2012 Ford Focus Electric
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With a range of around 100 miles, it will be the first direct competition to the Nissan Leaf.
But unlike the Leaf, it will look like many, many other cars on the road.
Most people won’t even notice the 70’s style chrome grille up front.
The Leaf makes a strong “green statement”, like the Prius before it.
And, like it of not, most people buying green cars want to make that statement.
Just like almost no one can tell a Fusion Hybrid form another boring sedan on the road.
We’ll see…
Vince – contrary to your point – doesn't the Fusion Hybrid sell very well?
I would take a conventional looking Fusion or this over the third-world looking Nissan Leaf. Considering how well the Fusion sells and how well they do in reviews, we can assume that other people agree. I'm sure that you'd agree that following Toyota's lead of making boring uninteresting cars doesn't work for other automakers. It isn't really working for Toyota now either.
Do you think Aston Martin has a "70's style grille" too? Sometimes your design taste isn't the best Vince.
People do want something that looks special when they get a Hybrid, or electric car.
That's just the way t is.
In 2009, sales for the Prius in the US were 139 653.
While for sold only 15 152 Fusion Hybrids.
Even the "boring" Camry Hybrid sold more than the Fusion Hybrid in 2009 with 22 887 units.
People who want to drive something different, also want to make sure it does look different.
So far Aston Martin is now music, then is a Toyota iq. Now it's a ford focus
Actually I believe they should have put this system in a Focus Estate/Wagon.
This way, it will LOOK DIFFERENT (Problem solved Vince), and it will get more interior space since the battery (etc.) eat into the rear space.
But I always liked a med/compact size wagon. So I will keep dreaming…
The Prius can look the way it does because it was here first and is the benchmark. Thankfully, other automakers aren't all mimicking the look of the Prius entirely.
The Camry is also the best selling sedan and 30% of all TV advertising is a toyotathon ad, so naturally a lot of buyers are going to choose the hybrid version. It's still not a very good car. Plus, the Camry is very conventional looking, so if you're impressed by its sales numbers, you're contradicting yourself by saying that a car has to look different to be a success.
It's more important for a car to be good than for it to look goofy like a Prius. Look at the Honda CRZ. No one can say that that car is a success.
Anyway, I like the look of the Focus. It looks really good. But I am curious why they chose an Aston Martin grille.
Ford used to own Aston (Obviously). The designer of the ford 500 (Former Taurus) used to work at Audi, and put the Audi greenhouse on that car. Is ford becoming Chinese?
Works for me MAHN! Why build a hybrid or electric and make it look ridiculus and ugly like the Prius or the Leaf. In any event, all cars should be hybrid. Who is moronic enough to want to average 12 MPG in the city.
Ford is doing a great job with the instrument panels for their hybrid cars. Some of the nicest now being offered in mainstream cars.
This looks like a strong effort overall.
I agree with a previous comment that Ford should have brought over a true wagon version that they sell in Europe. It would bring them additional buyers who don't want/need an SUV, but find the hatchback doesn't have enough space.
sadly this would probably make a better Aston thant the iQ based cygnet
The Leaf is just sadly, irredeemably ugly. The fascia of this Focus does look like an Aston-Martin.
By the way, this fascia with a black mesh grille is similar to the upcoming Focus ST. Much better than the standard Focus.
Love the look of that car, hot. Agree, greenies like people to know they are greenies.
This will own the electric segment if they keep the price in line. The Leaf is grotesque looking. I am all for "special" looking as long as it doesn't make me queasy. This Focus on the other hand has very good looking lines unlike the Leaf which has that hoochie mama rear end and bass mouth.
Okay.
♫ It's electric: boogie woogie woogie ♫ 🙂
I think there is a market for alternative energy vehicles that don't look like something the Jetsons would drive. And it's based on the dynamically-strong Focus? I predict this will sell like hotcakes. It may even sell better than the Leaf (its most direct competitor).
That said, the grill is a bit dated-looking, and I'll never get used to those amorphous-looking taillights…
Disagree w/ Burlapp on this one…its the nicest looking "green" car of the bunch. The Prius looks like a Nerd Turd (and drives similarly) and the doughy styling of the Nissan says about the same. If green tech is going to be eventually marketed to the masses…then it should appeal to them as well.
The Leaf looks freakish just like the "people" who claim to be "green".
To them: CO2 and Water (car exhaust) make plants green.
I never said this wasn't a good looking car.
I think the 2012 Focus is a great looking car. It will make most other compacts look old as soon as it hits the market.
All I said is that it doesn't make a statement .
It looks like any other versions of the Focus, except for the front. Which most non car people will ever notice.
All I said was that most people who want a green car, also want to make a statement.
They want others to know they bought something special. That's why the Prius is from far the most popular Hybrid.
It "says" hybrid like no other car on the market.
The Leaf, as ugly as many people thing, says electric.
This car says "Ford Focus".
No matter how good looking it is.
I wonder why everyone is making these cars when even hybrids sell less than 2000 a month for any brand but the Toyota Prius. I wonder what future info car co's have that we don't. Perhaps a hint of gas lines of the 70's are in our future? this would surly make those cars profitable and desirable. BTW some off shore oil drilling along both coasts would be great for the economy right now. Bring thousands of jobs and $billions revenue for hungry states. Only 1 major mishap in 100yrs and that could have been avoided. Taxing C02 and cap and trade ( stop and tax and sell CO2 credits) do not a make real economy.
California could even balance their overspent budget. Jobs bring taxes.
http://www.AllClassics.com said…
I wonder why everyone is making these cars when even hybrids sell less than 2000 a month for any brand but the Toyota Prius. I wonder what future info car co's have that we don't. Perhaps a hint of gas lines of the 70's are in our future? this would surly make those cars profitable and desirable. BTW some off shore oil drilling along both coasts would be great for the economy right now. Bring thousands of jobs and $billions revenue for hungry states. Only 1 major mishap in 100yrs and that could have been avoided. Taxing C02 and cap and trade ( stop and tax and sell CO2 credits) do not a make real economy.
California could even balance their overspent budget. Jobs bring taxes.
January 9, 2011 9:39 AM
The oil addicts are suffering withdrawls and need their fix.
To them: CO2 and Water (car exhaust) make plants green.
I don't care much for hybrids or electrics myself.
But I think you have CO (from car exhaust) confused with CO2 (which plants use). Its a pretty big difference; like the difference between O2 (Oxygen) and 03 (Ozone). Or the difference between Ethanol ( 2 -OH's that make flex fuel and also great martini's ) and Propanol ( 3 -OH's ) that makes poison.
But if you just made a typo and were trying to imply that Hybrids and electrics actually do more to harm the environment than to help it–I agree completely!
Here's an interesting fact: Guess who purchases more Hybrids ( Prius, etc) that anybody else?
Big Brother ( US Goverment Agencys buy more hybrids than anyone else. More that all the Hollywood stars combined. )
Think about that this April when you're paying your taxes. (Currently the average American pays over half his/her salary in taxes, fines, fees, etc. Approx 60% of what you make. So you may think you're only buying the cars you admire the most, but a good share of your eanings pay for cars you'll never drive and may not even like.)
"Oil Addicts" is like saying humans are "Oxygen Addicts".
Duhhhhhh.
Complete combustion of hydrocarbons results in CO2 + Water…Is studying chemistry too hard on you?