Ford calls time on the Focus small car

After almost two decades on Australian roads, this well known affordable small car has effectively been withdrawn from the market.

Ford will stop selling its regular Focus hatchback.

Ford Australia is losing its Focus.

The Blue Oval’s local arm has confirmed it will cease selling the regular Ford Focus small car and instead will only offer the high-performance ST hot hatch variant.

This move mimics Ford’s decision to cut its entire pint-sized Fiesta hatchback range except for the sporty Fiesta ST in 2020.

Ford will now only sell the sporty Focus hot hatch.

The Focus, which replaced the Laser as Ford’s small car in 2002, has been well received by critics but failed to make inroads against popular models such as the Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and Hyundai i30.

It follows other well-known hatchbacks to surrender to the onslaught of SUVs on our roads, including the Nissan Pulsar, Holden Astra and Honda Jazz.

Ford has sold only 647 units through the first nine months of this year. Toyota has sold more than 23,000 Corollas, Hyundai more than 19,000 Hyundai i30s and Mazda has moved almost 12,000 units in the same time period.

Ford put the decision down to the declining small-car segment, which has been battered by booming SUV sales. The small car market has gone from 21 per cent of all sales in 2014 to just 12 per cent in 2020.

Ford Australia boss, Andrew Birkic, says the company will focus on areas of growth and plans to bring in new models in the future.

Ford says sales of hot hatches have been growing over the past few years.

“As we focus our efforts in areas of future growth for Ford and the industry, we’re freshening and expanding our line-up across performance, commercial and family vehicles, including plans for at least five new electrified vehicles by the end of 2024,” says Mr Birkic.

Ford is keeping the sporty Focus ST because there remains strong demand for hot hatches.

The decision to axe the regular Focus and Fiesta highlights Ford’s increasing reliance on its Ranger ute and the Ranger’s 4WD wagon spin-off, the Everest.

Last month those two models made up close to 90 per cent of Ford sales.

Ford has two variants of the Focus ST, the regular ST and the ST X that has a higher level of standard specification.

Prices start at about $50,000 drive-away for the current version.

Power comes from a 2.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine making 206kW and 420Nm. It is matched to a seven-speed dual-clutch auto or a six-speed manual transmission driving the front wheels.

The Focus ST is powered by a powerful turbocharged petrol engine.

This is one of the most potent units in its class, outgunning the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Hyundai i30 N.

Adaptive suspension with selectable driving modes such as comfort, sport and track that alter the throttle response and exhaust note add to the vehicle’s appeal.

The updated Focus ST comes with several key tech upgrades, including a giant 13.2-inch central touchscreen that is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

A giant 13.2-inch touchscreen dominates the dash. (overseas model shown)

Safety features have been boosted with the addition of blind-spot assist, which will stop a driver changing lanes if a car is detected in its blind spot.

Rear occupant alert will tell drivers if a child or pet has been accidentally left in the car.