I like Ford’s new direction…

Ford, they make pick up trucks, Mustangs and cop cars, right? That’s what most younger people in the US think anyway. That’s what I used to think, before the redesigned Focus and the upcoming Focus ST. I first started to notice Ford’s new…designs when I saw a 6th generation Tarus on the road. The car had a sleeker look to it that the Ford’s of the recent past.

Ford has been cool in Europe for a while now with the Cosworth cars and cars like the Focus RS. It seems like our own brand wanted to keep all the good stuff on the other side of the pond, Not anymore.

I was already in love with the new Mustang but it was a “muscle car”, and would always carry a little bit of a stigma for us “import guys”. You see the Mustang guys always hated us import guys and that in turn makes us harbor a little hate to the car.

Then came along the all new Focus, The Focus RS and the upcoming Focus ST. A funny thing happend, I actually found myself desiring a Ford, and a Focus at that. The focus was always a little econobox. Hell, my sister had a Focus. It was never a cool car. It wasn’t even close to being a cool car.

The new Focus’ design however changes that. It’s sleek and powerful looking. It’s edgy and modern without looking too over the top. Thankfully Ford didn’t stop with the looks. The Focus ST has 246 HP with a six speed manual transmission making it quite the performer.

I did a little digging to see what was going on a the blue oval to usher in this new “coolness”. It tuns out all the cars I like are the product of one mans direction, Moray Callum. Moray is Fords Executive Director of Design and came from Mazda before taking the helm at ford.

At Mazda he oversaw the redesign of  the MX-5, then designed the 2002 Mazda 2 and Mazda 6, and also did the 2003 Mazda 3, the 2006 Mazda 5, and the 2007 CX-7 and CX-9.

With designs like the new Focus and partnerships with people like Ken Block I think Ford is primed to become cool in the US youth market. I look forward to what Ford has up their sleeves and by looking at the Ford Evos concept they are continuing on the right path.