[taiyeungjai]

I just had to vent after reading up on news on the future of the Ford Focus. I just cannot understand why Ford must always shun North America from some of the best cars to grace european/asian soil? Is this how they intend to stay competitive?

After driving the SVT Focus for a little over a year now, I have come to the conclusion that this is an amazing car to drive. It has the power to "go," and I'm always ready and willing to whip it around a turn until I hear the rubber telling me to take it easy. Even when I travel and occasionally find myself renting a regular Focus, it is very nimble and I can still whip it around each corner, although without as much gusto. Although I am a die-hard Ford fanatic, I have had my near calls of redemption, thinking about how much better Honda and Toyota build their cars and how much nicer and refined most asian/european counterparts build and design their vehicles. Yet, I always stick to my guns and not let my friends (who are all asian import sport compact owners) influence me..

Moving forward to tommorow, North America will not see the new 2006 Focus ST, nor will we ever see the 2007+ Focus RS.. To add insult to injury, we already lost the SVT focus for NA shores and the re-design for 2007 in NA for the Focus line will re-use the C170 platform; Yes, the same platform we are all familiar with and with all of its glorious 1000+ recalls.

With more and more companies jumping into the Sport Compact category, if Ford decides to "take it easy..." they will lose more and more of the market segment. There are so many players today, the Neon and the SRT-4 versions, the Cobalt and the SS versions, Nissan's new sport compact concept, and not to mention the performance versions (K20s Type R) of the Civic and RSX, which to be fair is not available in North America either. But the minute they do, watch out....

I'll always be a Mustang nut, but what I wouldn't do to have a 2007+ 300hp AWD SVT/RS focus or even a 2006 215hp turbo ST! Well, for us North American dwellers.. keep dreaming..

I think Ford's decision to leave the C1 platform and all of its derivatives in Europe is a decision which will haunt them in the next few years. Just when everyone else is heating up, Ford's taking a step back?

Anyhow.. just venting..