MEDIA.FORD.COM

Cologne, February 18, 2010 – Ford's next-generation Focus makes its European debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show on March 2, just weeks after a global unveiling at the North American International Auto Show in January. This will be the first chance for European customers to see the car that spearheads Ford's next generation of global C-platform models.

Two hundred years after Mexico's native Indians began their bloody fight for independence against Spanish rule in Guanajuato, BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team next week takes up the call to arms in the mountains near the city for a battle of a different kind. The team journeys to North America for Rally Mexico (4 - 7 March), the second round of the FIA World Rally Championship, intent on extending its lead in both the manufacturers' and drivers' standings.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team will take to the streets of León in Mexico next week to raise money for UK-based charity, Sport Relief. FIA World Rally Championship leaders Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen will swap their Focus RS WRC for running shoes as they tackle the Coca-Cola Street Stage in León on foot with the support of team mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen started the 2010 FIA World Rally Championship in style with victory in Rally Sweden today. The Finns won the opening round by 42.3sec in a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car after three days' competition in the ice-bound Scandinavian forests. The win moved Ford level at the top of the all-time standings with 74 WRC victories.

The next-generation Ford Focus makes its worldwide debut providing customers with more affordable technologies and features than ever in this segment, as well as detailed craftsmanship, outstanding fuel economy and a new standard for driving quality.

DETROIT, Jan. 11, 2010 – The next-generation Ford Focus revealed today at the North American International Auto Show delivers on the company’s promise to offer more products people really want while truly leveraging its global product and manufacturing strengths.

DETROIT, Jan. 11, 2010 – Great driving quality will be at the heart of the next-generation Ford Focus making its debut at the 2010 North American International Auto Show. Delivering a car that is responsive and rewarding to drive – and extends the Focus reputation for leadership in driving quality – has been a critical objective for Ford’s global brand DNA.

DETROIT, Jan. 11, 2010 – The next-generation Ford Focus debuting today at the 2010 North American International Auto Show is more than Ford’s first truly global product created under its ONE Ford approach – it also marks the first worldwide application of a new global brand DNA that will help Ford cars establish a unique visual and driving appeal that is consistently recognizable around the world.

DETROIT, Jan. 11, 2010 – Taking advantage of huge advancements in virtual manufacturing technology, teams of engineers, manufacturing specialists and assembly plant workers around the world gathered in front of large projection screens in North America, Europe and Asia to build the first next-generation Ford Focus virtually piece by piece, operation by operation, down to its high-quality, high-tech paint finish more than a year before its market debut.

DETROIT, Jan. 11, 2010 – Already setting new standards for C-car styling, driving dynamics and refinement, the next-generation Ford Focus also debuts with the company’s new technology that changes the way people interact with their car’s vehicle information, entertainment features and even Bluetooth-enabled devices.