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Next Ford Focus a global project

Other News Materials 15 April 2008 02:22 (UTC +04:00)
Next Ford Focus a global project

The next generation of the Ford Focus will have 87 percent of its parts sourced from Ford's global parts bin, product chief Derrick Kuzak said on Monday, April 14.

A redesigned Focus, using Ford's global C1 platform and engineered primarily in Europe, is expected to debut in 2010 or 2011.

Kuzak offered the figure for parts sharing on the Focus during a presentation at the SAE World Congress in Detroit - pointing to the car as evidence that Ford's efforts to cut costs and globalize its engineering process are beginning to show results.

That figure compares with the redesigned Ford Fiesta, which takes 66 percent of its parts from global sources. The new Fiesta goes on sale in Europe later this year. A U.S. version of the Fiesta goes on sale next year. That car's development didn't use the same worldwide plans as the next Focus.

"Our business starts and stops with product," Kuzak said.

Ford has been looking to leverage its global footprint to save money and speed development time. Kuzak said Ford's engineering costs in North American will be reduced by 30 percent through 2009 as a result of its global product-development strategy.

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