Ford Focus for 2019 gets roomier, more tech-forward; car will no longer be made in the U.S.

Phoebe Wall Howard | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Meet the new Ford Focus compact Ford Motor Co. unveiled its new Ford Focus compact car in China and Europe on Tuesday

DETROIT — Ford unveiled its new Focus compact car in China and Europe on Tuesday, emphasizing the global importance of the passenger car in a product line dominated by sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks, particularly in the U.S.

And, amid international debate about new tariffs, Ford confirmed the vehicle will no longer be made in the U.S. but exclusively in Chongqing, China, and Saarlouis, Germany. The change is a reflection of the shift from cars to pickups and SUVs in the U.S., globalization and the fact that automakers have a hard time making profits on small cars domestically.

Besides new looks, the next Focus gets adaptive cruise control and, depending on the market, the ability to read traffic signs and the ability to stay in its lane on its own. There are adaptive headlights that can turn the beam when the car is going around corners.

Coming to the U.S. next year, the new Focus has a longer wheelbase for more space in the back seat and more shoulder room.

In May 2018, the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich., will stop making the Focus and be retooled and devoted to the Ford Ranger midsize pickup and Bronco offroad SUV. Meanwhile, the company is focused on tailoring vehicles to individual markets worldwide while cutting costs by reducing design options.

“We’re evolving our successful 'One Ford' strategy to find new ways to create a sporty-looking small car our customers will love,” said Jim Farley, president of Global Markets. “We’ll tailor which cars in the Focus line-up we offer in markets around the world to ensure we best meet customers’ different needs and preferences.”

Overseas, Focus will be available as a four-door sedan, five-door wagon and hatchback, Ford said.

The next Focus will go on sale in Europe and China this year. Many Focuses sold in the U.S. are expected to come from China, which means it is joining General Motors in importing cars from there.

Ford spokesman Jiyan Cadiz confirmed that the product portfolio shift by 2020 to trucks and utilities — including electrified versions — will account for almost 90% of Ford's volume. However, passenger cars, like the Focus, "remain an important part of our lineup," he said.

Even so, industry experts forecast a steep sales decline for the next Focus in the U.S., said Dave Sullivan, product analyst at AutoPacific.

"The Focus will eventually be Ford's entry-level car in the U.S. and will still fill an important spot in the lineup, but Ford will likely reduce their marketing budget for Focus in the future as a result of importing it from China and shifting to promoting crossovers," he said. "In Europe and China, there is still a lot of runway left for Focus. China and Europe aren't as crossover crazy as Americans. It's why Ford makes this in Europe and China and not in the U.S."

The consumer shift to crossovers has happened so quickly that automakers are trying to adapt.

"The move to China, the largest market in the world, is a trend we will continue to see for vehicles that can't make the business case for assembly in the U.S. or for tying up capacity in North America," Sullivan said.

The latest Focus spotlights Ford's shift to "reduce complexity and improve quality." Thus, consumers will be offered as few as 26 design combinations instead of more than 300 that could be ordered previously, depending on the global market.

"This complexity reduction helps Ford lower and control costs while ensuring Focus customers can more easily and quickly find the model that meets their needs," the company said.

Key to the overall cost reduction strategy will be streamlining common components such as engines, electrical systems and high-end features, such as sunroofs.

Rebecca Lindland, executive analyst at Kelley Blue Book, noted that General Motors imports the Buick Envision premium small sport utility vehicle from China already. "If tariffs increase, it will change some of these decisions about importing from China."

These days, she said, corporate profits may end up in Detroit; Turin, Italy; or Stuttgart, Germany, but it gets complicated when people try to distinguish which products are made in the U.S. Fact is, domestic companies locate overseas and foreign companies employ workers in the U.S. and export products.

"These corporations are so global," she said, "it doesn't really matter where they're based."