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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday September 24, 2008 - 37 Ford's `Focus' now on smaller cars By Lornse Drury OAKVILLE BEAVER Ford has recently announced a new vision for the company, with an emphasis on smaller vehicles as the large car/SUV market is drying up as quickly as gas prices have risen. This has been particularly true south of the border. Ford's bread and butter models over the years have been the F-150 pickup and the Explorer sport utility. Now, sales of those two vehicles have taken a nose dive and the focus, pardon the pun, is now firmly on the one small car on the Ford menu, the Focus compact. Redesigned for 2008, the Wayne, Michigan-built Focus has been selling quite briskly of late. In fact, sales of the Focus were up 19 per cent in Canada during the month of June. While not totally new for 2008, the Focus has undergone a major refresh and a reduction in body styles available. Gone are the three- and five-door hatchbacks and the Focus wagon, leaving just a two-door coupe and four-door sedan. Ford has hoped for big things from this 2008 model, much like when the Focus first hit the market in 1999. It was named both North American and Canadian Car of the Year. Since then, the Focus has been mostly an afterthought for buyers who have flocked to the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and the Mazda3. Among the changes to the Focus is a bolder exterior look. When compared with many of its competitors in the compact class, however it still falls short in the looks department. Even cars from the Ford family like the Mazda3 have a much more exciting exterior appeal. That said, in many ways the new Focus is much improved over the past model. The interior is roomy, comfortable and relatively quiet. New style seats and instrument panel add an updated look to the cabin as does the ice blue lighting on the instrument cluster, centre console, steering wheel and door lock and window switches. However the biggest innovation for 2008 has to be the Sync system, developed by Microsoft and exclusive to Ford. It is a full integrated, voice-activated communications and entertainment system for mobile phones and digital music players. Continued on Page 38 The 2008 Ford Focus marks the second generation of a car which debuted in 1999 and captured both North American and Canadian Car of the Year honours in 2000. COSTCO/VOLVO EVENT September 2, 2008 In early September, Volvo of Oakville will be launching a new initiative. As a valued Costco member, and a potential or existing Volvo of Oakville customer, I feel that you should be included in hearing about this great campaign first, from us here at Volvo of Oakville. Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. and Volvo of Oakville have come together for a special sales and branding campaign in which Volvo will be the first and exclusive automobile manufacturer to present a special offer to Costco members in Canada. I have listed below the details of the Costco campaign: Models: 2008 and 2009 model year XC90, XC70 and S60. Offer: On top of the existing retail incentive program, Costco Members will receive a $1,500 Additional Cash Incentive PLUS up to $1,250 in accessories. From September 2 until November 15, 2008 Dates: If you have been thinking that it is time to step into a new Volvo, what better time than now to take advantage of these great programs. Please feel free to visit our showroom, or give one of our knowledgeable sales staff a call if you have any questions. We hope to see you soon! Plus, get an additional $ 2000 Rebate back ecoAUTO Jason McNamara Nelson Baptista Scott Carruthers Chris Warbrick Volvo Sales Specialist Volvo Sales Specialist Volvo Sales Specialist Volvo Sales Specialist scottc@volvoofoakville.com chris@volvoofoakville.com jason@volvoofoakville.com nelsonb@volvoofoakville.com BRONTE RD. PACIFIC RD. WYECROFT RD. 3RD LINE smart Centre Oakville 300 South Service Road West, Oakville, Ontario L6J 5A2 (905) 845-6623 http://oakville.smartdirect.ca/ecoRebate VOLVO OF OAKVILLE 770 Pacific Road, Oakville (905) 825-8088 www.volvoofoakville.com W. Q.E.W. E. SOUTH SERVICE RD.