On April 4, Ford assembled the last Mondeo at its plant in Valencia after five generations and three decades of continuous production. It didn't take too long until reports began to cast doubts on the Focus' future, with Automotive News Europe's sister magazine Automobilwoche saying production would be greatly reduced after August 29. Why? Well, you can blame your neighbors for buying all those crossovers to the detriment of traditional cars.
As it turns out, it's much worse than that for the Volkswagen Golf rival as the compact model will be discontinued altogether in 2025. It effectively means the facelifted Mk4 is the last of the breed as there aren't any plans about a potential revival of the once hugely popular moniker in the EV era. As a side note – the Focus was offered as an electric hatchback during the Mk3 era.
2022 Ford Focus facelift
In an interview today with journalists, Ford of Europe's head honcho Stuart Rowley confirmed the planned demise of the Focus. It looks as though the future of the Saarlouis plant in Germany is uncertain as the Blue Oval admits it has not found a solution to keep the factory up and running following the car's termination in roughly three years' time:
"We're seeking other alternative opportunities for vehicle production at Saarlouis, including [selling to] other manufacturers. We don't have in our planning cycle an additional model that goes into Saarlouis."
Mind you, both the Mondeo and Focus are also built in China for the local market. As a matter of fact, the midsize model recently transitioned to a new generation, which means it's going to be available for a long time in the People’s Republic. The smaller car went through a nip and tuck, thus also suggesting it's sticking around.
In the meantime, the global Focus has been hit hard by the supply shortages, causing wait times to surpass 12 months. One of the main problems stems from the SYNC4 infotainment system made in war-torn Ukraine, thus causing massive delays.
Stuart Rowley admitted there will be "significant" job cuts at the Saarlouis where Ford employs 4,600 people.
"The reality of the industry is that the production of EVs will require fewer people."
