On sale from the end of this year, the new model brings a bolder design together with improvements to the interior, a suite of 18 new or improved driver assistance technologies and major fuel economy improvements.

‘We weren’t satisfied with being number one; we wanted to make the best even better with a stunning new version of the Focus,’ said Stephen Odell, president of Ford of Europe, Middle East and Africa. ‘The new Ford Focus marries modern design, advanced technology and leading fuel efficiency with the fun-to-drive DNA for which Focus is rightly acclaimed.’

Offering the model’s most fuel-efficient powertrain line-up ever thanks to improvements, the new Focus will be the first vehicle in Europe to offer Ford’s new 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol engine, which offers a 7% improvement in fuel efficiency when paired with the six-speed manual gearbox and equipped with Auto-Start-Stop, compared with the power-equivalent 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine it replaces. From early next year it also will be offered with a six-speed automatic transmission.

The Focus will also be available for the first time with Ford’s 1.5-litre TDCi diesel engine. Available with 95PS or 120PS, it delivers greater power, torque and responsiveness. The 95PS version will deliver 98g/km CO2 emissions, a 10% improvement compared to the 1.6-litre TDCi diesel. It also will deliver 3.8l/100km fuel efficiency when mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.

A 120PS version of the 1.5-litre TDCi diesel, with the six-speed manual gearbox, will also deliver a 10% fuel efficiency improvement and a PowerShift automatic option will be introduced next.

The enhanced 2.0-litre TDCi diesel engine delivers significantly more power, torque and better fuel efficiency.

Meanwhile the Focus will continue to be offered with the award-winning 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine – including a 99g/km CO2 1.0-litre EcoBoost model.

The new Focus also debuts SYNC 2 in Europe, Ford’s advanced in-car connectivity system, and also offers new Ford Focus Enhanced Transitional Stability technology, which improves safety by pre-empting skids to intervene earlier and could prevent drivers from losing control.

Ford will also offer the new Focus ST, revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, which will be available for the first time with both a petrol and a diesel powertrain.