In Case You Missed It: The Ford Focus and C-Max Are Now *Officially* Dead [News]

Ford Focus and C-Max Are Officially Dead
The now-departed Ford Focus. [Photo: TFLcar]

Last Friday, Ford quietly rolled the last Focus and C-Max models off the line in Michigan.

Just imagine something that was once great. Something that was highly celebrated, and was met with acclaim and massive sales figures. Then, after a certain period of time…poof. No more. Okay, the C-Max wasn’t a cultural phenomenon – it was borne out of the financial crisis of the late 2000s, as Ford needed to green up its fleet. However, the outgoing Focus is quite another story. Once upon a time, it was one of Ford’s best-selling models. Today, with little fanfare and no formal announcement, Ford axed both the Focus and C-Max models.

The company’s recent decision to kill off most of its car models mainly comes down to sales. As people go crazy for crossovers and trucks, cars become less financially viable. Ford lost hundreds of millions every year on cars like the Focus and C-Max, so the time has come to shift resources elsewhere. CEO Jim Hackett told Detroit News, “We’re going to feed the healthy parts of our business and deal decisively with the areas that destroy value.” At the moment, the healthy parts include crossovers like the Escape, and the F-Series line of trucks, which sold nearly 900,000 examples last year just in the U.S.

Ford Focus and C-Max Are Officially Dead
Ford C-Max Hybrid. [Photo: Ford]
Moving forward, Ford will sell just two cars in the United States. After the company kills the Fiesta, Fusion and Taurus, only the Mustang will be left untouched. The Focus will survive, but only as the Chinese-built “Active” crossover. The normal Focus and C-Max on which it’s based are now completely gone. However, on the SUV and truck front, we are getting several new models in the coming years. The Ranger and Bronco nameplates return, and we’re getting another small off-road SUV, not to mention an electric crossover and new versions of Ford’s current crossover lineup.

Stay tuned to TFLcar.com for more updates! In memory of the now-departed Focus, check out this Hot or Not video featuring the hot Focus RS!