2011 Ford Focus on Video Plus Real-Life Photos from Detroit Show

We've already shared with you the initial details on Ford's European flavored 2011 Focus that was unwrapped at this week's Detroit automotive gathering, but now we've got three new videos as well as real-life pictures of both the five-door hatchback and four-door sedan variants that you can check out right after the jump. The all-new Focus will be almost identical in all markets and is set to go on sale on both sides of the pond in early 2011.

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All-New Ford Focus Hatchback and Sedan Officially Revealed, Identical in All Markets

The next-generation Ford Focus made its worldwide debut today at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. One of the key highlights is that Ford's new C-segment competitor with rivals such as the VW Golf / Jetta, Chevy Cruze, Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic, is that it will be nearly identical in all markets sharing 80 per cent of its parts around the world.

At Detroit, Ford showed off the five-door hatchback and four-door sedan versions of the new global Focus. Both models share the same styling that marks the next evolution of Ford's kinetic design form language.

That translates to a crispier and more dynamic design that combines styling features seen in the new Fiesta and the European Mondeo.

The same can be said about the Focus' interior design that was previewed through the MPV variants of the car, the five-seat C-MAX (Europe) and seven-seat Grand C-MAX (Europe and North America).

Ford says that one of the key elements of the interior is the quality of craftsmanship with the soft-touch materials and the choice of trim all helping to give occupants "the feeling that they are travelling in a higher-class car".

The new Focus has been developed by a global team, led from the firm's European small and medium vehicle centre in Merkenich, near Cologne, Germany, with powertrain development spearheaded by the company's technical centre in Dunton, England

Underneath, the 2011 Focus makes use of Ford's new mid-sized architecture. The company claims that the Focus will raise the benchmark in handling once more blending "outstanding steering precision and road feedback with significantly improved refinement and ride control."

The 2011 Focus sticks with front-wheel drive, powered by a new family of engines. European buyers will get 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter Ecoboost turbocharged petrol units as well as improved Duratorq TDCi common-rail diesels offering reductions in fuel consumption between 10 and 20 per cent over the outgoing models.

In North America, the Focus will be offered with a new 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) and direct injection (DI) delivering an estimated output of 155-horsepower and 145 ft.-lb. of torque.

Depending on the market, the engines will be linked to either manual gearboxes and Ford's new dual-clutch PowerShift six-speed automatic transmission designed to deliver better fuel economy than comparable automatics.

Production of the next-generation Ford Focus will begin simultaneously in Europe and North America in late 2010, with sales set to start globally in 2011. Ford said that initial production will be concentrated at the Saarlouis (Germany), Michigan (United States) and Chongqing (China) Assembly Plants.

Within the next two to three years, the Focus range will expand to include a three-door hatchback, a station-wagon and quite possibly, a coupe-convertible model, though it remains to be seen if these variants will be sold in all markets.

Ford Confirms All-New Focus and 2011 Lincoln MKX for Detroit Show

On Monday, January 11 at 8:45 am EST, Ford will take the wraps off its brand-new 2011 Focus at the Detroit auto show, while on Tuesday morning, the company will reveal the less significant, 2011 Lincoln MKX midsize crossover. The Fiesta's new big brother -both in terms of size and styling- is quite possibly one of the most important Fords of the past few decades as it will be a truly global car.

Unlike the current Fiesta which had to be redesigned for North America to address safety, emissions and powertrain issues thus sharing only 60 per cent of parts with its European counterpart, the 2011 Focus has been engineered for all international markets right from the beginning.

According to Ford, around 80 percent of the2011 Focus parts by value will be common between the North American and European versions.

Depending on the market, the new Focus will be offered in various body styles including three- and five-door hatchbacks, four-door sedan and a hardtop convertible (CC).

Ford has already unveiled the MPV variant of the new Focus in the form of the new five-seat C-MAX and its longer, seven-seater sibling, the Grand C-MAX at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show - pictured below. The Grand C-MAX has been confirmed for the U.S. with sales set to start in late 2011.

In Europe, the new Focus and the C-MAX models will be offered with several diesel and petrol engines including Ford's new 1.6-liter EcoBoost turbocharged petrol with outputs ranging between 150 and 180 horsepower while in North America, there's talk about a new 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline unit with direct injection.

Both of these petrol units will be offered with Ford's dual clutch transmission.

We'll have the full story on the new Focus on Monday.

GGR Boosts Ford Focus RS to 368 Horsepower

Leicester based Ford RS specialist Graham Goode Racing (GGR) has launched a second performance package for the European-spec Focus RS hot hatch. The company's first kit was limited to an ECU upgrade that lifted the 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five's power from 301bhp and a measured 310lb.ft (the automaker's UK site says 325 lb-ft) to 340bhp and 401 lb-ft.

Along with the ECU remap, the new RS370FR package adds a carbon fibre Cold Air Induction System, large capacity air to air intercooler with alloy air diverter plates, large volume fuel injectors, silicone boost hoses and a large bore exhaust turbo front pipe and sports catalyst section.

The result is an output of 368bhp at 6,383rpm and a peak torque of 339lb.ft at 4,997rpm. This means that according to the company, the new upgrades add an extra 28HP but reduce peak torque by 62 lb-ft over the basic ECU kit - someone ought to check the performance numbers at GGR...

Graham Goode Racing said that the new RS370FR package is available now, fully fitted at its Leicester site for £3,750 plus VAT as a drive in, drive out package.