Evos essentially was the Fusion active?

[AGR]

51 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

 

I was under the impression the Evos essentially was the Fusion active?

 

Not according to Ford Authority. I linked their article in the Evos thread.

[rmc523]

2 hours ago, AGR said:

 

Not according to Ford Authority. I linked their article in the Evos thread.

 

Well, if something is coming, Ford has done a good job of hiding it.

[fuzzymoomoo]

10 hours ago, akirby said:

Why would we care what you decide to do?  None of us work for Ford.

 

Uh.... yeah. 

Edited October 21, 2021 by fuzzymoomoo

[fuzzymoomoo]

54 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

 

Well, if something is coming, Ford has done a good job of hiding it.

PD has hinted at it a few times but none of it seems very concrete or like anything is imminent. 

[DeluxeStang]

5 hours ago, FordBuyer said:

 

I remember many negative stories about the Focus and they continue, but very few negative stories about the Fusion. Most reviewers praised the Fusion for its looks and many engine options. It was a winner and even had to expand production at one point to keep up with demand. Ford dealers were very upset to learn of Fusion demise.

 

Now Ford promised a "white space" vehicle to replace it called the Fusion Active and keep Ford dealers happy. I'm starting to question this as time passes and no word yet. L.A. Auto Show is only weeks away and we shall see. Seems like suppliers would have talked by now if Fusion Active was almost here. Maybe it got axed as Ford moves into electric mode. 

I'm pretty sure that white space vehicle was the maverick. 

[akirby]

8 hours ago, DeluxeStang said:

Exactly, and if we did get a new fusion, or focus here right now, it would probably be half-baked honestly. I'd rather have Ford invest it's resources into products it believes in, and actually wants to put effort into.

Actually the new Fusion and Focus based on C2 are already here - in Europe.  Just not worth importing right now.

[akirby]

3 hours ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

 

Uh.... yeah. 

I assumed that was directed at the moderators.

[twintornados]

21 hours ago, rperez817 said:

 

In the case of Focus (subject of this thread) for U.S. market, both Ford and market forces were responsible for its death. Ford because it was responsible for destroying the nameplate's reputation in the U.S. completely. Market forces because the passenger car segments are intensely competitive, with "survival of the fittest" being the rule.

 

Focus has a better reputation in Europe and Asia. But bzcat's post suggests that Focus has a limited lifespan remaining in Australia.

 

The entire sedan segment is shrinking in NA due to market demands that have moved to all things CUV/SUV. Ford's entries into that segment were "also ran" products that did not keep up with the competition like Honda, Toyota, KIA/Hyundai, etc...the fact that some of those nameplates are being reused for upcoming BEV products kinda makes your suggestion that they were "destroyed" moot....the entire sedan segment is a dead end, since Ford saw it coming, the decision to either update the sedan lines with new product or allocate that production to make more profitable CUV/SUV products with those updates was a smart choice.

 

21 hours ago, GearheadGrrrl said:

Since when is killing off high volume products whose development and tooling was long ago paid for and spending billions to replace them with a bunch of niche products a viable business strategy?

 

This ain't the 60's where cars like Impala, Fairlane, etc were produced in high volumes and as such sold in great numbers...this "new" era is highly segmented and since Ford (and other companies) build multiple vehicles on a shared chassis (fixed cost) those "niche" products achieve the same volume and appeal to a wider audience. Example, Ford Escape, Ford Bronco Sport and now Maverick and upcoming Transit Connect all share the same base chassis, but their appeal is to a wider range of customers and that makes for a viable business strategy. Ford (and other companies) are adapting to these market forces to produce product that consumers want,

[GearheadGrrrl]

And if it's so cheap to just put another "top hat" on the platform that Ford can turn a profit on less than 100k a year vehicles like two Transit Connects that mostly sell at fleet prices and $20k hybrid pickups, why isn't a $30k next generation Fusion premium sedan and wagon profitable?

[2005Explorer]

On 10/15/2021 at 5:15 PM, jpd80 said:

I think Ford is missing an opportunity by not offering more choices like an imported Focus

but most here also understand that by closing off those non-utility options to buyers it hopes

to maximise sales and higher profits from the likes of Escape, Maverick and Bronco Sport.

At one time Ford was also hell-bent against bringing back the Bronco or bringing the T6 Ranger to North America so who knows it could eventually happen.

[twintornados]

1 hour ago, GearheadGrrrl said:

And if it's so cheap to just put another "top hat" on the platform that Ford can turn a profit on less than 100k a year vehicles like two Transit Connects that mostly sell at fleet prices and $20k hybrid pickups, why isn't a $30k next generation Fusion premium sedan and wagon profitable?

 

It's not that it is not profitable....sedan sales are diminishing and wagon sales are dead in North America....

[akirby]

58 minutes ago, GearheadGrrrl said:

And if it's so cheap to just put another "top hat" on the platform that Ford can turn a profit on less than 100k a year vehicles like two Transit Connects that mostly sell at fleet prices and $20k hybrid pickups, why isn't a $30k next generation Fusion premium sedan and wagon profitable?

Ok, I’ll try this one more time but please try and listen this time.

 

Because there are already 7 or 8 good competitors in that space and there isn’t much Ford can do to stand out from the others in order to command premium prices.  Therefore it would be competing on price with Nissan, Kia and Hyundai and that is a profit killer.  I’m sure there is some profit to be had with the right product but not enough to put it above the line compared to other opportunities.

 

Because that market is continuing to shrink so sales will trend downward over time reducing any future profits.

 

Because the factory space to build it and the other resources needed to bring it to market and keep it updated have been assigned to other projects that have a better business case - better ROI or a strategic product like BEVs.

 

You don’t have to like it but those are the facts.  Now please stop asking the same question over and over.

[akirby]

54 minutes ago, 2005Explorer said:

At one time Ford was also hell-bent against bringing back the Bronco or bringing the T6 Ranger to North America so who knows it could eventually happen.

I don’t know if hell bent against it is fair.  A lot of Ford resources in that timeframe went towards one Ford - consolidating platforms globally which gave us cd4 fusion and edge and c1 escape and focus.  They really thought they could compete with higher end Titanium trims bringing in big profits on those vehicles, but that didn’t seem to last very long and they were left with mostly lower end models and having to compete on price along with some product issues.  At the same time the small/midsized truck market was shrinking.

 

The move away from cars combined with more fuel efficiency on trucks plus the unexpected success of the Canyorado and Ford’s move to more regional vehicles suddenly made the business case for bringing a new Ranger and Bronco to replace Focus much more viable.

 

Now I think the Ranger/Bronco decision came about two years later than it should have but I don’t know what else influenced that decision at the time.  Maybe there were good reasons, maybe it was just stubbornness.

[GearheadGrrrl]

I see it as Ford management deciding to become a truck company, profits be damned. Why else would they bring a hybrid pickup to market at a $20k price point so it will never turn a profit? Or electrify a full size pickup that'll need twice the expensive battery capacity of a Bolt or Model 3 at a similar list price to fleets? Then compound that error by spending billions Ford doesn't have on new plant complexes?