The Dearborn-based automaker reports more than 42,100 sales in the first six months of availability, with the Focus ST-Line accounting for more than 40 percent of the volume. The Chrome Blue and Desert Island Blue paint options are also popular, as well as the eight-speed automatic transmission that will be offered in the next generation of the Escape (a.k.a. Kuga in Europe).“Media, motoring experts , and – most importantly – customers are full of praise for our all-new Focus , and that’s reflected in both variety of awards the car is winning and the rate at which they’re flying out of showrooms,” declared Glen Goold, chief programme engineer of the compact model. “To be considered the best in such a competitive segment is a very high level of praise.”To be more precise, the best in terms of handling as far as non-premium compact hatchback models are concerned. Technology is another strong point of the Focus, but all the bells and whistles come at a cost that doesn’t make sense at all in this segment.In Croatia and Finland, the Focus was crowned Car of the Year 2019 for some reason or another. Add to that 10 category wins and a shortlist for European Car of the Year, and you’ll understand why Ford is waxing lyrical about the fourth generation of the Focus.Available in Germany at the promotional price of €15,990, the Focus in entry-level specification comes with all the essentials you’d expect from this type of car. The Trend features 16-inch steelies with plastic covers, LED daytime running lights flanking halogen-type headlights, power windows on all four corners, electrically adjustable and heated side mirrors with integrated signal lights, air conditioning, Hill Start Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, and Pre-Collision Assist.Next year, the redesigned Focus ST will be unveiled with the 2.3-liter EcoBoost from the Focus RS of the previous generation. But in this application, the four-cylinder engine will develop less than 300 PS because there’s a new Focus RS on the horizon.