Ford has officially ended production of the Focus at the Saarlouis factory in Germany, and after more than a quarter of a century, one of the best-selling compact cars in Europe has been discontinued. For years, the factory worked almost exclusively for the Focus, and now Ford is looking for a new role for it in plans for the electric future or a potential partner that would take over the plant.
The Focus arrived on the market at the end of the nineties as the successor to the Escort and quickly became a hit due to its road manners, practical bodywork and affordable price. Through four generations, station wagon, hatchback and limousine versions were sold, and many here remember it for the sporty ST and RS versions. In some years, it was the best-selling car in Europe, and in Croatia it was the choice of family and official vehicles.
The reasons for the end are a combination of declining sales of classic compact models, customers switching to SUVs, and Ford’s big shift towards electric cars. The compact segment today is much smaller than ten years ago, and the development of completely new gasoline and diesel models is no longer as profitable as it used to be. That’s why Ford is redirecting resources into electric cross-overs and SUV models, while smaller models like the Fiesta are bigger. gone down in history.
For existing Focus owners, this does not mean that the car will disappear from the road “overnight” – parts, services and used models will remain available for many years to come. But if you were hoping for a completely new generation of Focus, this news confirms that this is the end of the story: what was once the “gold standard” of compact cars is slowly moving into the category of nostalgia, while the manufacturer is looking for a new future in electric SUV models.