AMERICAN carmaker Ford unveiled the next generation Ford Focus at this year's North American International Motor Show this week.

The new member of the Ford family was revealed amid worldwide anticipation owing to the success of the current model.

But, South African Focus fans have to wait until 2012 to get their hands on this beauty.

The Focus is one of the success stories of the American manufacturer. Though South Africa has a long wait before the car reaches their shores, it is worth looking at.

The much-anticipated Ford Focus looks sleek, stylish and sporty.

According to the manufacturer the new Focus will be identical in all markets, with 80percent parts commonality around the world.

Production of the next generation Ford Focus will begin simultaneously in Europe and North America later this year, with individual market launches starting early next year.

The new Focus will be one of up to 10 unique models to be built on Ford's new C-car platform, which is expected to generate total sales of twomillion units annually in all regions by 2012.

The first of these will be the new Ford C-MAX and Ford Grand C-MAX - unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.

The new Focus has been developed by Ford's global team, led from Ford's European small and medium vehicle centre of excellence in Germany, with power-train development led by a similar team at Ford's technical centre in England.

The global power-train lineup for the new Focus, according to the firm, will include a range of Ford EcoBoost four-cylinder turbocharged direct injection (DI) engines - including the 1,6-litre unit and a choice of advanced and improved Duratorq TDCi common-rail diesel engines.

The company says the technology package of the new Focus will ensure this model assumes leadership in the C-segment.

Ford promises the new technologies that have been designed to be simple and highly intuitive to use, while enhancing both convenience and safety for the occupants.