Ford Focus on hi-tech approach

The next Ford Focus doesn’t go on sale until the end of the year but the company has shown the car to a group of European motoring journalists ahead of its official unveiling at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.

More or less the same size as before, the Focus sports a similar grill to the current Fiesta, although sharper corners to its “mouth” avoid it looking as if it has been unscrewed from the front of an Aston Martin. The next Mondeo will share the same look. Tweaked headlamp designs and a sculpted bonnet keep the design looking fresh.

The new car will have cleaner, more fuel-efficient engines, including new 1.5-litre petrol and diesel units and Ford’s award-winning one-litre EcoBoost petrol unit. Its Sync 2 connectivity system makes a decent stride forward. Like other systems it connects to your smartphone and can read your texts aloud to you.

There is a huge raft of automatic safety systems, including park assist and bi-xenon headlamps which can alter intensity and light patterns as conditions dictate. Following a similar system on the Fiesta, parents will be able to adjust the master key to control the top speed and even maximum music volume when teenage drivers borrow the car.

Ford is not saying what all this new tech will cost. But it is bound to give the Focus a boost in this desperately competitive part of the market.