A big move for Ford. I like it a lot…The Europeans have loved them forever, now we finally get a chance. Hopefully they don’t screw it up like they did with the focus over the years. Maybe we will even get some new powertrain options.
The dual clutch gearbox installed in the Lincoln Concept C and Volvo S60 Concept that debuted at the Detroit Auto Show is now officially coming to Ford’s lineup. The Getrag-supplied PowerShift gearbox was hinted at on the Fiesta micro-site that Ford recently launched and will be available in the new sub-compact when it launches at the end of the year. Like the DSG units used in a number of Volkswagens, the PowerShift allows full automatic control or clutchless manual shifting. Ford’s first PowerShift is already available in the current European Focus with a 2.0L diesel engine. That unit is a wet-clutch system like most of the current VW DSG boxes. The new unit set to debut in the Fiesta is a dry-clutch system that’s both lighter and more efficient. The 6-speed PowerShift weighs 30 lbs less than the 4-speed automatic currently offered in the U.S.-market Focus and should deliver 9-percent better fuel economy. The official press release is pasted after the jump.
^^^thats what they remind me of…but very doubtful that they open.
The middle of the dash looks very similar to that of a cadillac as well. Ford is just ripping off GM all over their cars lately! I guess they think it might work…:mamoru:
I think that’s the only way to avoid the giant blind spot. A-pillars would have to be really thick if that wasn’t there. This lets them push doors further back.
if those windows have the same purpose as the newer honda civics, they are part of the crash energy absorbtion, they are suppose to pop out in a crash taking away some of the energy, so i was told
I like the exterior, focuses were boring, too bad N. America probably won’t see the 65 mpg diesel, decisions like that is why the big three have lost market share, they are following, not innovating
