Every generation of Focus was built in Saarlouis, a plant that has assembled cars for the brand since 1970 and previously turned out the Escort and other staples. The wind down took years. The Focus left the U.S. market in 2018. The wild RS variant, which packaged all-wheel drive and rally-spec attitude into a blue hatchback, finished its run in 2020.
The last ST hot hatch rolled out of Saarlouis in September 2025. By the time that white five-door car reached the end of the line, the remaining versions were the sensible, family-friendly ones that spent more time at school gates than on race circuits.
A compact that did it all
Part of the Focus’s appeal was how much it offered for a reasonable price. When it launched in 1998 as the Escort’s successor, it brought sharper design, modern safety features and steering that felt alive compared with many rivals. For a lot of new drivers, it was the first car that made the school run or parking lot feel just a little bit fun.
Over four generations and several body styles, the Focus was built as a hatchback, sedan and wagon. It picked up awards, lived on as taxis and driving school cars and, in ST and RS form, gave enthusiasts a way into serious performance without needing a luxury badge price. That mix is what turned it into a global success storywith millions of units on the road.
Why Ford walked away
So if the Focus still sold well and had a loyal fan base, why pull the plug? In recent years, Ford executives have been open about the math.
Mainstream cars such as the Focus, Fiesta and Mondeo may be loved, but they do not earn the same margins as pickups, commercial vans and high-riding crossovers. At the end of the day, the company is steering investment toward the vehicles that bring in more profit per unit.
In Europe, that shift has wiped out most of the brand’s traditional car lineup. The Focus joins the Fiesta, Mondeo and Ka on the discontinued list, leaving dealers with a floor full of crossovers, SUVs and vans. The Mustang survives as a low-volume exception rather than the rule.
By the company’s own figures, the shift has not been painless. Ford was the second largest carmaker in Europe in 2015. Now its market share on the continent has slipped from about 7.2% in 2015 to roughly 3.3% through the first nine months of 2025.
Yet sales charts still show models like the Dacia Sandero, Volkswagen Golf and Renault Clio near the top of the rankings, proving that traditional small cars still have plenty of life left in them.
When the market still wants small cars
For people who live in dense cities, that disconnect feels pretty real. A compact hatchback keeps fuel bills manageable, fits into tight parking spaces and does not tower over pedestrians or cyclists. It usually weighs less than an SUV, which helps with emissions and makes a long trip a bit easier on the wallet.
Walk through many European neighborhoods and you still see rows of small cars pressed against the curb. Replacing them all with bulkier crossovers might look good on an automaker’s profit slide, but it also means more metal taking up public space, more energy used to move each vehicle and, for a lot of households, higher monthly payments.
What comes next
Ford insists it is not giving up on regular passenger cars forever. In a recent interview reported by Autocar, executive chairman William Clay Ford Jr. admitted the company’s car lineup is “not as robust as we need to be” and hinted that new non-truck models are in development.
German outlet Automobilwoche has reported that dealers have been told to expect fresh products aimed at customers who still want something closer in spirit to a Focus, even if the body style tilts toward crossovers and electrified drivetrains.
None of that helps buyers who are shopping today. For them, the options are either snapping up remaining stock, hunting the used market or switching brands altogether.
The Focus name might return in a few years on a higher-riding, part-electric model that fits the company’s new priorities. What is clear is that the humble, do-it-all compact that carried the badge for nearly three decades has already left the factory floor for the last time.
