OPINION: The Focus might be dead, but there’s hope for Ford yet

The Focus was a revolution when it launched back in 1998. Its New Edge design language looked modern and fresh in a sea of conventionally styled counterparts, and the interior got the same treatment. It made the Ford Escort it replaced appear like a relic from a bygone age. 

But the way the Focus drove swung it. Its Control Blade independent rear suspension was a dynamic revolution that made this bog-standard family hatchback an absolute hoot in corners. Fast models like the ST170 and the RS would follow, but the basic car shone as a normal family mobile enthusiasts could enjoy driving. 

This attribute coursed cohesiveness throughout the Ford range. From the entry-level Ka to the Puma coupé, repmobile Mondeo and even the gawky Scorpio. It’s a cohesiveness that is very sadly missing from the current range. 

Now, Ford seems happy to live off the names of its past greats. The Puma SUV is an excellent little family car, and – because it’s based on the (now gone) Fiesta – is an excellent drive, but the Capri SUV takes shameless to all new levels. It has nothing in common with the coupé that was born in the late 1960s, not least because it's based on a Volkswagen. The result is a car company that’s massively propped up by its commercial vehicle sales. 

At the same time, it’s hard not to feel sorry for Ford or any manufacturer. Forced to hit a moving target of emissions legislation, the company has been furiously culling its conventional range to bring down the average emissions levels of its fleet and avoid fines.

It’s the reason its big-volume, conventionally powered sellers – the Fiesta, Focus and Mondeo – have all met the chop. Admittedly, the Mondeo had long since passed its sell-by date.

This is OK, if you can afford an EV costing around £30,000, but not so good if your previous car was a Fiesta you bought for less than £15,000. As sure as what goes up must come down, EVs will meet price parity with their conventional alternatives, but Ford’s problem is bigger than pure economics – it’s lost its mojo. 

And really, that shouldn’t be too hard to re-find. In fact, the new Renault 5 shows Ford exactly what it should do: resurrect a much-loved name, dip it in retro throwbacks and then fit it with a relatively simple (thus bordering on affordable) electric powertrain that can serve up a range of more than 200 miles from a charge. 

The Mk1 Ford Fiesta is ripe for the retro treatment. Its angular exterior design and bright interior colours would look great on a thoroughly up-to-date platform with a name that’s dripping in nostalgia. And of course, it would lay the way clear for an XR2 variant that I am sure would give the Alpine A290 something to think about. 

Ford hasn’t lost its mojo; it’s just misplaced it. But if it can rediscover that winning formula, it’s easy to see how the Blue Oval can return to its past greatness.