• New four-seater Coupé-Cabriolet from Ford, on sale in Europe in October 2006
• Based on Vignale concept, first seen at the Paris Motor Show in 2004
• Stylish and elegant – designed in Italy
• Two-piece folding metal roof takes 29 seconds to open or close
• Best in class luggage space
• UK premiere at the British International Motor Show in July
• Manufactured in Italy by Pininfarina S.p.A.

The new Ford Focus Coupé-Cabriolet combines open air motoring with the comfort, stability and all-round practicality already associated with the Focus range. It goes on sale in October in Europe and it will make its UK debut at the British International Motor Show in July.

Taking its place at the top of the Focus family tree alongside the Focus ST, the new Coupé-Cabriolet uses a stylish and clever two-piece folding hardtop to give the car two distinct "personalities". The roof function is neat, efficient and reliable: opening or closing takes just 29 seconds.

It’s also big on practicality - with the roof closed, the Coupé-Cabriolet offers a best-in-class 534 litres luggage capacity, and with the hardtop stowed, there is still 248 litres of luggage space. No direct class competitor can offer more space.

Designed in partnership with Pininfarina S.p.A, the Focus Coupé-Cabriolet exudes elegance and style with the hardtop up and down.

Its distinctive rear is characterised by unique tail lights linked by a chrome strip bearing an embossed Focus logo to give the new model a premium feel. This is further enhanced by a unique front bumper shape and distinctive wheel arches.

Inside, the car’s dashboard layout follows the style of other Focus models, but with a new colour scheme developed to distinguish it as a flagship – a scheme designed to complement the car's striking exterior. Two different colour schemes are offered: dark, sporty Ebony/Flint, and the warm, elegant Iris/Camel.

Engine Line-up
Together with style and practicality comes choice: the new Focus Coupe-Cabriolet has the option of two petrol (1.6 litre and 2 litre) engines and one diesel (2 litre) engine for the European market.

A six-speed manual transmission is standard with the diesel, while the 1.6 and 2.0-litre petrol units are offered with five-speed manual.

No matter which engine is chosen, the new Coupe-Cabriolet retains the Focus brand's inspired and involving driving dynamics. This has been achieved by basing the Coupe Cabriolet on the inherently rigid four-door Focus saloon underbody and front body structure and ensuring that most new body parts are made from high-strength steel.

Safety is paramount and Ford’s new Rollover Protection Device (RPD) plays a vital role in increasing the Coupé-Cabriolet's passive safety performance. In addition to standard front and side airbags, the RPD is designed to help protect passengers in the event of a vehicle rollover. If the system detects an imminent roll, two safety roll-bars "fire" and extend out by up by 20cm to provide a supportive safety strut along with the ultra-strong windscreen pillars to protect the car's occupants.

Australian Release

Australian availability of the stunning Focus Coupé-Cabriolet hasn't been announced yet. But the Next Car team doesn't see any chance that Ford will let the excellent Peugeot 307 CC keep the market to itself, along with the Renault Megane Coupé-Cabriolet. Particularly since the equally stunning Volkswagen Eos is due in Australia in Q1 2007. The Astra Twin-top, General Motors' Coupé-Cabriolet is already on the European market and the Next Car team is expecting an early announcement on it's Australian arrival. Given the past success of the Holden Astra convertible, we expect Holden will release the Astra TwinTop sooner rather than later. Of course, Ford may well decide to let Peugeot, Renault, Volkswagen and Holden have the market to themselves. But the Next Car team doesn't see that as a viable proposition as the Focus range needs continuing support and the new Coupé-Cabriolet offers an excellent opportunity to add some gloss to the Focus range, alongside the recently released Focus XR5.