A few highlights.
Both body styles initially will be powered here by a new, 2.0-liter direct-injected four-cylinder that makes 155 hp and 145 lb-ft of torque, up from the current car’s 143 hp and 136 lb-ft. The engine will feature variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust cams and will be mated to either a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed dual-clutch automated manual gearbox that was co-developed with Getrag. Expect EcoBoost engines to make it into U.S. cars, too, including one with over 225 horsepower in a sporty version, perhaps wearing an ST or SVT badge. A 1.6-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four likely will be included as a more mass-market choice, as well, offering a more efficient and more powerful alternative to the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter.

Various Ford officials have said that they believe people will be trading down to smaller cars in the U.S. in the future, especially since C-segment vehicles now feature so many luxury amenities. The new Focus, for instance, will be offered with rain-sensing wipers, a parallel-parking system, a blind-spot warning system, a backup camera, ambient lighting, push-button ignition, a stitched dashboard, and a sophisticated navigation system. Jim Hughes says that pricing will be held close to the current car’s $17,570 base price when it goes on sale. However, we can see a Focus easily creeping into the mid-to-high-$20K bracket by the time many of the desirable options are added.

One more interesting feature that will be available on the next-gen Focus is Dynamic Cornering Control. While torque vectoring has been increasingly used in high performance all-wheel-drive systems from Acura, BMW and Audi, Ford is applying the concept to the front-wheel-drive Focus. If it delivers, this should help provide even better handling balance with less understeer in the new compact.

With Chevrolet aiming for 40+ mpg on the highway for the the Cruze, Ford will surely be trying to match it. To that end, designers have also focused a lot on functional aerodynamics in addition to just aesthetic styling. One of the more interesting features are thermostatically controlled shutters behind the grille. At higher speeds when more air naturally flows through the radiator, the shutters automatically close and force air around the sides of the car.

Although dimensionally similar to the current European Focus—the track is slightly wider and the car is lower—the body in white is all-new, with 55 percent of it being made from high-strength steel, the highest proportion of any car in the American Ford lineup. As a result, the torsional stiffness is 25 percent higher than that of the current U.S-market car. According to Jim Hughes, chief nameplate engineer for Focus in North America, “the platform architecture is similar to the current European Focus.” That means the new car has a multilink rear suspension and struts up front. However, the suspension attachment points have been altered, the front knuckle design has been changed, and the spring and shock tuning has been modified. Gunnar Herrmann, the vehicle line director for global C-segment vehicles at Ford, says that “the carryover on the platforms is effectively only seven percent.”