The Ford Focus Ends Production After Nearly 30 Years

Why the Focus mattered: design, dynamics, and cultural impact

The original 1998 Focus was daring: bold "New Edge" styling paired with a chassis that felt remarkably grown-up for a compact hatch. It instantly became a benchmark for the C-segment, delivering steering and suspension balance that rivals struggled to match.

The Mk2 calmed the styling but improved interior quality, while introducing notable variants such as the five-cylinder ST. That engine and its distinctive note became part of the Focus mythos—proof that a mainstream car could also have character and charisma.

Performance highlights: ST, RS, and the golden age of hot Fords

When SUVs started dominating the market, Ford still found ways to feed the enthusiast community.

The Mk3 reintroduced the ST estate as an affordable, rapid wagon that embraced lift-off oversteer and practical usability in equal measure.

For many, that car was the perfect daily driver.

The showstopper was the Mk3/Mk4 RS lineage.

The 2015 Focus RS arrived with a 2.3-litre EcoBoost producing around 350hp, four-wheel drive, and a Drift Mode that grabbed headlines.

It was a statement: Ford Performance could produce genuinely radical, usable performance cars.

Used market snapshot: bargains and future classics

With new production halted, interest in used examples has predictably grown.

Early Mk1 ST170 models can be found from around £3,000 (though top examples command much more).

First-generation RS cars range widely, commonly quoted between £16,000 and significantly higher, depending on condition and provenance.

There's still value to be had: Mk2 five-cylinder STs frequently start from about £5,000, while later Ecoboost wagons and Mountune-tuned cars represent strong performance bargains.

Examples cited in the classifieds suggest Mk3 RS/RS-variant cars from roughly £20,000, with special editions and mountune builds achieving premium prices.

The latest Mk4 ST variants and Track Pack cars are increasingly sought after, often trading just under the £30,000 mark for rarer spec.

What this means for Ford and the future of family cars

Removing the Focus from Ford's range is symbolic.

It highlights how quickly the brand and the industry have pivoted toward electrification.

Ford's European strategy now prioritises EVs and crossover-style vehicles, a direction that has already populated showrooms with multiple electric models in similar price bands.

For buyers who valued the Focus's driver-centric balance, the shift raises questions: will EVs ever replicate that precise combination of light steering, body control, and tactile feedback?

Enthusiasts will watch closely as Ford adapts its performance DNA to electric architectures.

Expert takeaway

The Ford Focus's discontinuation signals the end of a mainstream chapter in automotive engineering, the end of an era that proved a family hatchback could be insightful, fun, and surprisingly emotional.

The hatchback's legacy will live on in the used market and in the DNA of cars it influenced; for anyone seeking a genuinely great hot hatch today, a Focus ST or RS still represents one of the best value-for-experience propositions on the road.