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Many Americans have a keen dislike for European styled vehicles. Often, what Europeans find as attractive and aggressive looks ugly and over-designed for the Americans. But not with the Ford Focus. The Ford Focus is currently the hottest Ford vehicle in the United Kingdom. And despite its European look, the Ford Focus sells equally well in the U.S., making it one of the internationally successful vehicles manufactured and sold by Ford.
The Ford Focus was first launched in Europe. It was introduced in the spring of 1998, replacing an equally successful Ford vehicle, the Ford Escort. In the U.S., the Ford Focus was introduced only late in 1999 as a 2000 model. And unlike its predecessors, the Ford Pinto and the Ford Escort, the Ford Focus was introduced alone, without a luxury version for the Mercury brand. In various years, the Ford Focus was also launched in other markets including Australia, Japan, and New Zealand, replacing the Ford Laser on the said markets.
Currently, there are already two generations of the Ford Focus. The first generation Ford Focus, called the Ford Focus Mark I, was an aggressive looking car sold both in Europe and the U.S. as well as in many other markets worldwide. It was available in coupe, sedan, and wagon (hatchback) body styles. All models were equipped with Zetec based engines, although some units were equipped with Duratec engines. Three transmission options were available: a 4-speed automatic, a 5-speed manual, and a 6-speed manual for the premium and sporty trims.
A new Ford Focus was introduced in Europe in 2004 to signal the second generation of the car. In the U.S., however, only a major facelift, without a change in body platform or any of the major Ford Focus parts, would be given. The Zetec family of engines, however, will be fully replace in favor of three new Duratec I-4 engines: the 136 hp Duratec 20, the super clean 130 hp Duratec 20E and the powerful 151 hp Duratec 23. Other than the engine, the second generation U.S. Ford Focus is basically the same as the previous generation.
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