Recently we discovered that the latest generation of the Ford Focus may not be coming to South Africa due to dwindling sales leaving just the Figo and Fiesta as the South African arm’s current hatchback offerings alongside the EcoSport, Kuga and Everest SUVs. The same cannot be said for Europe.

It has now been revealed that the low demand for the Focus is not a global issue, as Ford Europe has confirmed that it sells a unit every 135 seconds in some shape or form - the Focus is available as a hatch, wagon and sedan in the European market. It’s also worth noting that the 206 kW Focus ST is included in this figure of 194 700 units as of the end of October 2019. Since its global launch in June 2018, the brand has been able to find almost 250 000 units new homes.

Adding to the plethora of variants is the new Focus Active X Vignale; a more premium crossover-wagon that features rugged exterior styling, raised ride height and a bespoke chassis configuration on top of the standard Focus Active.

New to the Focus range in 2020 will be an EcoBoost Hybrid with a 48-volt mild-hybrid powertrain. It’ll be one of 14 electrified models to be introduced by Ford Europe over the course of next year.

Ford research shows almost 40 percent of Focus customers consider the model’s exterior styling to be the main reason behind their purchase. A further 20 percent are most attracted by the generous standard specification in certain markets.

Original article from Car