Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A, Inc., launched the Toyota FT-CH Concept dedicated hybrid at the 2010 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The Toyota FT-CH is a concept that will support Toyota’s stated strategy to give a wider variety of conventional hybrid choices to its customers, as it begins to introduce plug-in hybrids (PHVs) and battery electrics (BEVs) in model year 2012, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCHVs) in 2015 in global markets.

“Within the next 10 to 20 years, we will not only reach peak oil we will enter a period where demand for all liquid fuels will exceed supply,” said Jim Lentz, TMS president. “A century after the invention of the automobile, we must re-invent it with powertrains that significantly reduce or eliminate the use of conventional petroleum fuels. One of many alternatives is through what is commonly called the electrification of the automobile. By far, the single most successful example of this has been the gas-electric hybrid.”

2010 Toyota FT-CH Concept

2010 Toyota FT-CH Concept

2010 Toyota FT-CH Concept

The CH stands for compact hybrid as in compact class and it’s a concept that can best be defined by comparing it with the mid-size class Prius. The Toyota FT-CH Concept captures the spirit and functionality of a car that thrives in the inner-city environment; sized right to be nimble, responsive and maneuverable.

“It’s a package Toyota dealers and customers have been asking for,” added Lentz.

The Toyota FT-CH Concept was styled at Toyota’s European Design and Development (ED²) center in Nice, France. Compared to Toyota Prius, it is 22 inches shorter in overall length, yet loses less than an inch in overall width. In spite of its compact external dimensions, Toyota FT-CH Concept was designed for maximum passenger comfort and interior roominess, with an imaginative sense of style.

The new Ford Focus sedan will be one of up to 10 unique models to be develop from Ford’s new C-car platform, which is expected to generate total sales in all regions of 2 million units annually 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 – for launch in Europe in the second half of 2010.

2011 Ford Focus Sedan

The new Ford Focus has been developed by a global team, led from Ford’s European small and medium vehicle center of excellence in Merkenich, near Cologne, Germany, with powertrain development led by a similar team at Ford’s technical center in Dunton, England. The vehicle has been engineered without compromise to meet all customer and legislative requirements of the major worldwide markets.

2011 Ford Focus Sedan

2011 Ford Focus Sedan

In developing the vehicle for global markets, the product team in Europe was able to call on the experience acquired from recent programs like the much-acclaimed new Ford Fiesta, and was supported by the expertise of vehicle and powertrain technology specialists located in Ford’s engineering center in Dearborn, Mich.

The next-generation Ford Focus car makes its worldwide debut providing customers with more affordable technologies and features than ever in this segment, as well as detailed craftsmanship, outstanding fuel economy and a new standard for driving quality.

2011 Ford Focus

Sleek, stylish and sporty, both the four-door sedan and five-door hatchback body styles of the next-generation Ford Focus are previewed prior to their production start for Europe and North America late in 2010 and market launch early in 2011.

The new Focus car will be nearly identical in all markets, with 80 percent parts commonality around the world.

2011 Ford Focus

2011 Ford Focus

2011 Ford Focus