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Ford boosting Focus production as SUV sales fall

Ford boosting Focus production as SUV sales fall

Alex Kaufmann June 4th, 2008 Alex Kaufmann By Alex Kaufmann Author June 4th, 2008
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December 31st, 1969 Strong demand for the Ford Focus in the U.S. has led management to boost production numbers of the car by 30% for the remainder of the year. The latest announcement reaffirms the growing shift in consumer demand towards smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicles and is a trend most carmakers in the U.S. are experiencing. In the first three months of the year, Ford sold 49,070 Focus models – an increase of 23% from the same period last year. The means the Focus now commands 7.6% of the U.S. small car market and Ford is predicting the figure may rise by the end of the year. At the same time, falling demand for large SUVs and pickups saw sales of the heavy vehicles drop 25% compared with levels one year ago. The increased demand for the Focus has forced Ford to up production of the Focus at its plants to 280,000 units, around 60,000 more than 2007. To accommodate the increased numbers employees at the Wayne Stamping and Assembly plant in Michigan where the Focus is built will need to work overtime and on Saturdays.
Ford boosting Focus production as SUV sales fall

Ford boosting Focus production as SUV sales fall

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Strong demand for the Ford Focus in the U.S. has led management to boost production numbers of the car by 30% for the remainder of the year. The latest announcement reaffirms the growing shift in consumer demand towards smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicles and is a trend most carmakers in the U.S. are experiencing.

In the first three months of the year, Ford sold 49,070 Focus models – an increase of 23% from the same period last year. The means the Focus now commands 7.6% of the U.S. small car market and Ford is predicting the figure may rise by the end of the year.

At the same time, falling demand for large SUVs and pickups saw sales of the heavy vehicles drop 25% compared with levels one year ago.

The increased demand for the Focus has forced Ford to up production of the Focus at its plants to 280,000 units, around 60,000 more than 2007. To accommodate the increased numbers employees at the Wayne Stamping and Assembly plant in Michigan where the Focus is built will need to work overtime and on Saturdays.

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Posted in: Ford, News, Focus


Comments (7 total)

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  1. By Megalon #1, Posted: 6/4/2008

    Smart move. w/ the Civic & Corolla #s flying thru the roof, Ford needs to follow suit.

  2. By burke #2, Posted: 6/4/2008

    I support that

  3. By Alex #3, Posted: 6/4/2008

    i just wished it looked better.....

  4. By chris #4, Posted: 6/4/2008

    well alex.. i know what you mean.. it isnt the most gorgeous car out there.. but its certainly better than the last one. at least its new.

    When i look at this car, i see a little bit of the old focus, a little bit of the current fusion styling.. and hints at the next focus's styling (there are a lot of design elements that it shares with the verve concept which will surely dictate the styling on the next focus). considering they took an old car and took 3 different design schemes and smashed it all together.. i think who ever did it is brilliant. enough of that.

    I'm glad to see ford making the most of this shift in market demand. the companies that can take advantage of this flux in the market quickly enough, and effectively, will surely get a strong hold in the future markets. I like the idea of ford putting all of their beans into the focus (except the plat form.. blah blah).. they've made an extremely attractive car for today's market. lots of toys, lots of features, for dirt cheap, and its great on gas.

    what I want to know is how close are these sales figures to the all time best sales numbers for the focus. just how well is this one selling compared to the last one?

  5. By NCyder #5, Posted: 6/5/2008

    I got a 2000 Focus. It looks respectable as a rally car knockoff. This new design is ugly. Ford isn't paying attention to what the people who drive the vehicle sales are saying. They are doing focus groups of unrelated buyers or trying to emulate the jelly-bean designs of GM and the Asian automakers.

  6. By Carl #6, Posted: 6/8/2008

    In 1999 the Ford Focus - model year (MY) 2000 - went on sale and sold 286,166 units the first year.

  7. By Carl #7, Posted: 6/8/2008

    Another interesting fact for the MY2000 Focus - Twenty-five percent of buyers were under 25 years old.

    And a very impressive stat for the C170 Focus - This was the best-selling car in the "WORLD" in 2000 and 2001.

    I read somewhere that Ford N.A. down played how well the C170 Focus was selling, and focused more (Invested) on its midsize segment (Futura) and pure wee North American Focus started to be decontented/water-downed from 2002 - 2007.

    Ford was afraid that if they had of followed suit with the worldwide C1 Focus, this car would have cannilabilize the North American Fusion sales, hence the Focus selling at B-segment pricing.

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