Out of Africa

By ALASTAIR SLOANE

A projected boom in new car sales in Africa and Asia-Pacific over the next 10 years is one reason Ford's South African plant will build the Ford Focus for New Zealand and Australia.

"South Africa is part of a manufacturing strategy that will reflect our new approach to the entire region," says Mark Schultz, Ford vice-president for Asia-Pacific and Africa. "With volumes approaching the markets of North America and Western Europe, Ford's Asia-Pacific and Africa regions will now be treated as an integrated entity, able to benefit not only from the latest technology but also from economies of scale in manufacturing.

"This is an important first step in creating a model for future growth and investment."

Over the next 10 years, he says, there will be an additional 9 million new vehicles in the market. Asia-Pacific and Africa are expected to contribute 65 per cent of global industry growth to the end of the decade. About 80 per cent of that growth will come from China, South-east Asia and India.

"Ford intends to go after our fair share and we are confident that the new Focus will assist us achieve our ambitious targets within the core mid-size passenger car segment," says Schultz.

Ford's manufacturing plant in Pretoria - its sales and marketing division is headed by former Ford NZ managing director Nigel Harris - will build the Focus for Asia-Pacific and Africa. It is now being built in Germany and Spain.

The new model was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show last month and will go on sale in New Zealand late next year.

Ford New Zealand marketing manager Graeme Whickman says it will be a welcome addition to the company's small to medium-size car arsenal.

"Sourcing the new Focus from our regional partners has allowed us to be near the front of the queue to receive this new model," he said.

Ford says its Pretoria plant has worked closely with the global Focus development team and has consistently achieved quality, cost and delivery targets.

Since its launch in Europe in 1998, the Focus has sold more than 4 million worldwide.

It been one of the most successful products in Ford's 100-year history, winning many awards, including a rare Car of the Year double in Europe and North America.

Ford says the next-generation Focus is a "more mature model."

"We've moved on in terms of Ford of Europe's design language," says design chief Chris Bird.

"What the customer really appreciates is an impression of quality in the design. It's an impression that we believe we have put into this vehicle by craftsmanship in design engineering throughout the exterior and interior, led by the distinctive, almost coupe profile of the 3-door and 5-door models."

The new Focus family of 3-door and 5-door hatchbacks shares its architecture with the Ford-owned Volvo S40/V50 and Mazda3. So does the Focus station wagon and next year's sedan, both of which are unlikely to appear here.

Ford says the new model has a 25mm-longer wheelbase and 40mm-wider track than its predecessor. Its Control Blade rear suspension has been revised. The chassis - a standout feature of the original - has been improved. The body is stronger, the interior classier.

The choice of four-cylinder Zetec engines will include 1.6-litre and 2-litre units, the same as the existing line-up.