Demand Rising for New Ford Focus as It Earns Top Safety Pick From IIHS and Highest Safety Rating From Euro NCAP

DEARBORN, Mich., May 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

• The 2012 Ford Focus joins a list of 11 other Ford vehicles that have previously earned the Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

• Sales of the new Focus were up 22 percent in April compared with the same month a year ago

• Awards highlight impressive safety features of the 2012 Ford Focus including a strong body structure engineered to meet global safety standards

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) could see the popularity of the 2012 Focus increase even more as it joins the growing list of Ford vehicles to earn a Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Now, there are 12 Ford vehicles that have earned the award.

Today's IIHS announcement comes one day after Euro NCAP announced the new Ford Focus has earned a maximum five-star overall safety rating in its tests.

Both IIHS and Brussels-based Euro NCAP independently test the safety levels of vehicles and present major safety awards and rankings based on their findings.

Demand for the new Focus is high already as sales increased 22 percent to 17,265 in April compared with the same month a year ago.

The 2012 Ford Focus features a strong, stiff and lightweight steel body structure that has been engineered to meet global safety standards.

The structure makes use of advanced high-strength steels and innovative fabrication techniques to minimize body weight while delivering enhanced crash performance, improved vehicle dynamics and superior refinement. The body was rigorously designed using state-of-the-art computer simulation tools.

Fifty-five percent of the body shell is made of high-strength steels, of which 31 percent is ultra-tough boron steel, more than any other Ford built to date.

"We were committed from the beginning with the new Focus to design and engineer a vehicle that leads the way both in terms of technology and safety," said Gunnar Herrmann, Global C Car vehicle line director. "The inherent strength of the new Focus is the structural rigidity of the body and its extensive use of high-strength steels."

Computer simulation also played a major role in development of the restraint system used in the 2012 Ford Focus. Ford safety engineers in the United States and Germany crash tested the vehicle more than 12,000 times in real and virtual simulations to prove innovative new technologies designed to protect occupants in crashes.

As a result, the North American version of the 2012 Ford Focus features advanced restraint systems with innovative next-generation airbags that provide enhanced chest protection. The new airbag uses a reconfigured curve-shaped tether system that pulls in the lower section to create a "pocket" to help lessen the impact of the airbag on the driver's chest and ribs in frontal crashes.

Other standard safety features for the 2012 Ford Focus include:

• AdvanceTrac® Electronic Stability Control
• SecuriLock® passive anti-theft system
• SOS Post-Crash Alert System™
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)

With the 2012 Ford Focus on the list, the company now has 12 vehicles on the road in the U.S. to have earned a Top Safety Pick from IIHS. To earn a Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must receive a rating of "good" in offset frontal-, side- and rear-impact tests and the roof strength evaluation, as well as offer electronic stability control.

Other Ford Motor Company vehicles that have earned a Top Safety Pick rating are:  

• 2011 Ford Edge (built after February 2011)
• 2011 Ford Explorer
• 2011 Ford F-150
• 2011 Ford Fiesta (built after July 2010)
• 2011 Ford Flex
• 2011 Ford Fusion
• 2011 Ford Taurus
• 2011 Lincoln MKS
• 2011 Lincoln MKT
• 2011 Lincoln MKX (built after February 2011)
• 2011 Lincoln MKZ

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 166,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.

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SOURCE Ford Motor Company