Spied: Next-Gen Ford Focus Sedan Caught Hot Weather Testing

Our spy photographers caught the next-gen Ford Focus sedan basking in the sun during hot weather testing earlier this week.

We’ve seen the hatchback variant roaming around the streets, and now it’s the sedan’s turn to keep us guessing. For the first time, the new Focus shows off its real headlights with LED daytime running lights. These headlights should appear on all Focus models for the new generation.

The new Ford Focus is expected to enter production in the second half of 2019. Focuses for Europe will continue to arrive from Germany, but copies bound for North America will be produced in China. As previously reported, Ford will stop making these Focuses in Michigan in mid-2018 as it shifts production to China in mid- to late 2019. That leaves a year-long gap where Ford will not produce a Focus for the North American market. However, the switch is estimated to save the company up to $1 billion.

During the first half of the year, U.S. sales for the Focus were down 19.8 percent. It’s part of a larger trend: Overall car sales for Ford Motor Company dropped 20 percent, while SUVs and trucks experienced growth.

Expect the next-gen Ford Focus to grow in width and have a longer wheelbase, opening up the possibility for more interior space. As we saw on the hatchback prototype, the interior will be much more streamlined than before. Globally, the model should offer a 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder gas engine, four-cylinder turbo engines, and diesel engines. Ford will likely continue offering Electric, ST, and RS variants, and a plug-in hybrid version is also likely to be part of the new lineup. The next-gen Ford Focus should be badged as a 2019 model.

Photo Source: CarPix

The post Spied: Next-Gen Ford Focus Sedan Caught Hot Weather Testing appeared first on Motor Trend.

from Motor Trend http://ift.tt/2tRsm49