Ford Focus production ends after 27 years

Production of the Ford Focus has come to an end after 27 years and 12 million sales.

The news was circulated by Ford employees on social media as the final Focus left the production line on Saturday 15 November.

The decision to axe the long-running family hatchback was announced in 2022, as Ford sought to accelerate the transition of its European line-up to electric models.

The Focus has effectively been replaced by the Explorer and Capri, a pair of similarly sized electric crossovers based on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB architecture.

The move also means that the Focus factory in Saarlouis, Germany, no longer builds any cars. Ford previously said it has no plans to build a new model in Saarlouis and it has yet to announce a buyer for the plant, leaving its future in doubt.

Although the Focus has been discontinued, Autocar recently reported that Ford is looking to fill the gap it has left in its line-up with a new mid-sized crossover, due in 2027.

That model will not replace the Kuga – which arrived in 2008 in effect as a crossover version of the Focus – but will instead be sold alongside it, offering both petrol-hybrid and electric drivetrains.

The demise of the Focus and the Fiesta before it has left Ford without two of its biggest-volume models in Europe, drastically altering its position in the market. Ford has gone from being the second-biggest brand in Europe in 2015 to 12th position last year, losing nearly half its market share over that period, according to European industry body the ACEA.

It is currently forming a plan to return to being one of Europe’s best-selling manufacturers, having appointed former Focus and Kuga model line manager Jim Baumbick as its first dedicated Europe boss in three years.

Among Baumbick’s chief responsibilities is to “develop products relevant for European customers”, said Ford.