Who has Lost the Focus?

How come most of the first-generation Ford Focuses (Foci?) you see on the road today are the station wagon model?

Focus was launched here in 1999 as a 2000 model year car, in sedan, wagon, and two-door hatchback configurations. A four-door hatch was added a couple of years later as a sop to the Canadian penchant for that body style, we being much smarter than our sedan-loving American counterparts.

It had a rough launch - loads of recalls in its first year or so of production.

But its European-inspired engineering was brilliant, and it was a pretty neat car to drive.

Especially the wagon.

Great dynamics, good performance, lots of room.

But when Ford refreshed the Focus in 2008, the wagon was dropped.

Presumably not enough demand.

So how come that's about all you see of the first-gen Focus these days?

Are wagon buyers - by definition smarter than sedan buyers - that much more careful with their cars, so they last longer?

(Oh, did I mention I own a wagon?...)

Or did the Canadian tail of the market get wagged by the American dog?

Again?

What's with Americans and wagons? They used to love wagons, back in the MacTac-bedecked Country Squire days.

Maybe too many people saw Chevy Chase embarrassing himself on his way to Wally World and figured, "Geez, I don't want to look like THAT!"

Whatever, the wagon went away.

Bad enough we didn't get the spectacular European Focus in 2008 - the thinking presumably was that it took the Wayne Michigan Assembly plant so long to figure out how to build the old one they didn't want to confuse them with a new one.

But they also managed to take all the joy and life out of the remaining coupe and sedan models. They, um, lost their focus.

The third-generation Focus comes on stream in March 2011 as a 2012 model year car. Once again, it will be a 'world' car - we'll get essentially what the Europeans get, albeit softened up a bit for our market, as with the new Fiesta. Ford has done a decent job with that car, so there's hope.

Will we get the wagon version which the Europeans will get?

Again, 'hope' may be all we have...

Comments

[JR Jake]

Don't confuse 'losing the focus' to redirecting energies elsewhere that matter in the chain. What works with a company or an individual one day does not fit the needs of tomorrow. Hence you restrategize and sometimes shift the services to a different focus or customer depending on the demand, need and want of all parties. Don't read too much into it. Have a great weekend, what is left of it.

[Brian Boyes]

Funny thing is the upscale makers still offer wagons... BMW, Audi, now even Acura and Cadillac. However if you are making them anyway, I suppose its not a big deal to offer them here. Its different for Ford since they have to have an assembly line for what they consider a low-volume model. I guess American are still interested in their big, oversized truck-wagons rather than something more fuel efficient.

[John B]

Americans don't buy many wagons (or cars for that matter) anymore because they're to fat to get in and out of them easily. They buy SUVs. It's as simple as that.

[Rick VanGameren]

Except for the colour, that's my car. Great little car. Fold down the back seat and it carries a ton of stuff. Good gas mileage. Enough power to merge in to traffic (with the a/c turned off). And, most importantly - available with a proper transmission (5 speed manual)!

[Elias C.]

Its so true. My parents, in all of their brilliance, when faced with the prospect of a young family of 2 kids (plus dog) did NOT buy an SUV, or a family sedan or a minivan. Instead they purchased a year old 1993 Honda Accord EX wagon (rare find, to be sure). That car lasted through horrible winters, towed a small tractor, took us on countless family trips, put up with two male young drivers, took my brother to university and, at 400,000 kms towed a trailer out to Cape Breton and back (from Ontario) packed full of camping gear with nary a complaint. And all that time we enjoyed the dynamics and fuel economy of a four-door sedan. It did everything our friend's minivans did, and towed more then any local SUV owners ever bothered with (capacities aside).

My dad now drives an Accord sedan, and every so often he lements not having a wagon, especially when my little Mazda 3 hatchback can manage 5 people (in semi comfort) and a dog while his oversized sedan cannot.

I'm sad to say that the wagon appears to be mid-death once again, or in an odd position. Only the premium buyer now has access to nice wagons, i.e. Audis, BMWs, Acura, SAABs, Volvos, Cadillac and, perhaps, Buick. The middle-class wagon has disappeared over the last few years (Subaru Legacy wagon, Mazda 6 wagon, where art thou?). Note though that we are still losing wagons in place of awkward crossover varients (V70 vs. XC70).

What wagon, pray tell, do you drive day-to-day?

[RP]

I sure hope we get more wagon choices. There is few enough as it is. Why they don't sell south of the border is beyond me. It would appear that American drivers are not very discerning. Ask anyone from Europe which drives better a wagon or and SUV and they know its always the wagon.

As an owner of 2 wagons, I need the cargo space for my 2 Labrador Retrievers, but don't like to drive an SUV. While the newer wagon is only a couple of years old, the older one (2003) will need to be replaced in the next couple of years and it would be nice to get a wagon at a reasonable price instead of being forced to buy an expensive one from Europe.

[DJL]

Maybe the solution is for Canadian car marketers to rebrand wagons using the European moniker, "Estate Cars".

[C2100]

My son owns a 2002 example bought on my recommendation in 2004.

It was unique in that it has side airbags. The price was very good as the Focus had not caught on and the salesman had not realised the car was equipped with the side airbags

Now with 2 boys added to the family it is one very useful vehicle.

The Wagon was always a big seller in the Vancouver area and is missed.

My sons family is off to the Slocan valley for their annual holiday tomorrow so the wagon will be loaded with bikes and gear for the 500 km trip and 3 week stay.

The Mazda 5 is the closest vehicle to the wagon in concept and the C Max a Fiesta based SUV type wagon.