Ford Motor Company Global Auto Shows

At the British International Motor Show, the Ford RS performance car brand is returning in the shape of the new Ford Focus RS.

Available in Europe in early 2009, the Ford Focus RS is the latest chapter in a 40-year story that began in Germany in the late 1960s. The Focus RS is finished in a special bright green paint with inlaid metallic flake reminiscent of the 1970s Le Mans Green of the Escort RS1600 era.

“We believe it’s vitally important that a Focus RS looks like both a Focus and an RS - it needs to be individual, distinctive and overt in its performance styling, but it also needs to show a clear progression from and relationship to Focus ST”, said Stefan Lamm, Chief Exterior Designer, Ford of Europe.

Although the car is still in development, early performance testing indicates a 0-100km/h (0-62mph) time of under six seconds.

It’s been ten years since the Ford Focus was first revealed to the world at the Geneva Auto Show in 1998. Since then, more than 5.3 million Ford Focus models have been built in Europe, including Russia, with the car also built and sold in North America and Asia.

The new Focus RS marks the return of the Ford RS badge, last seen on the first-generation Focus RS in 2002 and with a heritage stretching back 38 years, including Fiesta, Escort and Sierra models.

The newest Ford Fiesta was unveiled at the 2008 British International Motor Show, completing the company’s small, medium and large car ECOnetic line-up. The Fiesta ECOnetic becomes the most fuel efficient new five-seater family car in the UK, priced at $26,600.

The heart of the Fiesta ECOnetic is Ford’s 1.6-liter four-cylinder TDCi turbodiesel engine, which is rated in the U.K. at the equivalent of U.S. 51 mpg in the city, 74 mpg on the highway and 64 mpg on the combined European driving cycle. The 89-hp engine also emits an ultra-low 98g/km of CO2.

To maximize fuel-efficiency, Ford engineers have performed a number of modifications and enhancements to the standard Fiesta. Rear air deflectors have been added, the suspension has been lowered and low-rolling-resistance tires have been fitted.

Roelant de Waard, Ford of Britain chairman and managing director, said: “Many drivers are prepared to be green - but still want comfort, performance and an affordable price. ECOnetic answers that demand. Ford’s ECOnetic range , complete with new Fiesta, delivers style with a green conscience.”

On sale by the end of 2008, the Fiesta ECOnetic edition will be offered in three- and five-door models, joining the Mondeo ECOnetic and Focus ECOnetic in Ford’s European fuel efficient car lineup.

Fiesta ECOnetic’s launch at the 2008 British Motor Show brings the title of the UK’s greenest car to Ford. Ford’s range of fuel efficient ECOnetic models are leading the company’s bid to cut UK CO2 emissions by over 80,000 tons. The eco motoring website, www.cleangreencars.co.uk, calculated the environmental effect if all Ford buyers switched to the lowest CO2 model in the current range without downsizing, and lists three Focus models in its top five small family cars based on eco friendly credentials. The 44 mpg Kuga, with 169g CO2, is named its cleanest, greenest 4×4 and the Mondeo ECOnetic is shortlisted as an eco large family car.

The new Ford Fiesta ECOnetic joins the Focus ECOnetic, which went on sale earlier this year and achieves CO2 emissions of 115g/km and fuel consumption of 65.6mpg (combined cycle). The Mondeo ECOnetic went on sale this month and offers large car comfort combined with fuel economy of over 53mpg and CO2 of 139g/km.

Roelant de Waard, Ford of Britain chairman and managing director, said: “In the first half of this year, we have seen a 38% rise in sales of all Fords achieving under 120g CO2. Thanks to Cleangreencars we’ve seen what could happen if this swing continues within each of our model ranges.”

The British International Motor Show arrives once every two years — a little bigger, bolder, and more significant every time. This year’s event, from July 23 to Aug. 3 at ExCel London in the city’s Docklands district, promises plenty of dazzle. There’s a Motor Show Music Festival, with performances from Alice Cooper, Squeeze, and more. A boating exhibition that capitalizes on the venue’s riverside setting. Luxury pavilions, interactive exhibits, thrill rides. And cars: more than 600 of them, including 20 global debuts, plus celebrations of auto history and an expansive survey of the future. That means we’ll glimpse some remarkable new designs and concept cars and, of course, we’ll hear about plans for more fuel-efficient, carbon-neutral driving.

Ford Motor Company will reveal advances in both areas. They’ll debut the Ford Focus RS Mark II, a high-performance version of the popular Ford Focus compact, specially enhanced for people who take their driving seriously. And they’ll unveil the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic, a major engineering coup with a miniscule carbon footprint — as in 62-miles-per-gallon small. To mark the debut, they’ll be extending their ECOnetic driving competition — a contest to find Britain’s most eco-conscious driver — to last throughout the show. Expect a few more surprises from Ford and its brands during the two-week event — and check back here for updates.